POLB CEO announces resignation

Jon Slangerup announced his resignation as chief executive officer of the Port of Long Beach and accepted a position as chairman and CEO of a leading aviation technology company.    Jon Slangerup has announced his resignation as chief executive officer of the Port of Long Beach, the nation’s second largest container port, effective Oct. 28.
   The port said he has accepted a position as chairman and CEO of a leading aviation technology company effective Oct. 31. However, the port did not name the aviation company.
   A former executive at FedEx, Slangerup joined the Port of Long Beach in June 2014.
   “The experience of helping guide the port through our industry’s swiftly changing and often uncharted waters has been both an exciting challenge and a great honor,” Slangerup said. “I am exceedingly proud of the work we’ve accomplished together over the past two years in driving forward our vision for the Green Port of the Future. I leave my post content in the knowledge that the port’s greatest years lie ahead.”
   Soon after joining the port, West Coast ports were faced with tremendous congestion when the International Longshore and Warehouse Union and employers could not reach an agreement on a new contract.
   Slangerup has overseen ongoing progress on the port’s $4 billion, 10-year capital improvement plan, including the replacement of the Gerald Desmond Bridge and the development of the innovative Middle Harbor terminal.
   Long Beach Mayor Robert Garcia said, Slangerup “has been an outstanding leader for the Port of Long Beach, expanding capacity and improving efficiency, reducing emissions, and guiding the Port through challenges to new records in volume and revenue. “He has fostered an excellent working relationship between the Harbor Department and City Hall, as well as with the community, and played an instrumental role in bringing the new port headquarters to the new Civic Center complex.”
   Garcia said he has spoken to the Long Beach harbor commissioners and said he was “confident they are committed to finding a great new leader for the port who will continue the progress we’ve made. I look forward to working with the Commission and the new CEO to keep the Port of Long Beach a global leader in green technology and the efficient transport of cargo, and to continue to build a strong partnership with the City and our local residents.”
   Slangerup was selected in 2014 after what was descried as an extensive nationwide search.
   One possible successor to Slangerup is thought to be Mario Cordero, the current chairman of the Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) since 2013 and an FMC commissioner since 2011.
   Cordero served on the Port of Long Beach Harbor Commission for eight years and is said by a couple of sources to have been a strong contender when Slangerup was selected.
   Cordero had no comment when contacted by American Shipper.
   Sources said he might be an attractive candidate because of his strong roots in the city – he has taught at California State University in Long Beach and has a home in the area. Since Richard Steinke left the commission in 2011 after 14 years at the helm, the port has had two top leaders with short tenures: Chris Lytle and Slangerup.
   Though he began his career at the Port of Long Beach in 2006, Chris Lytle served as executive director from November 2011 until July 2013 when he moved north to run the Port of Oakland. Slangerup now is stepping down after a little more than two years. The commission may want to select a leader who is likely to want to remain in the position for the long term as that stability of leadership may be attractive to its tenants.
   In addition, Cordero has highlighted his interest in environmental issues. His FMC biography says he “spearheaded the Port of Long Beach’s pioneering Green Port Policy, a policy aimed at reconciling economic growth and environmental stewardship to achieve long-term, sustainable port development.”