Marchand to Step Down as Georgia Ports Chief

[HardTimeTrucker]

The Journal of Commerce

Marchand to Step Down as Georgia Ports Chief

Peter T. Leach
Sep 17, 2009


Curtis J. Foltz to replace long-time executive director Jan. 1

Doug J. Marchand, the long-time executive director of the Georgia Ports Authority, announced at Thursday’s State of the Port Address that he will step down Jan. 1, 2010. Marchand’s focus on marketing helped turn Savannah into the second-largest container port on the U.S. East Coast.

Marchand will remain as executive advisor through the end of 2010, while GPA’s Chief Operating Officer Curtis J. Foltz will become the new executive director on Jan. 1.

Marchand plans to remain active with the GPA as its executive advisor. In this role, he will continue to assist with the Savannah harbor expansion plan, strategic growth and development plans, marketing and sales efforts and the Jasper Port planning efforts.

“Under his leadership, Savannah has grown to the fourth largest container port in the nation and is recognized as the fastest-growing container port in America,” said Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue, who attended this year’s State of the Port Address. “All told during his tenure, GPA more than quadrupled the number of containers shipped through our ports here in Georgia,” Perdue said.

In his final Savannah State of the Port Address, Marchand announced that Kia Motors and its part suppliers had selected the Port of Savannah to ship parts and supplies to its plant. This business will represent an increase of more than 15,000 20-foot containers annually in the first year of operation.

Marchand is credited with developing the beneficial cargo owner or port retail concept in the maritime industry.

This strategy increased the number of distribution warehouses in proximity to the Port of Savannah and leveraged the presence of the GPA’s shipping customers to attract international retail customers such as Home Depot, Wal-Mart, Target, Ikea and others. He also implemented the industry’s first customer-focused operation protocol.

Marchand also announced that the GPA has positioned itself for future success, by delivering jobs and other economic benefits to the state. “Despite the international slowdown in business, we have increased services and business at our facilities in Savannah,” said Marchand.

“Our ability to weather this storm is due in large part to the addition of 12 new or reconfigured services in fiscal year 2009. As the economy begins to turn around and vessels begin loading to capacity, our services will enable us to rebound faster than our peers with a much larger market share,” Marchand said.

Contact Peter T. Leach at [e-mail].

[georgiagal]

Doug Marchand,what a dipstick,glad to see him finally go. He never gave one d@mn about any of the dock workers or truckers working at the Savannah port.Problem is he still will be lurking in the shadows advising this Foltz on every move to make.

[SavILAchecker]

Good riddance to this thieving b**tard. He certainly helped himself to the public cookie jar while acting as port CEO.

[wildman]

Right about that. Retire and still get a big time consulting fee.

[canhauler]

This slick Doug is up to something while he remains on Georgia's payroll as executive advisor. What about the massive new South Carolina port on the Savannah river about to be built? He didn't give up his sweet position for nothing unless he got caught using GPA funds for personal use again. Maybe your Georgia governor is hiding something?

[Rutabaga]

Oh no, King Doug is leaving

This is the piece of s#*t GPA port manager that forced truckers to wait backed up outside the port gates in lines over five miles long during the week of transferring the gate operations to the new computer system several years back. Then he calls out the Georgia State Police to walk down the lines of waiting trucks writing tickets for everything they could spot because truckers were doing interviews with the local TV stations on the disruptions at the port embarrassing his staff

[dockworker]

Ga. ports chief Doug Marchand to step down
By RUSS BYNUM
Associated Press


SAVANNAH, Ga. -- Georgia Ports Authority chief Doug J. Marchand announced Thursday he is stepping down after overseeing 15 years of explosive growth that propelled Savannah's container port to become the nation's fourth largest.

Marchand, 62, said he will leave his job as executive director at the end of the year, but plans to remain with the Georgia ports through 2010 as an executive adviser.

The Ports Authority board selected Curtis J. Foltz to succeed Marchand. Foltz, 49, has overseen day-to-day operations as the ports' chief operating officer since 1995.

"We wish Curtis a reign equal to Doug's in number of years and successes," Gov. Sonny Perdue told a luncheon crowd gathered for the annual State of the Ports, where Marchand made his announcement. "And as you know, Curtis, these are big shoes to fill."

Steve Green, chairman of the Ports Authority board, credited Marchand with leading the Savannah port's transformation from a "sleepy Southern port" to the fastest growing sea port in the U.S.

When Marchand came aboard as executive director in 1995, just over 600,000 containers of imports and exports were moving through Savannah. Now the city's port handles four times that amount of cargo.

The Savannah port moved 2.4 million containers in fiscal 2009. Though shipments dropped 10.5 percent from 2008, because of global economic woes, this year was still the port's second-best.

Despite this year's economic setbacks, Marchand said he expects a quick rebound for Savannah - which surpassed rival Charleston, S.C., in 2006 to become the nation's fourth busiest container port.

He said automaker Kia, which is building a new plant in West Point, Ga., has agreed to ship parts and supplies through the Savannah port, a deal expected to move 15,000 containers through Savannah in its first year.

In his new role as an adviser, Marchand said he'll focus much of his time on a long-sought project to deepen the port's Savannah River shipping channel from 42 feet to 48 feet - which would allow larger container ships to call on Savannah. The dredging proposal has been in the works since 1996.

"It is the top priority," Marchand said. "I'm confident we'll make it happen."

[chassismechanic]

I'm sure he has made enough from payoffs to live happily ever after. This guy is the biggest liar & bulls##t artist this port has ever had on payroll. But before you ride off into the sunset Dougie soak the good citizens of Georgia for another year of salary as an advisor.