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STEM TO STERN The Monthly Newsletter of the North Carolina State Ports Authority Morehead City projects move forward FEBRUARY 2006 Progress + Changes Page 2 Good Growth Page 3 Captain’s Award Page 5 Program Gives Employees Good Start Page 7 Recent weeks have seen significant progress on sev-eral major projects at the Port of Morehead City, as break-bulk business at the Port booms (see more on Page 3) and preparations are made for even more. Work is under way on a major rail rehabilitation project throughout the Morehead City terminal and across the Newport River to Radio Island. Bullock Con-struction Inc. of Easton, Md., has begun work on the $3 million project, which includes upgrades in capacity, re-pair and replacement of rail and switches, as well as re-placement of the “frogs,” highly specialized metal connec-tors where rail crosses another track. Rail at Morehead City includes the tracks which al-low cargo to leave the Port on Norfolk Southern trains, as well as crane rail on the docks. The frogs are all on the docks, at the places where rail and crane rail intersect. Each frog is designed and precision-machined to match the specific angle of an intersection. About a third of the rail project’s cost is for those frogs, about $1 million. The project is scheduled to take about The 570-foot M/V Fuancheng, operated by Active Logistics of Singapore, dis-charges 6,565 tons of rubber at the Port of Morehead City Feb. 24-26. Photo by Susan Clizbe a year, finishing in the first quarter of 2007. Beginning very soon is the project to rehabilitate Aren-dell Street, from where it enters the main gate to the wa-ter’s edge. The $3.5 million project is slated to wrap up by the end of paving weather this fall. The project includes not only street paving, which is sorely needed to make access to the Port safer and more comfortable, and easier on vehicles, but also open storage space on the docks. Progress also continues on the Port’s two big, long-term projects. Lease negotiations and engineering analy-sis continue for a new 177,000-square foot warehouse to be built by Duke Realty to accommodate the Port’s ex-panding lumber business. Work is also under way on the nearly $1 million de-sign contract for the Radio Island terminal. This project creates the basis for facilities design, and includes deter-mining traffic flow, dredging needs, and other basic plan-ning work. FEBRUARY 2006 PAGE 2 www.ncports.com STEM TO STERN by Jeff Miles Chief Operations Officer Over the past two years, we have seen tre-mendous growth at both Ports. More cargo, more traffic and more business. Our aggressive ex-pansion plans mean more of the same. In both Wilmington and Morehead City, lum-ber is on an especially steep curve of increased business. In Morehead City, construction should begin soon on a warehouse to accommodate the growth. In Wilmington, we have taken a look at our organizational structure and made a few adjustments. Several months ago, we commis-sioned Paul F. Rich-ardson Associates, the consulting firm helping us with our market assessments and early plans for the North Carolina International Port, to take a look at the way the Operations Depart-ment in Wilmington worked. What we wanted was a fresh look from the outside at our processes and practices, and ideas about how we could improve both. Ed Zimny and Pat Ragan from PFRA took that look, talking to people throughout the organization, watching how we do our job, and delivered their report. Working from the ideas in the report, we came up with several changes, some big and some small. Pat’s observation that our operations man-agement team was spread out all over the Port formed the basis of our tweaks. The biggest visible change on the organiza-tional chart is that we realigned the maintenance functions of the organization. Jeff Bellows and the facilities maintenance team now report to Bill Bennett in Engineering and Planning. Sam Chevalier and the vehicle maintenance team remain in Operations, now reporting to Walter Taylor, whose responsibilities have expand-ed to include both the Crane Department and the vehicle maintenance team. His new title is manager of cranes and heavy lift equipment. Progress brings changes Our goal is to position the Ports to deal with simultaneous rapid increases in container traffic and general cargo. FROM THE COO’S DESK Jeff Miles COO Joan Bondurant has moved from the Maritime Building to support Walter’s team. Perhaps just as visible to those on the Port is that Steve Jackson has moved to the Wilmington Maritime Building. His title re-mains manager of general cargo operations, but we have also re-aligned the staff here in my office and he now reports directly to me. Jerry Moore, the longest-serving and among the hardest-working employees the Ports Author-ity has ever had, con-tinues to report to me as Wilmington’s direc-tor of port operations. As our container business continues to grow, and as we move forward with out container termi-nal expansion plans to accommodate the ever-greater volume of container business, we need Jerry’s expertise to be sure we continue our top-level service to customers and maintain the efficiency of our operations in the container yard. There’s one new face on the team. Gene Rose is filling the new position of manager of process improvement. He is involved with all aspects of operations, and his job is to provide an expert, objective look at how we do our work. He will evaluate and document processes, ask good questions and look for the best answers, so we can work better and smarter. Rounding out the realignment, Jennifer Go-ley has moved from the Maritime Building to the Port. She’s working with Chuck Tipton in the lumber office as inventory control specialist. Our goal is to position the Ports to deal with simultaneous rapid increase in container traffic and general cargo. I believe these moves make sense, and the strong capabilities of our folks at every level in the organization mean that North Carolina’s Ports will continue to provide even bet-ter customer service and more opportunities for the state’s economic development. FEBRUARY 2006 PAGE 3 www.ncports.com STEM TO STERN NEWS FROM THE PORTS Even as the North Carolina State Ports Au-thority looks to the future with plans for the North Carolina International Port in Brunswick Coun-ty, business keeps growing at both the Ports in Morehead City and Wilmington. Both container and breakbulk business has increased over the past two years, and both con-tinue to do so seven months into fiscal 2006. Fiscal 2006 numbers up moving into second half The 455-foot M/V Glory Ocean discharges bulk cement at the Port of Wilmington in February. The product is offloaded using the hose seen attached to a boom at the center of the picture, which connects to a system of pipes to move it to the 100,000-square foot Warehouse 4. D.R. Allen & Son Inc. expanded it cement-distribution center there by more than 50 percent last fall. D.R. Allen owns concrete plants and a block-manufacturing facility in Fayetteville. Photo by Susan Clizbe At Morehead City, the regular calls begun in mid-2005 by forest products giant Gearbulk have increased the lumber business nearly fivefold, with 50,173 tons through January, compared to 9,163 tons the same period last year. The natu-ral rubber business continues to grow as well, with a 31 percent increase to 159,365 tons after 121,520 last year. Bulk colemanite at Morehead City grew a re-markable 61 percent in the first seven months, from 61,689 tons to 99,505 this year. In Wilmington, the largest growth in a single commodity was bulk cement up 106 percent from 93,508 tons in the first seven months of fiscal 2005 to 192,513 tons so far this year. On the breakbulk side, import lumber and export woodpulp both marked significant gains. This year so far, 387,401 tons of lumber has crossed the docks, 15 percent more than last year’s 336,337. Woodpulp exports for the year stand at 342,773 tons, up from 324,684. Fertilizer products have also seen a remark-able 28 percent increase on lower volumes, from 36,523 tons to 46,781 tons. With business picking up