Philadelphia selects port advisory members

Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf has appointed 13 individuals from business, labor and government to serve on the Port of Philadelphia Advisory Committee.

   Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf has appointed 13 individuals from business, labor and government to serve on the Port of Philadelphia Advisory Committee.  
   The committee is expected to provide a dialogue between the Philadelphia Regional Port Authority (PRPA) and its key stakeholders, and will meet quarterly. Its agenda will cover port strategic and real estate planning, macro-maritime industry conditions, assessing port infrastructure requirements, and optimizing market opportunities.  
   The committee’s members include Leonidas (Leo) Addimando, co-founder and managing partner of the Alterra Property Group; Denise Brinley, special assistant to Pennsylvania Secretary of the Department of Community and Economic Development; Capt. John Cuff of the Pilots Association of the Bay and River Delaware; Toby L. Fauver, PennDOT deputy secretary for multimodal transportation; William Hamilton, president of the Pennsylvania Conference of Teamsters; Rudy Husband, vice president of Norfolk Southern for Pennsylvania and New England; Rich Lazer, who will represent Philadelphia Mayor-elect Jim Kenney; Kate McNamara, vice president of real estate service for the Philadelphia Industrial Development Corp.; Rodney Oglesby, vice president of government affairs for CSX Corp.; Robert W. Palaima, president of Delaware River Stevedores; James H. Paylor Jr., vice president of the International Longshoremen’s Union; James Snell, business agent for Steamfitters Local Union 420; and Harvey Weiner, president of Dependable Distribution Services. 
   The Port of Philadelphia handles bulk cargoes, such as fruits, vegetables, cocoa beans, and aggregates.  It has substantial refrigerated and freezer warehousing space as close as 90 feet from the dock, allowing for handling of temperature-sensitive cargoes. Since 2010, Pennsylania has delegated a total of over $300 million to the Port of Philadelphia. 
   “The Port of Philadelphia is positioning itself not only to maintain our competitive edge, but to be better prepared to pursue new business opportunities around the world,” said Gerard H. Sweeney, chairman of the Philadelphia Regional Port Authority’s board, in a statement.