The family behind a Dubuque business was recognized this month for its contributions to the nation’s waterways.

The late Eldon Newt, Gary Newt and Carter Newt, of Newt Marine Service, were named recipients of the National Rivers Hall of Fame’s Achievement Award, a press release states. The Hall of Fame is located at National Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium in Dubuque and seeks to share stories of people who have impacted America’s rivers.

The release states that Eldon Newt, who died in 1994, had nearly a decade of marine experience when he pursued his pilot’s license during World War II and eventually became one of the youngest captains on the Mississippi River.

His son, Gary, started Newt Marine in 1965. The business offered harbor services and fleeting at first and eventually expanded to offer short barge tows, construction and pile-driving projects.

When Gary’s son, Carter, started with the company, he began bidding on habitat restoration projects, which now comprise most of the work Newt Marine does.

The release states that Newt Marine has had a “profound impact in marine repairs, fleeting, construction and environmental restoration” across the Midwest.