in the container yard as projected, overall container tonnage is up 21 percent for the year to date, 486,409 tons to last year’s 402,548. Container moves are up even more, 47,869 compared to 2005’s 36,898, or 30 percent. On the general cargo terminal in Wilmington, recent efforts at process improvement have paid off with improved truck turn-times even as vol-umes increased. When the current tracking system began in October, the average time of a truck from gate through loading back out the gate was one hour and 47 minutes, with about 100 trucks being loaded on an average day. On Jan. 18, the current record of 164 trucks was loaded, with the turn time reduced to only 1:11 Better still, with volumes still high on the terminal, turn time is now down to about 1:05. Welcome to Morehead City Debra Winfrey, manager of general cargo operations at the Port of More-head City, presents a plaque to Capt. Han Yaode of the M/V PAC Deneb. The 587-foot vessel made its first call at the Port Feb. 28, discharging more than 9,000 tons of natural rubber. Photo by Amy Willis FEBRUARY 2006 PAGE 4 www.ncports.com STEM TO STERN BOARD REPORT STEM TO STERN The Monthly Newsletter of the North Carolina State Ports Authority FEBRUARY 2006 Stem to Stern is an electronic newsletter published by the North Carolina State Ports Authority. It is available on the Ports Authority website in Portable Document Format for online reading or printing by the reader: www.ncports.com Editorial content is edited, prepared, and provided by the Communications and Human Resources teams of the Ports Authority. Tom Eagar ................. Chief Executive Officer Karen Fox ............ Communications Director Rick Koch .......... Human Resources Director Susan Clizbe ........ Communications Manager Laura Crowell ................... Human Resources Susan Pridgen ...................... Communications BOARD OF DIRECTORS Carl J. Stewart, Jr., Chair ............. Gastonia J. Brynn Thomas, Vice Chair ..... New Bern Jesse S. Capel ..................................... Troy John Curry ................................ Charlotte Jim Fain .......................................... Raleigh Jeff D. Etheridge, Jr. .................Whiteville Derryl Garner ...........................Newport Alex MacFadyen, Jr. ..................... Raleigh Greg Plemmons .................. Greensboro Robert Wicker .................... Greensboro Laura Wilson ....................... Wilmington N.C. State Ports Authority P.O. Box 9002 Wilmington, NC 28402 (910) 343-6482 NCports_PR@ncports.com www.ncports.com by Karen Fox Communications At its meeting in Raleigh Feb. 23, the North Carolina State Ports Authority Board of Direc-tors and Chairman Carl J. Stewart Jr. approved a resolution authorizing the issue and sale of bonds to finance the purchase of the 600-acre site in Brunswick County for the North Carolina International Port. Closing the bond issue will be followed by the closing on the property. That is now expected to happen in early to mid-April. Board members Jeff Etheridge and Alex MacFadyen recused them-selves from the vote. Bank of America, Branch Banking and Trust Co. and SunTrust Banks Inc. are underwriters for the bond issue, with First Citizens Bank and Trust Co. Inc. as trustee. Chairman Stewart and the Board also an-nounced and endorsed the creation of the N.C. State Ports Authority Foundation. The Founda-tion will be a nonprofit corporation operated ex-clusively for the benefit and support of activities of the Ports Authority. Chairman Stewart and Board member Bob Wicker, with assistance from Assistant Attorney General Dennis Myers, developed the framework and articles of incorporation for the Foundation. Following the adjournment of the Ports Au-thority Board meeting, Mr. Myers executed the articles as the incorporator. The initial members of the Foundation's Board of Directors were named and include the Ports Authority Board members and its chief executive officer. At its initial meeting, the Foundation Board will adopt bylaws, appoint other directors who are interested in the success of the Ports Au-thority and the economic prosperity of North Carolina, and elect officers. The articles of incorporation will be filed with Secretary of State's office and the necessary forms will be filed for the Foundation to qualify as a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organization. Board approves bond issue, creates Ports Foundation Southport Marina renovation plans unveiled At a community meeting in Southport in February, the new owners of Southport Marina Inc. unveiled their plans to reno-vate the facility. SMI holds the lease to the property owned by the Ports Authority, and as part of recent lease renegotiations, commit-ted to extensive repairs and upgrades to the Marina both on the docks and on shore. Among the improvements shared with Southport residents are new docks and extensive dredging, improvements to the public boat-launching ramps, on the water side. On shore, improvements include a boardwalk, parking lay-out changes, landscaping and a dry-stack system. For more information about the Marina, contact SMI’s on-site manager, George Bischoff, at (910) 457-9900 or email smarinainc@ec.rr.com. Information can also be found on the Southport Marina page of the N.C. State Ports website at www.ncports.com. FEBRUARY 2006 PAGE 5 www.ncports.com STEM TO STERN NEWS FROM THE PORTS Rickman receives Captain’s Award Paul Rickman, Bulk Handling supervisor at the Port of Morehead City, received the Captain’s Award, the highest-level of the North Carolina State Ports Authority’s employee recognition pro-gram, during the first-quarter All Hands meet-ing in Morehead City. Paul was nominated by several employees in the Bulk Handling Department for his dedica-tion to customer service, high efficiency in oper-ations and driving for results. After Hurricane Katrina on the Gulf Coast, business in Bulk Handling operation increased approximately 35 percent from an already busy schedule. When Hurricane Ophelia came ashore very near the Port, the department’s offices were de-stroyed, and the team was disconnected from the rest of the port and world. Paul worked late at the Port and from his home for many hours, to make sure the Ports Authority and its customers would not miss a shipment in or out. He handled these challenges without ever de-nying one of the Bulk Handling employees any requested time off for family, vacation or sick leave. Paul goes beyond the call of duty and frequently steps in to serve as electrician or equipment operator in the department. His ideas and knowledge have en-hanced operations and maintenance projects and resulted in large savings for Bulk Handling and its customers by shaving hours of unloading time off each operation trans-fer. After 19 years of service to the Port, Paul con-tinues to take it upon himself to maintain an attitude of staying efficient, motivated, well-trained, up to date and safety-minded for his team, and always prepared for an emergency. The Employee Recognition Committee agreed with Paul’s nominators that he displays the char-acter of a strong leader, and also demonstrates daily efforts and accomplishments of great value to the Ports, our employees, our customers and others in our community. Paul Rickman, center, is congratulated by (from left) Ports Authority Chief Operations Officer Jeff Miles, Bill Chadwick from Bulk Handling, Morehead City Director of Operations Rex Edwards and Human Resources Director Rick Koch. Photo by Amy Willis FEBRUARY 2006 PAGE 6 www.ncports.com STEM TO STERN INSIDE FINANCE By Janet Rall NC State Ports Authority Financial Analyst It's that time of year already at the North Carolina State Ports Authority: time to prepare our operating budget for fiscal year 2007. Developing a budget is important because it helps plan and prioritize future expenditures. At the Ports Authority, we develop our budget us-ing a zero-based methodology, which means all planned expenditures have to be itemized and justified. Zero-based budgeting provides complete visi-bility of how each department plans to spend each dollar allocated to them, and helps contain unnecessary