Port People: Corpus Christi, Palm Beach, San Diego, San Francisco

Corpus Christi Port Commission Welcomes a New Member and Elects New Executive Officers

Wes Hoskins was sworn in and welcomed as the newest member of the Port Corpus Christi Commission during the commission’s first regular meeting of the New Year, on January 19. Mr. Hoskins, who represents San Patricio County on the commission, was administered the oath of office by Nueces County Judge, Lloyd Neal.

Also taking the oath was Richard Ralph Valls, who was re-appointed to the commission by the City of Corpus Christi.

The San Patricio seat was formerly held by Commission Chair, Judy Hawley, whose term limit expired.

Port commission officers for 2016 are: Charles Zahn, chair; Wayne Squires, vice-chair; and Barbara Canales, secretary.

W. Wes Hoskins is chairman of the board for Coastal Bend Bancshares, president & CEO of First Community Bank, director of First Community Bank, president of WBH, Inc. Commercial Real Estate Holdings Co., and auctioneer with Buddy and Wesley Hoskins Auctioneers.

Civic and professional leadership roles include: Federal Reserve of San Antonio Advisory Board; Federal Home Loan Bank Dallas board of directors; American Bankers Association PAC Committee chairman, Regulatory Task Force Committee, and Financial Education and Advocacy Initiative Committee; Corpus Christi Chamber of Commerce chairman; Texas Bankers Association chairman, board of directors, and Texas Legislative Lobby; and Corpus Christi Downtown Management District board of directors.

Commissioner Hoskins is a graduate of Southwest Texas University with a bachelor of education in communications and a political science minor.

The port commission is the governing body of the Port Corpus Christi Authority. The seven commissioners serve three-year staggered terms without pay.Three commissioners are appointed by the Corpus Christi City Council, three by the Nueces County Commissioners Court, and one by the San Patricio County Commissioners Court.

Corpus Christi Port Commissioner W. Wes Hoskins

Photo/Port Corpus Christi

Palm Beach Port Commissioners Elects Wayne M. Richards Chairman

Wayne M. Richards was elected chairman of the Port of Palm Beach Board of Commissioners during the board’s meeting on January 20. Also elected were Dr. Jean L. Enright, vice-chair, and George E. Mastics, secretary-treasurer.

First elected to the board in 2000, Mr. Richards is now serving his fourth term as commission. He has led the port on several trade missions to the Caribbean nations of the Bahamas, Barbados, Dominican Republic, and Trinidad/Tobago, created Palm Beach County Haiti Relief, assisted in bringing the Bahamas Celebration and the Black Diamond Casino Cruises to the port, and increased revenue by supporting existing tenants while working to attract bulk and break-bulk cargo clients.

Mt. Richards graduated with a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from Howard University and a law degree from the University of Michigan. A practicing attorney with his own firm in Palm Beach County, he specializes in real estate and business law, land use, zoning, and governmental affairs.

The board of commissioners is composed of five members elected at large by port district voters for overlapping four-year terms. The other members are Peyton W. McArthur and immediate past chairman Blair J. Ciklin.

Palm Beach Port Commission Chairman Wayne M. Richards

Photo/Port of Palm Beach District

Port of San Diego Swears in 2016 Chairman of the Board

The Port of San Diego swore in its 2016 Board of Port Commissioners Executive Officers at a State of the Port event earlier this month at the USS Midway Museum. They include: Marshall Merrifield, chairman; Robert "Dukie" Valderrama, vice chairman, and Rafael Castellanos, secretary. Outgoing Chairman Dan Malcolm remains on the board.

During his inauguration speech, incoming Chairman Merrifield outlined his vision and announced his theme for the year ahead, "Port of San Diego: Building a Prosperous and Sustainable Future."

"This is not only a theme, but a priority and a promise," said Mr. Merrifield. "Strategically important economic ventures will boost jobs and growth for our region. Great real estate projects already underway will continue to move forward, with several developments and policies crossing the finish line this year. Integrated planning principles will guide our work on these projects and we’ll begin new initiatives."

