Port Manatee Propeller Club honors Gontarski
The Port Manatee Propeller Club has awarded Joe Gontarski its Maritime Person of the Year Award.
Gontarski, sometimes called the 'dean of Tampa Bay's maritime community,' is senior director and special assistant to the executive director at Port Manatee. He has been on staff at Port Manatee for 20 years, after originally coming to the Bay area in 1976 when he was hired as director for the Port of Tampa.
He has played a key role in securing state and federal grants for Port Manatee, and assisted with the port's designation as an official U.S. Customs port of entry and foreign trade zone.
His maritime career dates back to 1955, when he started as a stevedore for the U.S. Army in New York City, eventually retiring as a colonel before moving onto his later duties with the Tampa Bay area ports.
Port Manatee Propeller Club honors Gontarski