costs. It also ensures our revenues will be spent efficiently to maximize the benefits we can provide to our customers, taxpayers, and employees. Expenses are broken down into different ac-counts, or expense categories, when they are submitted to finance. Cost-center managers, oth-erwise usually known as department heads, must itemize and justify all expense requests in the categories that are relevant to perform the de-partment's function. Some expense categories are common across most cost centers, such as salaries, communi-cations and vehicle operations. When submit-ting a budget request for vehicle operations, each department itemizes expected costs for each ve-hicle assigned, and justifies the request based on vehicle operating costs, such as the number of vehicles, lease rates and expected mainte-nance. Other expense categories only apply to a few cost centers, since some functions are only per-formed by specific cost centers. For example, only the Communications Department itemizes and justifies advertising expenses in their budget re-quest. Only Maintenance submits expenses for dredging. For the cost center-managers who prepare budgets for their departments annually, we will Q: What comes before spring? A: Budget time at the Ports! continue to use the same secure database appli-cation as last year. We will also continue to use the same process for submitting budgets. We expect that the system will remain successful as it was last year, since everyone did a wonderful job itemizing and justifying anticipated expenses for their department. The only significant change from last year is that budget database will be locked on the date budget requests are due to the finance depart-ment. Any additions or changes to be made after that will be subject to the approval of the de-partment head, and their inclusion in the final budget request will be at the discretion of our Chief Financial and Information Officer, Jeff Strader, and our CEO, Tom Eagar. Once the Finance Department receives each department's budget request, the requests, along with some supplemental financial information, will be compiled into a single initial budget for the entire Ports Authority. Some of the addition-al information included covers revenue, inter-est, and insurance expense projections. The CFIO, CEO and other senior managers review the initial budget, and adjustments are made where necessary. Once the CEO and CFIO approve the budget, a final copy of the request is compiled and the requested budget is sent to the Ports Authority's Board of Directors. At the next board meeting, the CFIO presents the requested budget to the Board, and final ad-justments are made at the Board's direction. Once the budget gains the Board's approval, it becomes the official operating budget for fiscal year 2007. IMPORTANT DATES: n Budget Requests Due to Finance: March 14 n Initial Request to CEO: April 7 n Final Request to CEO: May 1 n Presentation to the Board of Directors: May 24 (tentative) FEBRUARY 2006 PAGE 7 www.ncports.com STEM TO STERN HUMAN RESOURCES NEWS Ports orientation program gears up by Chris Newton Organizational Development Specialist As the Ports Authority continues to grow at a rapid pace, adding additional staff to keep up, we also need to have them up to speed and con-tributing quicker than ever before. With this in mind, the Human Resources team sought input from recently hired employees and others to develop a new Employee Orientation Program. The goal of the program is to engage employ-ees by welcoming, informing, motivating and ed-ucating them as soon as they join the Ports team. We want new employees to be excited, and to know they made the right decision to join the Ports Authority and be your teammate. Garey Graham, left, shakes hands with Gene Rose dur-ing a tour of the Maritime Building with his sponsor, Rick Tharrington. Mr. Graham is a new employee in Materials Management and Mr. Rose is new to Operations. Mr. Tharrington is among the first sponsors named as part of a new orientation program to help new employees make an easier transition to work with the Ports. Photo by Susan Clizbe Proper orientation gives them acceptance and recognition, an understanding of benefits, pro-cedures and expectations, and we hope it also sows the seeds of loyalty to the organization and its philosophies. It provides a foundation for in-creased productivity and high morale, as well as lowered absenteeism and turnover rates. The orientation program involves Human Re-sources, Payroll, supervisors, and team mem-bers. One of the keys is a group of carefully cho-sen and trained coworkers who serve as "Spon-sors" for new employees - the "go-to" people who can answer many of their day-to-day questions. To make sure each new employee is welcomed to the Ports Authority properly, and receives the needed information and orientation, checklists of needed actions have been put together for the pre-hire period, the employee's first day, and two weeks, 30 days and 90 days into their employ-ment. The program features a "Welcome to the Team" video with CEO Tom Eagar, a "Meet and Greet" luncheon with the Senior Management Team, and an Employee Benefits Handbook. Each of us can play a part in the develop-ment of new team members. Let's take the op-portunity to make the most of it! For information, call 910-343-6474 or email chris_newton@ncports.com. Sponsors welcome newcomers, offer info and a good start The Piedmont Triad Transportation Associa-tion will hold its annual dinner meeting at 6 p.m. March 15 at Volvo Trucks North America in Greensboro. The guest speaker is James Staley, president and CEO of YRC Regional Transportation. The cost is $30 per person or a table for eight for $240. Deadline for reservations is noon March 10. For reservations or information, contact Roy Johnson, the association’s treasurer and web-master, at RoyJohnson@triad.rr.com or call him at (336) 449-3206. PTTA sets annual meeting FEBRUARY 2006 PAGE 8 www.ncports.com STEM TO STERN Workplace fatalities drop statewide RALEIGH - According to the N.C. Depart-ment of Labor, 80 workers in North Carolina died in workplace incidents in 2005, three fewer than the previous year. “We’re encouraged by the improvement we’ve seen in workplace safety in our state,” said La-bor Commissioner Cherie Berry. “We’ve worked extremely hard to bring a new level of safety for the people of this state, and this reduction is a good, good sign.” Commissioner Berry credited employers and employee groups for implementing safety pro-grams that have reduced work hazards. The labor department in recent years has emphasized increased safety training for work-ers and free consultative services in work safety for employers. One initiative has been free con-struction safety forums conducted throughout the state. The number of construction deaths dropped from 37 in 2004 to 27 in 2005, but construc-tion was still the leading industry with 34 per-cent of the fatalities. Manufacturing was sec-ond with 22 fatalities, followed by agriculture, forestry and fishing with 13. Struck-by fatalities accounted for 25 deaths. Falls were the second-leading cause of death with 20. “We are encouraged by the improvement but know that even one death is one too many,” said Allen McNeely, director of the Occupa-tional Safety and Health Division. “The latest numbers show that our safety programs are catching on. We just need to do more to spread the word farther, and we will.” The Labor Department compiles the report based on workplace fatalities investigated by the agency’s Occupational Safety and Health Division. SAFETY CORNER Tharrington recognized for support during hurricanes Rick Tharrington, security technology special-ist in the North Carolina State Ports Authority’s Safety and Security department, is one of 25 peo-ple who received a Certificate of Appreciation from the Military Affiliate Radio System for his out-standing support and contribution to the Army MARS Communications Program during Hurri-canes Katrina and Rita. During both hurricanes, he provided hourly as well as daily updates to federal agencies in support of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita