AAPA Presents Awards

Thirty-two ports received 60 Communications awards, two ports won awards for information technology projects, and five ports were recognized for outstanding Environmental programs during the September 25 awards luncheon at The Breakers in Palm Beach, Florida, during the American Association of Port Authorities’ (AAPA) 91st Annual Convention. In addition, five maritime professionals earned Professional Port Manager (PPM7) Certification from AAPA. AAPA’s Annual Communications Competition recognizes excellence in the products and services that ports produce to meet their public relations and marketing goals. The independent judges, communications professionals from the Washington, D.C. area, honored the best entries with 30 awards of excellence and 30 awards of merit. The winner of the Award of Overall Excellence was the Port of Portland, Oregon, which received awards of excellence or merit for five entries. Two additional ports, the Maryland Port Administration (Port of Baltimore) and Virginia Port Authority, each won four awards in the competition.

Information Technology was a new category for awards this year. These awards were developed to recognize and highlight the progress ports are making in technology. Judges selected winners from each of two categories. The Port of Miami won the award for Port Operations and Management Systems, for its Security and Controls system. The South Carolina State Ports Authority was recognized under the category Improvements in Intermodal Freight Transportation, for its Automated Vessel Scheduling Application (AVSA). AAPA’s Environmental Improvement Awards are given to ports in four project award categories: Mitigation, Environmental Enhancement, Community/Public Involvement, and Comprehensive Environmental Management. The Calvin Hurst Award is presented for exemplary projects and this year went to the Port of Houston Authority. In August 2002, the Port of Houston Authority was certified by an independent auditor as complying with the International Standards Organization (ISO) 14001. As the first port authority in the U.S. to achieve this ISO 14001 certification, it was awarded AAPA’s Calvin Hurst Award for Outstanding Achievement. Other winners included an award for Environmental Enhancement, which went to St. Bernard Port, St. Bernard, LA, for its “Chalmette Terminal Environmental Restoration.” The Alabama State Port Authority won a Mitigation Award for its “Muddy Creek Mitigation Project.” A Community/Public Involvement Award went to Canaveral Port Authority for its “Community Environmental Education Program.” Finally, the Port of Portland won a Comprehensive Environmental Management Award for its “Environmental Management System.” In addition to ports awards, five individuals received certification as Professional Port Managers. AAPA established its Professional Port Manager (PPM7) program in 1994 to encourage and promote professional standards in public port management. Forty-four port managers are certified, including those honored today. Participants must hold professional management positions at port authorities and other maritime-related entities, complete a prescribed curriculum of seminars and activities, and participate in an AAPA standing committee. They must also write and get approval on a paper that contributes substantially to the body of knowledge concerning public port management. New Professional Port Managers include: Albert J. “Bert” Francis II, PPM7, Chief Financial Officer, Canaveral Port Authority; Thomas J. Heidt, PPM7, Market Development Manager, Port of Houston Authority; Andy McDonough, PPM7, Business Development Manager, Duluth Seaway Port Authority; Ron Popham, PPM7, Director of Marketing, Port of Sacramento; and Robert K. Tolsma, PPM7, Vice President, Gee & Jenson, a division of CH2M Hill.