He noted that the coming year will bring the opening of a new hotel on Lane Field North and progress on many initiatives, including: modernization of the Tenth Avenue Marine Terminal; balanced land-use planning for the National City Marina District; resurgence of the port’s cruise business line; completion of the National City Aquatics Center; groundbreaking for a hotel project on Lane Field South; and a decision on a path for development of the 57 acres of land and water of the East Harbor Island basin, the decades-long location of rental car properties and Harbor Police offices.

Other important priorities for the year ahead include seeking development proposals for San Diego’s Central Embarcadero, and continuing efforts to finalize a resort convention hotel development deal for an anchor site on the Chula Vista Bayfront.

Potential new initiatives for the year include:

Pursuing grant funding from the California Energy Commission to electrify forklifts, drayage vehicles, and cranes at the Tenth Avenue Marine Terminal.
Working closely with the California Air Resources Board to pursue sustainable freight initiatives for both cargo terminals.
Leveraging the port’s role as a co-license holder for the World Trade Center San Diego to enhance trade opportunities for small and medium sized businesses.
Providing a permanent venue for the San Diego Symphony at Embarcadero Marina Park South.
Resuming the port’s role as a regional leader in public art and restoring funding for public art.
Reviving efforts to raise money for the San Diego-Coronado Bay Bridge Artistic Lighting project. Establishing an incubator located on Port land that will stimulate Blue Tech startups.

Marshall Merrifield takes the oath of office as the 2016 Chairman of San Diego’s Board of Port of Commissioners.

Photo/Port of San Diego

San Francisco Port Commission Elects New Officers

The San Francisco Port Commission earlier this month elected officers for 2016. Commissioner Willie Adams, who served as the vice president in 2014 and 2015, succeeds Commissioner Leslie Katz as president. Kimberly Brandon, a port commissioner for more than 18 years, was elected vice president.

For the first time in the port commission’s 152-year history, two African-Americans have been elected to the office of president and vice president during the same term. The only other African-American to serve on the port commission was the late Dr. Arthur Coleman, from 1981 to 1992.

Commissioner Adams is the International Secretary-Treasurer of the International Longshore & Warehouse Union (ILWU) in San Francisco where he has resided since 2003. He was appointed to the port commission in 2012 by Mayor Edwin M. Lee and before that served on the San Francisco Film Commission.

A native of Kansas City (MO), Commissioner Adams moved to Tacoma (WA), Washington in 1978 where he worked on the docks as a longshoreman for 24 years. He was elected in 1998 to the local union Executive Board and in 2000 to the union’s International Executive Board. Commissioner He was also elected one of three trustees who oversee the ILWU’s finances.

In addition to his fiscal and legislative responsibilities, Commissioner Adams produced "Celebrations of Black History and Labor" programs in Tacoma and several award-winning documentary films about African-American composers including Billy Strayhorn, Quincy Jones and Stanley Clark.

Kimberly Brandon was appointed to the port commission by Mayor Willie L. Brown, Jr. in August 1997 and since then has served four times as commission president and nine times as vice president. She is also the first African-American woman to serve on the commission.

Commissioner Brandon is a senior vice president and wealth advisor with Morgan Stanley, where she oversees a portfolio of assets of high net worth individuals, foundations, endowments and public entities. In her spare time, she serves on several boards, including San Francisco State University’s Foundation, where she chairs the Finance and Investment Committee, the Metta Fund and the San Francisco Foundation’s Koshland Advisory Committee.

The port commission consists of five members, each appointed to a four-year term by the mayor with the consent of the city’s board of supervisors. The other commissioners are Leslie Katz and Doreen Woo Ho. One seat is vacant.

San Francisco Port Commission president Willie Adams (left) and vice president Kimberly Brandon

Photo/Port of San Francisco

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