Relief and Supply efforts. The Military Affiliate Radio System is a De-partment of Defense program which allows li-censed amateur radio operators to help their country by providing auxiliary or emergency com-munications locally, nationally and internation-ally when normal communications may be im-possible. Mr. Tharrington’s main responsibilities with the Ports Author-ity are to support and maintain port securi-ty technologies, in-cluding surveillance cameras, surveillance interface platforms and the terminals used by Ports Police and security officers to monitor the systems. He also provides weath-er monitoring and severe weather alerts for all Ports facilities and employees. He also maintains wireless security equip-ment, including the ports’ local two-way radio platforms and a new interoperability system which allows the Ports to seamlessly interface with state and federal communications systems. As part of his duties, he must maintain up-to- date certifications in the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Incident Command Sys-tem training program. by Susan Pridgen Communications FEBRUARY 2006 PAGE 9 www.ncports.com STEM TO STERN NEWS FROM THE PORTS Ports participate in recycling programs by Susan Pridgen Communications Recycling provides a way to keep trash out of landfills and to reclaim components which can be used again in new products. It’s an important part of environmental improvement efforts, and the Ports Authority participates in recycling pro-grams which double the positive impact. Both Ports have programs to recycle used ink-jet and laser cartridges and also benefit the Cape Fear River Watch and Morehead City Chamber of Commerce. Recycling has become much easi-er today, and we’re glad to not only keep the used cartridges out of landfills, but to help the environment and make a difference in the com-munity by donating them. In Wilmington, the program has been operat-ing for more than five years. The used cartridges are donated to the Cape Fear River Watch, which earns points to redeem for office equipment through the Educational Technology and Con-servation Exchange Program. “The Ports Authority continues to be the key contributor to our laser and inkjet recycling pro-gram. With their help, we were able to turn their donations into cash used to purchase a much-needed projector for our organization,” said Brooke Barney, program coordinator with the River Watch. “The projector is used in presenta-tions aimed at educating the public on environ-mental issues. As always, the Cape Fear River Watch would like to thank the Ports Authority for their support for our organization.” In Morehead City, the Chamber of Commerce collects used cartridges from businesses throughout the community to redeem through a similar program with Recycle Rewards in San-ford. The Port of Morehead City joined the effort last year, coordinated by Lu Russell in Inventory Control. Proceeds received by the Chamber will be used to promote the Chamber’s environmen-tal stewardship initiatives. In Wilmington, used cartridges are collected in the Maritime Building. For information about these programs, con-tact Susan Pridgen at (910) 343-6492 or email susan_pridgen@ncports.com. FEBRUARY 2006 PAGE 10 www.ncports.com STEM TO STERN PORTS PEOPLE Rose joins Operations to oversee process improvement Promotions Jason Smith has been pro-moted to business development analyst at the Port of Wilmington. Mr. Smith joined the Ports Authority in July 2004 as a billing clerk in the Finance Department. Kim Newton has been pro-moted to cargo control coordinator in the Cargo Control Center at the Port of Wilmington. Ms. Newton has been with the Ports Authority since April 1985 and has worked in the billing and container departments. Robert Lewis has been pro-moted to cargo specialist at the Port of Morehead City ef-fective Feb. 1. Mr. Lewis has served in the Cargo Han-dling Department since December 1996. David Leggett has been promoted to construction inspector in the Engineering Department. Mr. Leggett has been with the Ports Authority since October 2003 in Plant Maintenance. Gene Rose has joined the North Carolina State Ports Authority’s Operations Department as manager of process improvement. In this newly created position, he will work with all aspects of the operations team, focusing at first on the lumber operations at the Port of Wilmington. “We have seen such huge growth in our lum-ber business at both ports that it’s a key goal to work on right now,” said Jeff Miles, the Ports Authority’s chief operations officer. “Gene will bring a fresh set of eyes, and be-cause he is intentionally not in the middle of the process already, he can step back, take an ob-jective look, ask good questions, and develop good answers to them.” Mr. Rose comes to the Authority after his re-cent retirement from the U.S. Marine Corps’s II Marine Expeditionary Force at Camp Lejeune. He retired as a chief warrant officer 5, and served his entire career as an embarkation of-ficer and combat cargo officer. During assignments in Oki-nawa and Sasebo, Japan, Yuma, Ariz., and on board the USS Belleau Wood and the USS Tripoli, Mr. Rose was responsi-ble for planning and executing the movement of American and allied military troops and equip-ment by aircraft, rail, ship, bus and truck, across the country and around the world. He served during both Desert Storm and Iraqi Freedom oper-ations, spending several tours in the Persian Gulf area. Mr. Rose is a graduate of the University of Maryland, with an associate’s degree in Japa-nese studies and a bachelor’s degree in Asian studies. He is fluent in Japanese. He and his wife, Yukiko, live in Wilmington. Gene Rose FEBRUARY 2006 PAGE 11 www.ncports.com STEM TO STERN PORTS PEOPLE Service Awards March Morehead City Donald Cordova - Cranes 10 years Worth Mason - Security 10 years Wilmington Glenn Redding - Police 5 years Jim Herron - General Cargo 10 years Birthdays March Charlotte Inland Terminal Mar. 7 Nancy Driggers Greensboro Inland Terminal Mar. 18 Brenda Barger Morehead City Mar. 1 Ethan Hazard - Police Mar. 17 Judy Galyon - Cargo Handling Mar. 18 Durwood Garner - Plant Maintenance Mar. 19 Larry Davis - Cargo Handling Mar. 20 Shane Nelson - Plant Maintenance Mar. 24 Bill Chadwick – Bulk Handling Wilmington Mar. 2 Mark Litjes - Police Mar. 4 Elijah Walker - Containers Mar. 12 Herb Robbins - Cranes Mar. 12 Carey Gibson - IT Mar. 14 Ricky Tharrington - Safety Mar. 16 Amy Clemmons - Containers Mar. 17 Herb Hines - Cargo Handling Mar. 18 Doug Whitley - Plant Maintenance Mar. 18 Richard Meeks - Plant Maintenance Mar. 20 Jeff Flack - Plant Maintenance Mar. 21 Wilson Grady - Cargo Handling Mar. 23 Terry Braxton - Cargo Handling Mar. 23 Sammy Newkirk - Containers Mar. 25 Charles Horney - Security Mar. 26 Charles Nixon - Cargo Handling Mar. 29 Eric Dawson- Cargo Handling Corporate Mar. 7 John Lenfestey - Engineering Mar. 10 Laura Courtney - Finance Mar. 24 Donna Wilson - IT Mar. 27 Rick Koch - Human Resources Mar. 28 Terry Dail - Finance Mar. 31 Tom Eagar - Executive Morehead City’s 1st Quarter 2006 Birthday Luncheon will be held at noon March 7 Maritime Building Conference Room RSVP to Amanda Bryant at 252-808-4245 New Team Members Gregg Galliher Purchasing Garey Graham Purchasing Carlton Davis, a foreman in the cargo handling depart-ment at the Port of More-head City, was recognized for academic achievement by Carteret Community College during the college’s ninth an-nual Black History Month program. Mr. Davis has been with the Ports Authority for 13 years, and has been a foreman since 2001. He is studying business administration at Car-teret Community College. Carlton Davis Davis recognized by Carteret Community College for academics FEBRUARY 2006 PAGE 12 www.ncports.com STEM TO STERN PORTS PROMOTION #1 in a series The North Carolina State Ports Authority has begun a new advertising campaign focusing on the advantages of North Carolina’s Ports and the contributions the Ports make to the economic development and success of the entire State. Since not everyone sees the trade and regional publications where they run, we will share one in each issue of the STEM TO STERN.
