John has been actively involved in the marine industry for over 40 years. He began his career in the sport fishing industry and has been involved in many various segments, including Commercial Fishing, Offshore Oil Support Vessels, Dinner Cruise and Excursion Vessels, Casino Boats, Car and Passenger Ferry Operations and Overnight Cruise Vessels.
After serving as Director of Marine Operations for Hornblower Dining Yacht’s fleet of 29 Dinner Cruise vessels, John and his partner Terry MacRae started Hornblower Marine Services, a Maritime Consulting Company. HMS was involved in starting five of the Riverboat Casino projects in the Midwest, including the “Glory of Rome” for Caesars Indiana, the largest Riverboat Casino in the world.
As Casino Vessels moved shoreside, Waggoner founded HMS Ferries, creating cutting-edge High-Speed Ferries projects. Today HMS Ferries operates over 30 ferries around the U.S. and internationally.
High-Speed Ferry operations segued to the WestPac Express project, a 101 Meter high-speed car passenger ferry that carried 900 US Marines and 500 tons of their rolling stock for 3rd Military Expeditionary Force in Okinawa. This resulted in HMS purchasing Seaward Services, a division that focused on the operation and maintenance of Military Vessels.
In 2010 Waggoner purchased the American Queen, the largest paddlewheel steamboat in the world. Over the last 13 years, the American Queen Steamboat Company has grown to a fleet of seven vessels and is at the forefront of the river cruising industry.
Waggoner currently serves on the Boards of Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, Transportation Committee, Ceases Indiana Foundation, Great Louisville Inc. He has also served as chairman of the California Marine Academy Foundation Board and was appointed to the National Academy of Sciences Marine Board. He has been involved with the National Passenger Vessel Association and the National Transportation Safety Board Go Team.