Categories
Supply Chain

William McKnight to be the new Chairman of Georgia Ports

Article continues below:

“As an entrepreneur and business leader with more than 30 years in the construction industry, Will McKnight has the experience necessary to keep GPA at the forefront, delivering opportunity for growth to large and small businesses across the state,” said Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp.

 

“I’m excited to help lead the GPA at a time when Gov. Kemp has made the success of small business a major priority,” McKnight said. “Our ports’ role in helping Georgia companies connect with buyers across the globe can mean a world of difference to small operations hoping to expand.”

 

Along with McKnight, the board elected Patrick “Kelly” Farr Jr. as Vice Chairman, while Joel Wooten will remain in his role as Secretary-Treasurer.

 

McKnight thanked outgoing Chairman Jimmy Allgood for his example of steady leadership over the past three years. Under Allgood’s leadership, annual container volumes grew from 3.6 million twenty-foot equivalent container units to an estimated 4.5 million TEUs, a 25% increase.

 

“During Jimmy’s tenure, we’ve seen the completion of the outer harbor deepening, we’ve purchased 10 ship-to-shore cranes, kicked off construction of the largest on-terminal rail facility in the country, and expanded our auto capacity,” McKnight said. “Now, we have to continue that momentum to bring the efficiencies of Georgia’s deepwater terminals to even more customers.”

 

In other business, GPA Executive Director Griff Lynch reported the Port of Savannah had its busiest April ever, pushing its fiscal year-to-date totals to 3.7 million TEUs, an increase of 8.7% (300,815 TEUs) compared to the same period in FY2018.

 

“We’re nearly a full month ahead of last year’s volume at this point,” Lynch said. “GPA’s 1,300 employees, the International Longshoremen’s Association, stevedores, motor carriers and professionals throughout the supply chain have pulled together to not only grow our business, but to handle it with great efficiency and care.”

 

For the month of April, the GPA handled 76,000 TEUs of intermodal cargo, an 11% increase over the same month last year. Of the total cargo crossing the docks at Garden City Terminal since the start of FY2019 (July-April), 776,600 TEUs moved by rail. That’s an increase of 21% (135,000 TEUs) compared to the first 10 months of FY2018.

 

Total container cargo in April reached record volumes of 364,481 TEUs at the Port of Savannah, an increase of 1.9% or 6,700 TEUs.

 

The board also authorized an expansion of auto-handling capacity at the Port of Brunswick, approving $6.7 million for the Colonel’s Island North Side Paving Project – Phase I. The project includes upgrades of approximately 33 acres, new pavement striping, and new facility gates for trucks and other vehicles. The project will accommodate BMW, one of Georgia’s longest standing and largest auto processing customers. Recently, GPA and BMW renewed a multi-year agreement to move the luxury vehicles over Colonel’s Island Terminal.

 

“For BMW, the Port of Brunswick is perfectly situated to serve the Southeastern US because of its proximity to our customers and easy reach by Interstates 95 and 16,” said Irene Bloomfield, Vehicle Distribution Centre Business and Transportation Manager at BMW North America. “The port’s reliability and detail-oriented customer care makes Brunswick a trusted link in the BMW supply chain.”

 

William McKnight was born and raised in Augusta, Georgia.  He graduated from The Academy of Richmond County in 1974 and from The Georgia Institute of Technology in 1979.  Following his graduation from Tech, he continued to work for his family-owned construction company in Augusta and has been the President since 1996. Mr. McKnight has overseen the completion of over $1 billion in construction projects.

 

McKnight has served on the Georgia Ports Authority since 2014 where he has chaired the Development Committee and Finance Committee and served as the Secretary Treasurer and currently Vice Chairman.

Share:

Don't miss out

Be the first to know about the latest news in the automotive and transportation industries through our weekly news round-up and quarterly magazine.

Subscribe
Automotive Purchasing and Supply Chain | Three6Zero Ltd© 2004-2024