Object Description
Description
Title | North Carolina ports. |
Other Title | North Carolina State Ports Authority newsletter; Stem to stern; Monthly newsletter of the North Carolina State Ports Authority |
Date | 2006-02 |
Description | February 2006 |
Digital Characteristics-A | 628 KB; 12 p. |
Digital Format | application/pdf |
Full Text | STEM TO STERN The Monthly Newsletter of the North Carolina State Ports Authority Morehead City projects move forward FEBRUARY 2006 Progress + Changes Page 2 Good Growth Page 3 Captain’s Award Page 5 Program Gives Employees Good Start Page 7 Recent weeks have seen significant progress on sev-eral major projects at the Port of Morehead City, as break-bulk business at the Port booms (see more on Page 3) and preparations are made for even more. Work is under way on a major rail rehabilitation project throughout the Morehead City terminal and across the Newport River to Radio Island. Bullock Con-struction Inc. of Easton, Md., has begun work on the $3 million project, which includes upgrades in capacity, re-pair and replacement of rail and switches, as well as re-placement of the “frogs,” highly specialized metal connec-tors where rail crosses another track. Rail at Morehead City includes the tracks which al-low cargo to leave the Port on Norfolk Southern trains, as well as crane rail on the docks. The frogs are all on the docks, at the places where rail and crane rail intersect. Each frog is designed and precision-machined to match the specific angle of an intersection. About a third of the rail project’s cost is for those frogs, about $1 million. The project is scheduled to take about The 570-foot M/V Fuancheng, operated by Active Logistics of Singapore, dis-charges 6,565 tons of rubber at the Port of Morehead City Feb. 24-26. Photo by Susan Clizbe a year, finishing in the first quarter of 2007. Beginning very soon is the project to rehabilitate Aren-dell Street, from where it enters the main gate to the wa-ter’s edge. The $3.5 million project is slated to wrap up by the end of paving weather this fall. The project includes not only street paving, which is sorely needed to make access to the Port safer and more comfortable, and easier on vehicles, but also open storage space on the docks. Progress also continues on the Port’s two big, long-term projects. Lease negotiations and engineering analy-sis continue for a new 177,000-square foot warehouse to be built by Duke Realty to accommodate the Port’s ex-panding lumber business. Work is also under way on the nearly $1 million de-sign contract for the Radio Island terminal. This project creates the basis for facilities design, and includes deter-mining traffic flow, dredging needs, and other basic plan-ning work. FEBRUARY 2006 PAGE 2 www.ncports.com STEM TO STERN by Jeff Miles Chief Operations Officer Over the past two years, we have seen tre-mendous growth at both Ports. More cargo, more traffic and more business. Our aggressive ex-pansion plans mean more of the same. In both Wilmington and Morehead City, lum-ber is on an especially steep curve of increased business. In Morehead City, construction should begin soon on a warehouse to accommodate the growth. In Wilmington, we have taken a look at our organizational structure and made a few adjustments. Several months ago, we commis-sioned Paul F. Rich-ardson Associates, the consulting firm helping us with our market assessments and early plans for the North Carolina International Port, to take a look at the way the Operations Depart-ment in Wilmington worked. What we wanted was a fresh look from the outside at our processes and practices, and ideas about how we could improve both. Ed Zimny and Pat Ragan from PFRA took that look, talking to people throughout the organization, watching how we do our job, and delivered their report. Working from the ideas in the report, we came up with several changes, some big and some small. Pat’s observation that our operations man-agement team was spread out all over the Port formed the basis of our tweaks. The biggest visible change on the organiza-tional chart is that we realigned the maintenance functions of the organization. Jeff Bellows and the facilities maintenance team now report to Bill Bennett in Engineering and Planning. Sam Chevalier and the vehicle maintenance team remain in Operations, now reporting to Walter Taylor, whose responsibilities have expand-ed to include both the Crane Department and the vehicle maintenance team. His new title is manager of cranes and heavy lift equipment. Progress brings changes Our goal is to position the Ports to deal with simultaneous rapid increases in container traffic and general cargo. FROM THE COO’S DESK Jeff Miles COO Joan Bondurant has moved from the Maritime Building to support Walter’s team. Perhaps just as visible to those on the Port is that Steve Jackson has moved to the Wilmington Maritime Building. His title re-mains manager of general cargo operations, but we have also re-aligned the staff here in my office and he now reports directly to me. Jerry Moore, the longest-serving and among the hardest-working employees the Ports Author-ity has ever had, con-tinues to report to me as Wilmington’s direc-tor of port operations. As our container business continues to grow, and as we move forward with out container termi-nal expansion plans to accommodate the ever-greater volume of container business, we need Jerry’s expertise to be sure we continue our top-level service to customers and maintain the efficiency of our operations in the container yard. There’s one new face on the team. Gene Rose is filling the new position of manager of process improvement. He is involved with all aspects of operations, and his job is to provide an expert, objective look at how we do our work. He will evaluate and document processes, ask good questions and look for the best answers, so we can work better and smarter. Rounding out the realignment, Jennifer Go-ley has moved from the Maritime Building to the Port. She’s working with Chuck Tipton in the lumber office as inventory control specialist. Our goal is to position the Ports to deal with simultaneous rapid increase in container traffic and general cargo. I believe these moves make sense, and the strong capabilities of our folks at every level in the organization mean that North Carolina’s Ports will continue to provide even bet-ter customer service and more opportunities for the state’s economic development. FEBRUARY 2006 PAGE 3 www.ncports.com STEM TO STERN NEWS FROM THE PORTS Even as the North Carolina State Ports Au-thority looks to the future with plans for the North Carolina International Port in Brunswick Coun-ty, business keeps growing at both the Ports in Morehead City and Wilmington. Both container and breakbulk business has increased over the past two years, and both con-tinue to do so seven months into fiscal 2006. Fiscal 2006 numbers up moving into second half The 455-foot M/V Glory Ocean discharges bulk cement at the Port of Wilmington in February. The product is offloaded using the hose seen attached to a boom at the center of the picture, which connects to a system of pipes to move it to the 100,000-square foot Warehouse 4. D.R. Allen & Son Inc. expanded it cement-distribution center there by more than 50 percent last fall. D.R. Allen owns concrete plants and a block-manufacturing facility in Fayetteville. Photo by Susan Clizbe At Morehead City, the regular calls begun in mid-2005 by forest products giant Gearbulk have increased the lumber business nearly fivefold, with 50,173 tons through January, compared to 9,163 tons the same period last year. The natu-ral rubber business continues to grow as well, with a 31 percent increase to 159,365 tons after 121,520 last year. Bulk colemanite at Morehead City grew a re-markable 61 percent in the first seven months, from 61,689 tons to 99,505 this year. In Wilmington, the largest growth in a single commodity was bulk cement up 106 percent from 93,508 tons in the first seven months of fiscal 2005 to 192,513 tons so far this year. On the breakbulk side, import lumber and export woodpulp both marked significant gains. This year so far, 387,401 tons of lumber has crossed the docks, 15 percent more than last year’s 336,337. Woodpulp