Awards also given for safety practices and to Circular IQ, Dayton Freight, Duluth-Superior, Manhattan CFO, Nola, Old Dominion, Pacesetter ports and Worldwide.
The American Association of Port Authorities (AAPA) presented the 2019 Port Person of the Year award to Rep. Mario Díaz-Balart, R-Fla.
The award was presented last week following the Congressional PORTS Caucus in Washington, D.C.
Díaz-Balart (pictured above center) is the ranking member of the House Appropriation Committee’s Transportation, Housing and Urban Development (T-HUD) Subcommittee.
“In his more than 16 years in the U.S. House of Representatives, Congressman Díaz-Balart has consistently championed legislation to benefit our nation’s ports,” said Kurt Nagle (above left), AAPA president and CEO. “Through both words and deeds, he’s demonstrated a keen understanding of how ports play a central role in driving our nation’s economy and creating good American jobs.”
Díaz-Balart, who also co-chairs the Florida Ports Caucus, is now serving his ninth term representing Florida’s 25th Congressional District. In the fiscal 2019 T-HUD appropriations bill, he negotiated language that resulted in nearly $293 million in first-ever funding being appropriated for the Port Infrastructure Development Program within the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration.
The Shipbuilders Council of America (SCA), the national trade association representing the U.S. shipyard industry, hosted its annual spring meeting in Washington, D.C., last week and honored Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Rep. Peter DeFazio, D-Ore., as the 2019 recipients of the Maritime Leadership Award.
SCA said Collins and DeFazio were recognized as exemplary leaders who have “demonstrated outstanding dedication and support of the U.S. shipbuilding and repair industry.”
SCA said the American maritime industry, including shipbuilding and repair, creates more than 650,000 jobs nationwide and contributes over $150 billion annually to the nation’s economy, according to a recent economic study by PricewaterhouseCoopers and the Transportation Institute. In Maine, the American domestic industry adds $208.4 million to the state’s economy, as well as $725.5 million in worker income.
“America’s shipyard industry is vital to our national and economic security, and I am proud to represent a state with a longstanding shipbuilding tradition,” Collins said. “The thousands of hardworking employees at Bath Iron Works and other shipyards demonstrate their commitment to excellence in every ship they build, and I am committed to supporting them by securing the resources needed to grow and maintain our fleet.
“As a senior member of the Appropriations Committee, I will continue to fight for shipbuilding and acquisition policies to keep the United States Navy pre-eminent, our shipyards strong and our skilled workers building the best ships in the world,” she said.
DeFazio chairs the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.
SCA President Matthew Paxton applauded Collins and DeFazio for their support.
“They are champions for the skilled men and women who maintain best-in-class commercial and military vessels, and they know the importance of fighting for strong shipyards for our nation’s defense and national security,” Paxton said.
During the spring meeting, SCA also presented 30 awards for exceptional safety practices.
The SCA Award for Excellence in Safety went to Austal USA, Mobile, Ala.; BAE Systems Hawaii Shipyards, Honolulu; BAE Systems Jacksonville Ship Repair, Florida; BAE Systems Norfolk Ship Repair, Virginia; BAE Systems San Diego Ship Repair, California; Bollinger Shipyards, Lockport, La.; Campbell Transportation Co. Inc., Houston, Pa.; Colonna’s Shipyard Inc., Norfolk; Detyens Shipyards Inc., Charleston, S.C.; Eastern Shipbuilding Group Inc., Panama City, Fla.; General Dynamics NASSCO, San Diego; Fincantieri Marinette Marine, Washington, D.C.; M.A.R.R.S. of Alabama, Mobile; Performance Contracting Inc., Ashburn, Va.; San Diego Marine, California; Southwest Shipyard LP, Houston; Tecnico Corp., Chesapeake, Va.; Vigor Alaska Ketchikan; and Vigor Industrial and Vigor Works, both in Portland, Ore.
The SCA Award for Improvement in Safety was presented to Austal USA, BAE Systems Hawaii Shipyards, BAE Systems San Diego Ship Repair, Bollinger Shipyards, Fincantieri Marinette Marine, Tecnico Corp. and Campbell Transportation Co. Inc.
Winners of the Award for Significant Safety Achievement were M.A.R.R.S. of Alabama, Southwest Shipyard LP and Campbell Transportation Co. Inc.
The Dutch startup Circular IQ won the second edition of the European Supply Chain Startup Contest during the inNOWvate Supply Chain Event last week in Ameersfoort, the Netherlands.
