Blust among Pensacola port director candidates

Blust among Pensacola port director candidates    Federal Maritime Commission chairman Steven Blust is among five finalists slated for interviews for the port director's job at the Port of Pensacola, according to a report in the Pensacola News Journal.
   The report said a special panel appointed to review candidates for the city-controlled port planned to interview several of the five finalists for the job on Friday.
   The panel will make a recommendation to City manager Tom Bonfield after all candidates are interviewed. Bonfield was also scheduled to conduct separate interviews with the candidates, and he has the final decision on naming the new director. He also has the option to reject all the candidates, which were selected after a national search conducted under a contract with Slavin Management Consultants, of Norcross, Ga.
   In addition to Blust, the candidates include Matthew Hahne, port captain with Pacific Gulf Marine in New Orleans; Clyde Mathis, the marketing and business director for the Port of New Orleans; Keith McCready, port manager at Port Arthur, Texas; and David McNeel, director of operations for the Mississippi State Port Authority.
   Blust had already announced he planned to leave the FMC as soon as the Senate confirms a replacement. His term officially ended June 30, but commission members often stay with the FMC until replacements are named.
   Before joining the FMC in 2002, Blust was president and CEO of Tampa Bay International Terminals. He also had other Florida-based jobs in the shipping industry, including an executive position with the old Lykes Brothers Steamship Co. and a management post with the Jacksonville Port Authority.