Former Matson CEO Wasacz passes

Former Matson CEO Wasacz passes    Michael S. Wasacz, former Matson president and chief executive officer, died Sunday in San Francisco at 73.
   Wasacz's career with the company spanned from 1959 to 1990 and included eight years as president of Matson Navigation Co. and two years as president of its parent company, Honolulu-based Alexander & Baldwin.
   In 1959, Wasacz started as a freight clerk with Matson in the company's relatively small office at Rockefeller Center. In 1961, he transferred to Matson's San Francisco office and began his career arc with the organization.
   'His objective throughout was to gain as much knowledge of all facets of Matson's business as possible,' the company said in a statement.
   He had held managerial positions in San Francisco, Portland, Seattle and Los Angeles, and also served as area manager in Hawaii, Northern California and Southern California. He was made a vice president of Matson in 1976 and senior vice president in 1978. In 1979, Wasacz was named president of the subsidiary, Matson Terminals Inc., which operated the company's terminal operations on the West Coast and in Hawaii. In 1980 he was appointed executive vice president of Matson, and in 1981 became the 12th president in Matson's history. In 1983, he was named president of A&B and relocated to Honolulu, returning to San Francisco in 1985 as president of Matson.
   'As head of Matson during the 1980s, Wasacz led the company through a number of major initiatives,' the company said. 'In the early 1980s, Matson was completing an ambitious 12-year ship construction program that involved building a modern, fully containerized fleet of vessels. In 1982, the Lurline returned to the Matson fleet following a conversion from a ro/ro ship to a combination container-ro/ro vessel with cargo capacity nearly tripled. Other major improvements for the company's Hawaii service included relocating the company's entire terminal facilities — cranes, equipment, containers and personnel — from an inefficient terminal at Pier 2, near downtown Honolulu, to an expanded site at Sand Island; the facility continues to be the hub of Matson's operations today.'
   Several key initiatives implemented during Wasacz's tenure have had a long-lasting impact on Matson, the company said. In December 1988, Wasacz led a restructuring effort of the entire Matson organization, establishing marketing and operations as the major entities in the corporate structure, which remains in place today. Wasacz also began moving forward with significant investments in information technology, with the objective of designing and building new information systems that better serve Matson's customers, providing them with timely information about their shipments.
   'Mike Wasacz left a lasting legacy here at Matson,' says Matt Cox, president of Matson. 'Under his leadership, a number of key initiatives enhanced Matson's core market, our Hawaii service, including the company's Sand Island facility and Neighbor Island barges. Equally important, he explored growth opportunities outside that market, with Matson Integrated Logistics a living testament to his vision. Our centralized Customer Support Center is another example of an initiative that has differentiated Matson in its markets and distinguished the company through its emphasis on exemplary customer service.'
   After leaving Matson, Wasacz continued to work as a consultant, notably with the Bechtel Corp. in Houston. He also worked as executive director at the Institute of Human Origins in Berkeley, Calif.
   He is survived by his wife of 50 years, Vera; his three children: Mark, Martha and Maria; and his three grandchildren.