The competition was organized by Supply Chain Media, publisher of Supply Chain Magazine and Supply Chain Movement.
According to the award announcement, “Circular IQ impressed both the jury and the delegates at the inNOWvate Supply Chain Event with its virtual platform that gives companies the necessary commercial insights to capitalize on circular innovation, save natural resources and ultimately boost their profit.”
Dayton Freight Lines Inc. was named Technicolor’s LTL Carrier of the Year.
The award is given to one LTL carrier that excels in metrics including on-time pickups and deliveries with preassigned arrival times, EDI capabilities and excellent customer support.
“As the only LTL carrier acknowledged, Dayton Freight is humbled by this recognition from Technicolor and we appreciate the importance they place on service,” the company said in the award announcement.
Dennis Story, executive vice president and chief financial officer of Manhattan Associates Inc., has been named a CFO of the Year by The Atlanta Business Chronicle.
Manhattan Associates designs, builds and delivers cloud and on-premises solutions for supply chain and omnichannel commerce customers.
Story has served as Manhattan Associates’ CFO for 14 years. During his tenure, the company has increased in value from $600 million in 2006 to $4.5 billion today.
The American Red Cross recognized Old Dominion Freight Line Inc., headquartered in Thomasville, N.C., for its support of the Disaster Responder Program with an annual pledge of $250,000.
“Every day in the face of disasters, the generosity of Disaster Responder members like Old Dominion Freight Line ensures the Red Cross can provide comfort and care to people in their darkest hours,” said Don Herring, chief development officer at the American Red Cross. “We are extremely grateful for these contributions before disasters strike because it enables us to respond to disasters immediately and compassionately when help and hope are needed most.”
As part of the Disaster Responder Program, Old Dominion has launched redcross.org/odfl as a platform to channel employee and customer donations to the Red Cross. Old Dominion also will leverage Red Cross assets to help its more than 22,000 employees better prepare for disasters.
The U.S. St. Lawrence Seaway Development Corp. presented its 2018 Pacesetter Award to the Port of Duluth-Superior on Wednesday as part of the region’s National Maritime Day festivities.
The award salutes Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway System ports that registered international cargo tonnage increases during the 2018 shipping season.
Duluth Seaway Port Authority Executive Director Deb DeLuca accepted the honor on behalf of the Port of Duluth-Superior, which registered an 11.5 percent season-over-season gain in international tonnage shipped. The increase primarily was driven by a 19 percent jump in grain tonnage.
“In terms of total tonnage, the 2018 season was Duluth-Superior’s best since 2014, so it was a solid season overall,” said DeLuca. “International shipping, the Pacesetter Award criterion, certainly played a role in that 2018 success, with a slight uptick in the number of international vessels and a double-digit increase in the percentage of international tonnage shipped through the port.”
Duluth-Superior was one of eight ports to earn 2018 Pacesetter honors, joining the Erie-Western Pennsylvania Port Authority; Port Milwaukee; Port of Monroe and Port of Muskegon, both in Michigan; Ogdensburg Bridge and Port Authority and Port of Oswego, both in New York; and the Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority in Ohio.
The Port of New Orleans was presented the Equity Ally Award in recognition of its efforts to provide access to opportunities for women and minority entrepreneurs at the Good Work Network’s annual meeting May 17 at Audubon Zoo.
“The Port of New Orleans strives to be inclusive working with and promoting local and small businesses while growing the global economy through our gateway,” said Brandy D. Christian, president and CEO of Port NOLA and CEO of New Orleans Public Belt Railroad. “This award validates the success of our procurement department’s initiatives, such as the small business contracting program, and it allows us to continue to move forward in the right direction.”
During fiscal years 2016 through 2018, more than $6 million was spent with minority- and women-owned businesses. During the current fiscal year, Port NOLA has already spent more than $5.6 million in small business contracts.
Third-party logistics services provider Worldwide Express has been named one of Inc. magazine’s Best Workplaces for 2019 in the private company sector.
“We know that our people are our greatest asset,” said Worldwide Express CEO Tom Madine. “When we recruit, we look for people who resonate our company’s culture. We bring on those who are passionate about work and life — high achievers who want to be part of a growing and winning company. We are able to do this with a team from all walks of life. We look and feel very diverse, but in terms of culture, we are all cut from the same cloth.”
Recent company initiatives include new hire buddy, mentorship and peer-to-peer recognition programs and awards recognizing those committed to an incredible customer experience.
