The USA’s Georgia Ports Authority (GPA) has elected Kent Fountain as chairman of the board, Alec Poitevint as vice chairman, and Chris Womack as secretary-treasurer, effective July 1.
Fountain and Poitevint’s election represents an advancement from their previous positions of vice chairman and secretary-treasurer, respectively. Poitevint served as GPA board chairman from July 2010 to June 2012. Womack was serving as a board member prior to becoming the authority’s next secretary-treasurer.
“Kent’s four-year tenure on the GPA board, as well as his leadership across business and agriculture make him a solid choice to continue guiding the ports of Savannah and Brunswick through the current phase of infrastructure growth,” said Georgia governor Brian Kemp. “Along with his fellow officers, board members, and the GPA leadership team, Georgia’s deepwater ports remain in good hands.”
In Savannah and Brunswick, construction is under way to boost their respective capacities. GPA plans to shift the majority of its breakbulk cargoes to the port of Brunswick to make way for the renovation and realignment of the docks at the port of Savannah’s Ocean Terminal, as HLPFI reported here.
USD250 million is being invested in the port of Brunswick’s Colonel’s Island facility, meanwhile, to increase ro-ro capacity and throughput. HLPFI readers will recall that construction includes 500,000 sq ft (46,451.5 sq m) of warehousing as well as near-dock storage to provide auto processing space for vehicles and heavy machinery.
Outgoing chairman, Joel Wooten, approved nearly USD1.5 billion in infrastructure projects during his time presiding over the board.
