Stephen Edwards has been named the next leader of The Port of Virginia. He will succeed John Reinhart, who for the past seven years has led the Virginia Port Authority (VPA) as CEO and executive director.
Edwards currently is the president and CEO of TraPac LLC, which operates container terminals in Los Angeles and Oakland, California, and Jacksonville, Florida. His tenure with the VPA begins Jan. 19.
“Under John Reinhart’s leadership, The Port of Virginia has put all of the pieces in place for long-term success,” Edwards said. “The goal is to take these collective assets and put them to work to the benefit of customers and cargo owners while attracting new business, jobs and economic investment to Virginia. I look forward to continuing this positive momentum and leading the port to greater heights in the coming years.”
Reinhart is retiring in March. He is credited with helping modernize the port’s infrastructure and building its reputation, brand and competitiveness.
“The board has made clear that economic growth is now job number one for the new CEO,” said John G. Milliken, chairman of the VPA board, adding that Edwards has “a deep understanding of the industry and the challenges ahead.”
Prior to TraPac, Edwards was the CEO of Global Container Terminals, which has container terminals in Vancouver, British Columbia, as well as New York and New Jersey. He also was president and CEO of Ports America Group and, before that, P&O Ports North America.
ZeroNorth
Danny Lange and Eric Aboussouan have joined the board of directors for ZeroNorth.
ZeroNorth, headquartered in Copenhagen, Denmark, was created to help shipping companies operate their vessels more efficiently to reduce carbon dioxide emissions.
Lange is the senior vice president of artificial intelligence for software development company Unity. Previously, he held senior leadership positions at Uber and Amazon, focusing on machine learning and bringing intelligent solutions to the companies’ services.
Aboussouan is the director of strategy and digitization for Cargill Ocean Transportation, playing a key role in the company’s efforts to support the decarbonization of shipping. Cargill also is a large-scale customer and investor in ZeroNorth.
“Danny and Eric are accomplished leaders and combined they bring a profound understanding of the shipping industry and the fast-moving tech world. We are confident that they will add great value to ZeroNorth as the company increases its customer base and enhances its service offerings in the coming years, profiting both the company and the climate,” said Christian M. Ingerslev, ZeroNorth board chairman and CEO of Maersk Tankers.
Southeastern Freight Lines
Southeastern Freight Lines, a provider of regional less-than-truckload (LTL) transportation services, has promoted Blake Potter to service center manager in Dalton, Georgia.
Potter has more than five years of experience at Southeastern, starting his career at the Knoxville, Tennessee, service center as an outbound supervisor. He has served in various leadership positions during his time with the company, including inbound supervisor, pickup and delivery supervisor, assistant service center manager, and, most recently, service center manager in Tri-Cities, Tennessee.
“Blake is an outstanding leader that is committed to serving our internal and external customers at a world-class level,” said Seth Fetzer, regional vice president of operations for Southeastern Freight Lines. “He has consistently demonstrated his leadership capabilities and a strong commitment to living our culture, making him a tremendous asset to the Dalton team.”
Reinhart inducted into hall of fame
Career Tracks: Coast Guard, Crane Worldwide and Southeastern Freight
Career Tracks: Truckstop.com, Southeastern Freight and Eimskip
Click for more American Shipper/FreightWaves stories by Senior Editor Kim Link-Wills.
