Richard D. Steinke To Receive 2011 Connie Award
Port of Long Beach Executive Director to be Honored by the Containerization & Intermodal Institute
Long Beach, CA (May 9, 2011) -- Richard D. Steinke, who will retire this year as executive director of the Port of Long Beach and who was instrumental in developing the Port into one of the world's largest container harbors, has been selected to receive the Connie Award to be presented on the West Coast by the Containerization & Intermodal Institute (www.containerization.org). The industry-wide dinner event honoring Mr. Steinke will be held on Wednesday, September 21, at the Renaissance Hotel in Long Beach, CA.
Recipients are recognized with the prestigious award for significant influence on containerization in world trade and transportation and are honored for innovative spirit in their careers and at their respective companies, as well as for their positive influence on the industries they serve. Mr. Steinke has served the Port of Long Beach for more than 14 years.
CII, founded in 1960, has been presenting the Connie Award since 1972 and it has become the most coveted honor in the field of containerization and its ancillary industries. Among some 40 recipients to date are Rick Gabrielson, George Schember, Ronald Widdows, Jon Hemingway, Thomas B. Crowley Sr., Bruce Seaton, Malcom McLean and Evergreen Group Chairman Dr. Y. F. Chang.
"Richard Steinke established himself as an indispensable leader of the Port of Long Beach and the international transportation community," said Allen Clifford, president of CII. "His diligence, attention to detail and vision keep the port among the busiest in the world and among the most advanced for our imports and exports."
Mr. Steinke led the Port's redevelopment of the former Long Beach Naval Complex, creating one of the nation's largest container cargo terminals. He transitioned the Port, making it both a builder of modern cargo terminals while becoming environmentally efficient. Mr. Steinke also implemented a Green Port Policy that included a successful Clean Trucks Program in collaboration with the Port of Los Angeles.
Mr. Steinke's leadership and expertise were instrumental in various projects including winning approvals for the $1 billion Middle Harbor Redevelopment project and the $950 million Gerald Desmond Bridge Replacement project. These projects will help create one of the nation's largest container cargo terminals and assure safe access in and out of the port complex.
During his career, Steinke served as the chief spokesman for the U.S. West Coast Collaboration, Chairman of the American Association of Port Authorities and the California Association of Port Authorities as well as a member of the Board of Directors of the Alameda Corridor Transportation Authority, the Intermodal Container Transfer Facility Joint Powers Authority, the Harbor Association of Industry and Commerce, Intermodal Transportation Institute and St. Mary Medical Center in Long Beach.
In addition to the Connie Awards, CII will carry out its industry education mission by presenting scholarships to students studying logistics. Any company can sponsor a named scholarship through CII, which has had more than half a million dollars given for higher education under its auspices since 1992.
The CII Connie Awards dinner is $225 per ticket and seating is limited. Sponsors for scholarship opportunities and tickets are available. For more information, contact Barbara Yeninas, executive director at 732-817-9131 or [email protected].
Source: www.containerization.org