exports for the year stand at 342,773 tons, up from 324,684. Fertilizer products have also seen a remark-able 28 percent increase on lower volumes, from 36,523 tons to 46,781 tons. With business picking up in the container yard as projected, overall container tonnage is up 21 percent for the year to date, 486,409 tons to last year’s 402,548. Container moves are up even more, 47,869 compared to 2005’s 36,898, or 30 percent. On the general cargo terminal in Wilmington, recent efforts at process improvement have paid off with improved truck turn-times even as vol-umes increased. When the current tracking system began in October, the average time of a truck from gate through loading back out the gate was one hour and 47 minutes, with about 100 trucks being loaded on an average day. On Jan. 18, the current record of 164 trucks was loaded, with the turn time reduced to only 1:11 Better still, with volumes still high on the terminal, turn time is now down to about 1:05. Welcome to Morehead City Debra Winfrey, manager of general cargo operations at the Port of More-head City, presents a plaque to Capt. Han Yaode of the M/V PAC Deneb. The 587-foot vessel made its first call at the Port Feb. 28, discharging more than 9,000 tons of natural rubber. Photo by Amy Willis FEBRUARY 2006 PAGE 4 www.ncports.com STEM TO STERN BOARD REPORT STEM TO STERN The Monthly Newsletter of the North Carolina State Ports Authority FEBRUARY 2006 Stem to Stern is an electronic newsletter published by the North Carolina State Ports Authority. It is available on the Ports Authority website in Portable Document Format for online reading or printing by the reader: www.ncports.com Editorial content is edited, prepared, and provided by the Communications and Human Resources teams of the Ports Authority. Tom Eagar ................. Chief Executive Officer Karen Fox ............ Communications Director Rick Koch .......... Human Resources Director Susan Clizbe ........ Communications Manager Laura Crowell ................... Human Resources Susan Pridgen ...................... Communications BOARD OF DIRECTORS Carl J. Stewart, Jr., Chair ............. Gastonia J. Brynn Thomas, Vice Chair ..... New Bern Jesse S. Capel ..................................... Troy John Curry ................................ Charlotte Jim Fain .......................................... Raleigh Jeff D. Etheridge, Jr. .................Whiteville Derryl Garner ...........................Newport Alex MacFadyen, Jr. ..................... Raleigh Greg Plemmons .................. Greensboro Robert Wicker .................... Greensboro Laura Wilson ....................... Wilmington N.C. State Ports Authority P.O. Box 9002 Wilmington, NC 28402 (910) 343-6482 NCports_PR@ncports.com www.ncports.com by Karen Fox Communications At its meeting in Raleigh Feb. 23, the North Carolina State Ports Authority Board of Direc-tors and Chairman Carl J. Stewart Jr. approved a resolution authorizing the issue and sale of bonds to finance the purchase of the 600-acre site in Brunswick County for the North Carolina International Port. Closing the bond issue will be followed by the closing on the property. That is now expected to happen in early to mid-April. Board members Jeff Etheridge and Alex MacFadyen recused them-selves from the vote. Bank of America, Branch Banking and Trust Co. and SunTrust Banks Inc. are underwriters for the bond issue, with First Citizens Bank and Trust Co. Inc. as trustee. Chairman Stewart and the Board also an-nounced and endorsed the creation of the N.C. State Ports Authority Foundation. The Founda-tion will be a nonprofit corporation operated ex-clusively for the benefit and support of activities of the Ports Authority. Chairman Stewart and Board member Bob Wicker, with assistance from Assistant Attorney General Dennis Myers, developed the framework and articles of incorporation for the Foundation. Following the adjournment of the Ports Au-thority Board meeting, Mr. Myers executed the articles as the incorporator. The initial members of the Foundation's Board of Directors were named and include the Ports Authority Board members and its chief executive officer. At its initial meeting, the Foundation Board will adopt bylaws, appoint other directors who are interested in the success of the Ports Au-thority and the economic prosperity of North Carolina, and elect officers. The articles of incorporation will be filed with Secretary of State's office and the necessary forms will be filed for the Foundation to qualify as a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organization. Board approves bond issue, creates Ports Foundation Southport Marina renovation plans unveiled At a community meeting in Southport in February, the new owners of Southport Marina Inc. unveiled their plans to reno-vate the facility. SMI holds the lease to the property owned by the Ports Authority, and as part of recent lease renegotiations, commit-ted to extensive repairs and upgrades to the Marina both on the docks and on shore. Among the improvements shared with Southport residents are new docks and extensive dredging, improvements to the public boat-launching ramps, on the water side. On shore, improvements include a boardwalk, parking lay-out changes, landscaping and a dry-stack system. For more information about the Marina, contact SMI’s on-site manager, George Bischoff, at (910) 457-9900 or email smarinainc@ec.rr.com. Information can also be found on the Southport Marina page of the N.C. State Ports website at www.ncports.com. FEBRUARY 2006 PAGE 5 www.ncports.com STEM TO STERN NEWS FROM THE PORTS Rickman receives Captain’s Award Paul Rickman, Bulk Handling supervisor at the Port of Morehead City, received the Captain’s Award, the highest-level of the North Carolina State Ports Authority’s employee recognition pro-gram, during the first-quarter All Hands meet-ing in Morehead City. Paul was nominated by several employees in the Bulk Handling Department for his dedica-tion to customer service, high efficiency in oper-ations and driving for results. After Hurricane Katrina on the Gulf Coast, business in Bulk Handling operation increased approximately 35 percent from an already busy schedule. When Hurricane Ophelia came ashore very near the Port, the department’s offices were de-stroyed, and the team was disconnected from the rest of the port and world. Paul worked late at the Port and from his home for many hours, to make sure the Ports Authority and its customers would not miss a shipment in or out. He handled these challenges without ever de-nying one of the Bulk Handling employees any requested time off for family, vacation or sick leave. Paul goes beyond the call of duty and frequently steps in to serve as electrician or equipment operator in the department. His ideas and knowledge have en-hanced operations and maintenance projects and resulted in large savings for Bulk Handling and its customers by shaving hours of unloading time off each operation trans-fer. After 19 years of service to the Port, Paul con-tinues to take it upon himself to maintain an attitude of staying efficient, motivated, well-trained, up to date and safety-minded for his team, and always prepared for an emergency. The Employee Recognition Committee agreed with Paul’s nominators that he displays the char-acter of a strong leader, and also demonstrates daily efforts and accomplishments of great value to the Ports, our employees, our customers and others in our community. Paul Rickman, center, is congratulated by (from left) Ports Authority Chief Operations Officer Jeff Miles, Bill Chadwick from Bulk Handling, Morehead City Director of Operations Rex Edwards and Human Resources Director Rick Koch. Photo by Amy Willis FEBRUARY 2006 PAGE 6 www.ncports.com STEM TO STERN INSIDE FINANCE By Janet Rall NC State Ports Authority Financial Analyst It's that time of year already at the North Carolina State Ports Authority: time to prepare our operating budget for fiscal year 2007. Developing a budget is important because it helps plan and prioritize future expenditures. At the Ports Authority, we develop our budget us-ing a zero-based methodology, which means all planned expenditures have to be itemized and justified. Zero-based budgeting