Executive Moves: Port Freeport, IFCO and TruckSmart

Port Freeport picks new CEO, while IFCO appoints VPs for commodity management and grower sales and TruckSmart names national accounts director.    Port Freeport has named Phyllis Saathoff executive port director and chief executive officer. She joined the Texas Gulf Coast port in 1992 and eventually served as managing director. In April 2012, Saathoff became interim executive port director/CEO. During her tenure at Port Freeport, she was successful in obtaining Army Corps of Engineers permit to deepen the Freeport Harbor channel to 55 feet and in financing and initiating the development of the port’s first container terminal. In October 2012, she joined the Port of Houston Authority where she served as chief people officer and deputy executive director of corporate affairs.

   Freight packaging specialist IFCO has appointed Fortunato Martinez vice president of commodity management and Craig Kelly vice president of grower sales. Martinez has been a consultant to IFCO since 2012, developing and managing grapes and citrus commodities in Chile, and worked in various management roles at Chiquita Brands. Kelly joined IFCO in 2013 and previously served as director of grower sales, and before that, was director of sales at CHEP, IFCO’s sister company also owned by Brambles, Ltd.

   SmartTruck, a company that develops truck trailer aerodynamics, has named Ron Pope director of national accounts. Pope, a 40-year trucking industry veteran, was most recently vice president of national accounts at Southern Cal Transport, and before that he held management positions at Epes Transport System and Covenant Transport.