provides complete visi-bility of how each department plans to spend each dollar allocated to them, and helps contain unnecessary costs. It also ensures our revenues will be spent efficiently to maximize the benefits we can provide to our customers, taxpayers, and employees. Expenses are broken down into different ac-counts, or expense categories, when they are submitted to finance. Cost-center managers, oth-erwise usually known as department heads, must itemize and justify all expense requests in the categories that are relevant to perform the de-partment's function. Some expense categories are common across most cost centers, such as salaries, communi-cations and vehicle operations. When submit-ting a budget request for vehicle operations, each department itemizes expected costs for each ve-hicle assigned, and justifies the request based on vehicle operating costs, such as the number of vehicles, lease rates and expected mainte-nance. Other expense categories only apply to a few cost centers, since some functions are only per-formed by specific cost centers. For example, only the Communications Department itemizes and justifies advertising expenses in their budget re-quest. Only Maintenance submits expenses for dredging. For the cost center-managers who prepare budgets for their departments annually, we will Q: What comes before spring? A: Budget time at the Ports! continue to use the same secure database appli-cation as last year. We will also continue to use the same process for submitting budgets. We expect that the system will remain successful as it was last year, since everyone did a wonderful job itemizing and justifying anticipated expenses for their department. The only significant change from last year is that budget database will be locked on the date budget requests are due to the finance depart-ment. Any additions or changes to be made after that will be subject to the approval of the de-partment head, and their inclusion in the final budget request will be at the discretion of our Chief Financial and Information Officer, Jeff Strader, and our CEO, Tom Eagar. Once the Finance Department receives each department's budget request, the requests, along with some supplemental financial information, will be compiled into a single initial budget for the entire Ports Authority. Some of the addition-al information included covers revenue, inter-est, and insurance expense projections. The CFIO, CEO and other senior managers review the initial budget, and adjustments are made where necessary. Once the CEO and CFIO approve the budget, a final copy of the request is compiled and the requested budget is sent to the Ports Authority's Board of Directors. At the next board meeting, the CFIO presents the requested budget to the Board, and final ad-justments are made at the Board's direction. Once the budget gains the Board's approval, it becomes the official operating budget for fiscal year 2007. IMPORTANT DATES: n Budget Requests Due to Finance: March 14 n Initial Request to CEO: April 7 n Final Request to CEO: May 1 n Presentation to the Board of Directors: May 24 (tentative) FEBRUARY 2006 PAGE 7 www.ncports.com STEM TO STERN HUMAN RESOURCES NEWS Ports orientation program gears up by Chris Newton Organizational Development Specialist As the Ports Authority continues to grow at a rapid pace, adding additional staff to keep up, we also need to have them up to speed and con-tributing quicker than ever before. With this in mind, the Human Resources team sought input from recently hired employees and others to develop a new Employee Orientation Program. The goal of the program is to engage employ-ees by welcoming, informing, motivating and ed-ucating them as soon as they join the Ports team. We want new employees to be excited, and to know they made the right decision to join the Ports Authority and be your teammate. Garey Graham, left, shakes hands with Gene Rose dur-ing a tour of the Maritime Building with his sponsor, Rick Tharrington. Mr. Graham is a new employee in Materials Management and Mr. Rose is new to Operations. Mr. Tharrington is among the first sponsors named as part of a new orientation program to help new employees make an easier transition to work with the Ports. Photo by Susan Clizbe Proper orientation gives them acceptance and recognition, an understanding of benefits, pro-cedures and expectations, and we hope it also sows the seeds of loyalty to the organization and its philosophies. It provides a foundation for in-creased productivity and high morale, as well as lowered absenteeism and turnover rates. The orientation program involves Human Re-sources, Payroll, supervisors, and team mem-bers. One of the keys is a group of carefully cho-sen and trained coworkers who serve as "Spon-sors" for new employees - the "go-to" people who can answer many of their day-to-day questions. To make sure each new employee is welcomed to the Ports Authority properly, and receives the needed information and orientation, checklists of needed actions have been put together for the pre-hire period, the employee's first day, and two weeks, 30 days and 90 days into their employ-ment. The program features a "Welcome to the Team" video with CEO Tom Eagar, a "Meet and Greet" luncheon with the Senior Management Team, and an Employee Benefits Handbook. Each of us can play a part in the develop-ment of new team members. Let's take the op-portunity to make the most of it! For information, call 910-343-6474 or email chris_newton@ncports.com. Sponsors welcome newcomers, offer info and a good start The Piedmont Triad Transportation Associa-tion will hold its annual dinner meeting at 6 p.m. March 15 at Volvo Trucks North America in Greensboro. The guest speaker is James Staley, president and CEO of YRC Regional Transportation. The cost is $30 per person or a table for eight for $240. Deadline for reservations is noon March 10. For reservations or information, contact Roy Johnson, the association’s treasurer and web-master, at RoyJohnson@triad.rr.com or call him at (336) 449-3206. PTTA sets annual meeting FEBRUARY 2006 PAGE 8 www.ncports.com STEM TO STERN Workplace fatalities drop statewide RALEIGH - According to the N.C. Depart-ment of Labor, 80 workers in North Carolina died in workplace incidents in 2005, three fewer than the previous year. “We’re encouraged by the improvement we’ve seen in workplace safety in our state,” said La-bor Commissioner Cherie Berry. “We’ve worked extremely hard to bring a new level of safety for the people of this state, and this reduction is a good, good sign.” Commissioner Berry credited employers and employee groups for implementing safety pro-grams that have reduced work hazards. The labor department in recent years has emphasized increased safety training for work-ers and free consultative services in work safety for employers. One initiative has been free con-struction safety forums conducted throughout the state. The number of construction deaths dropped from 37 in 2004 to 27 in 2005, but construc-tion was still the leading industry with 34 per-cent of the fatalities. Manufacturing was sec-ond with 22 fatalities, followed by agriculture, forestry and fishing with 13. Struck-by fatalities accounted for 25 deaths. Falls were the second-leading cause of death with 20. “We are encouraged by the improvement but know that even one death is one too many,” said Allen McNeely, director of the Occupa-tional Safety and Health Division. “The latest numbers show that our safety programs are catching on. We just need to do more to spread the word farther, and we will.” The Labor Department compiles the report based on workplace fatalities investigated by the agency’s Occupational Safety and Health Division. SAFETY CORNER Tharrington recognized for support during hurricanes Rick Tharrington, security technology special-ist in the North Carolina State Ports Authority’s Safety and Security department, is one of 25 peo-ple who received a Certificate of Appreciation from the Military Affiliate Radio System for his out-standing support and contribution to the Army MARS Communications Program during Hurri-canes Katrina and Rita. During both hurricanes, he provided hourly as well as daily updates to federal agencies in support of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita Relief and Supply efforts. The Military Affiliate Radio System is a De-partment of Defense program which allows li-censed amateur radio operators to help their country by providing auxiliary or emergency com-munications locally, nationally and internation-ally when normal communications may be im-possible. Mr. Tharrington’s main responsibilities with the Ports Author-ity are to support and maintain port securi-ty technologies, in-cluding surveillance cameras, surveillance interface platforms and the terminals used by Ports Police and security officers to monitor the systems. He also provides weath-er monitoring and severe weather alerts for all Ports facilities and employees. He also maintains wireless security equip-ment, including the ports’ local two-way radio platforms and a new interoperability system which allows the Ports to seamlessly interface with state and federal communications systems. As part of his duties, he must maintain up-to- date certifications in the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Incident Command Sys-tem training program. by Susan Pridgen Communications FEBRUARY 2006 PAGE 9 www.ncports.com STEM TO STERN NEWS FROM THE PORTS Ports participate in recycling programs by Susan Pridgen Communications Recycling provides a way to keep trash out of landfills and to reclaim components which can be used again in new products. It’s an important part of environmental improvement efforts, and the Ports Authority participates in recycling pro-grams which double the positive impact. Both Ports have programs to recycle used ink-jet and laser cartridges and also benefit the Cape Fear River Watch and Morehead City Chamber of Commerce. Recycling has become much easi-er today, and we’re glad to not only keep the used cartridges out of landfills, but to help the environment and make a difference in the com-munity by donating them. In Wilmington, the program has been operat-ing for more than five years. The used cartridges are donated to the Cape Fear River Watch, which earns points to redeem for office equipment through the Educational Technology and Con-servation Exchange Program. “The Ports Authority continues to be the key contributor to our laser and inkjet recycling pro-gram. With their help, we were able to turn their donations into cash used to purchase a much-needed projector for our organization,” said Brooke Barney, program coordinator with the River Watch. “The projector is used in presenta-tions aimed at educating the public on environ-mental issues. As always, the Cape Fear River Watch would like to thank the Ports Authority for their support for our organization.” In Morehead City, the Chamber of Commerce collects used cartridges from businesses throughout the community to redeem through a similar program with Recycle Rewards in San-ford. The Port of Morehead City joined the effort last year, coordinated by Lu Russell in Inventory Control. Proceeds received by the Chamber will be used to promote the Chamber’s environmen-tal stewardship initiatives. In Wilmington, used cartridges are collected in the Maritime Building. For information about these programs, con-tact Susan Pridgen at (910) 343-6492 or email susan_pridgen@ncports.com. FEBRUARY 2006 PAGE 10 www.ncports.com STEM TO STERN PORTS PEOPLE Rose joins Operations to oversee process improvement Promotions Jason Smith has been pro-moted to business development analyst at the Port of Wilmington. Mr. Smith joined the Ports Authority in July 2004 as a billing clerk in the Finance Department. Kim Newton has been pro-moted to cargo control coordinator in the Cargo Control Center at the Port of Wilmington. Ms. Newton has been with the Ports Authority since April 1985 and has worked in the billing and container departments. Robert Lewis has been pro-moted to cargo specialist at the Port of Morehead City ef-fective Feb. 1. Mr. Lewis has served in the Cargo Han-dling Department since December 1996. David Leggett has been promoted to construction inspector in the Engineering Department. Mr. Leggett has been with the Ports Authority since October 2003 in Plant Maintenance. Gene Rose has joined the North Carolina State Ports Authority’s Operations Department as manager of process improvement. In this newly created position, he will work with all aspects of the operations team, focusing at first on the lumber operations at the Port of Wilmington. “We have seen such huge growth in our lum-ber business at both ports that it’s a key goal to work on right now,” said Jeff Miles, the Ports Authority’s chief operations officer. “Gene will bring a fresh set of eyes, and be-cause he is intentionally not in the middle of the process already, he can step back, take an ob-jective look, ask good questions, and develop good answers to them.” Mr. Rose comes to the Authority after his re-cent retirement from the U.S. Marine Corps’s II Marine Expeditionary Force at Camp Lejeune. He retired as a chief warrant officer 5, and served his entire career as an embarkation of-ficer and combat cargo officer. During assignments in Oki-nawa and Sasebo, Japan, Yuma, Ariz., and on board the USS Belleau Wood and the USS Tripoli, Mr. Rose was responsi-ble for planning and executing the movement of American and allied military troops and equip-ment by aircraft, rail, ship, bus and truck, across the country and around the world. He served during both Desert Storm and Iraqi Freedom oper-ations, spending several tours in the Persian Gulf area. Mr. Rose is a graduate of the University of Maryland, with an associate’s degree in Japa-nese studies and a bachelor’s degree in Asian studies. He is fluent in Japanese. He and his wife, Yukiko, live in Wilmington. Gene Rose FEBRUARY 2006 PAGE 11 www.ncports.com STEM TO STERN PORTS PEOPLE Service Awards March Morehead City Donald Cordova - Cranes 10 years Worth Mason - Security 10 years Wilmington Glenn Redding - Police 5 years Jim Herron - General Cargo 10 years Birthdays March Charlotte Inland Terminal Mar. 7 Nancy Driggers Greensboro Inland Terminal Mar. 18 Brenda Barger Morehead City Mar. 1 Ethan Hazard - Police Mar. 17 Judy Galyon - Cargo Handling Mar. 18 Durwood Garner - Plant Maintenance Mar. 19 Larry Davis - Cargo Handling Mar. 20 Shane Nelson - Plant Maintenance Mar. 24 Bill Chadwick – Bulk Handling Wilmington Mar. 2 Mark Litjes - Police Mar. 4 Elijah Walker - Containers Mar. 12 Herb Robbins - Cranes Mar. 12 Carey Gibson - IT Mar. 14 Ricky Tharrington - Safety Mar. 16 Amy Clemmons - Containers Mar. 17 Herb Hines - Cargo Handling Mar. 18 Doug Whitley - Plant Maintenance Mar. 18 Richard Meeks - Plant Maintenance Mar. 20 Jeff Flack - Plant Maintenance Mar. 21 Wilson Grady - Cargo Handling Mar. 23 Terry Braxton - Cargo Handling Mar. 23 Sammy Newkirk - Containers Mar. 25 Charles Horney - Security Mar. 26 Charles Nixon - Cargo Handling Mar. 29 Eric Dawson- Cargo Handling Corporate Mar. 7 John Lenfestey - Engineering Mar. 10 Laura Courtney - Finance Mar. 24 Donna Wilson - IT Mar. 27 Rick Koch - Human Resources Mar. 28 Terry Dail - Finance Mar. 31 Tom Eagar - Executive Morehead City’s 1st Quarter 2006 Birthday Luncheon will be held at noon March 7 Maritime Building Conference Room RSVP to Amanda Bryant at 252-808-4245 New Team Members Gregg Galliher Purchasing Garey Graham Purchasing Carlton Davis, a foreman in the cargo handling depart-ment at the Port of More-head City, was recognized for academic achievement by Carteret Community College during the college’s ninth an-nual Black History Month program. Mr. Davis has been with the Ports Authority for 13 years, and has been a foreman since 2001. He is studying business administration at Car-teret Community College. Carlton Davis Davis recognized by Carteret Community College for academics FEBRUARY 2006 PAGE 12 www.ncports.com STEM TO STERN PORTS PROMOTION #1 in a series The North Carolina State Ports Authority has begun a new advertising campaign focusing on the advantages of North Carolina’s Ports and the contributions the Ports make to the economic development and success of the entire State. Since not everyone sees the trade and regional publications where they run, we will share one in each issue of the STEM TO STERN. |
OCLC number | 22496029 |