NEWS\\\


The Port of Virginia’s® leader of the last six-and-a-half years, John F. Reinhart, will be retiring from his post as CEO and executive director of the Virginia Port Authority, effective March 2021. Reinhart made the announcement on May 19 at the Virginia Port Authority (VPA)


Board of


Commissioners’ regularly scheduled meeting. “A lot of thought went this decision,


into but


when I consider the growth and maturity of organization and the


this level


of professionalism and dedication of the port team, I am very confident in the long-term future of The Port of Virginia,” Reinhart said. “This port has made tremendous progress during the past six years and we should be proud of what we have accomplished. Our brand is solid, our values guide us, and our hard work continues to earn the respect and trust of our customers, partners, and stakeholders. This port is going to be an economic


force in Virginia for decades to come.” Reinhart’s tenure with the


port began Feb. 10, 2014, and he is the fourth person to lead the agency that owns and operates container and multi-use commercial marine terminals on behalf of the state. In this role, he is responsible for the broad programmatic areas of business development and growth, strategic marketing, finance and operations of Virginia’s marine and inland terminals: Virginia International Gateway, Newport News Marine Terminal, Norfolk International Terminals, Portsmouth Marine Terminal, Port of Richmond and the Virginia Inland Port. He is also responsible for oversight of the port’s privately held terminal operating company, Virginia International Terminals, LLC (VIT). Reinhart is the architect


behind the resurgence of The Port of Virginia. For nearly two years prior to his arrival, there was consideration of an offer


Issue 4 2020 - FBJNA


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develop an investment plan and get to work on building a twenty-first century port,” Reinhart


said. “Maybe our


most important effort was aimed at restoring the faith in


this port to our leaders


in Richmond. We had to demonstrate to the governor and General Assembly two things: that we were a highly


competent team of


experienced, creative and capable long-term thinkers and that investing in the port will hold benefits for Virginia’s economy for decades to come.” As a result of the effort, the


John F. Rinehart tours the various terminals of the Port of Virginia. (VPA photo.)


to lease the port’s operating rights to a private entity. While Virginia was deliberating the merits of the offer, U.S. East Coast peer ports


invested


heavily in their infrastructure and fueled their volume growth. Roughly a year after it was decided that port operation and management would remain in state hands,


Reinhart accepted the position and immediately began


the process of


modernizing the port’s infrastructure and rebuilding the port’s reputation, brand, and competitiveness. “We were operating at a


disadvantage and had to regain our competitiveness. The only way to do it was to


Wen-Parker Logistics brings new freighter flights direct from Vietnam to Rickenbacker Airport


In an ongoing effort to fight the global coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, industry-leading apparel and footwear solutions provider Wen- Parker Logistics has begun chartering Ohio’s first direct flights from Vietnam through Rickenbacker International Airport (LCK) in Columbus, Ohio. “This marks a major


milestone for Wen-Parker, Rickenbacker and our region,” said Bryan Schreiber, Manager, Air Cargo Business Development for the Columbus Regional


Airport


Authority. The


Elmont, flights NY-based


Wen-Parker Logistics is now chartering


carrying much needed personal


protective equipment (PPE) for those in the healthcare industry from Noi Bai International Airport (HAN) in Hanoi, Vietnam. The company brought in five flights between May 14 and 24. The flights will continue through the end of June. “Vietnam is a huge product


sourcing area and growing trade partner with the US,” said Schreiber. “Until last year, the US and Vietnam did not have harmonized aviation regulations in place, and Vietnam traffic had to travel via another country. As supply chains shift, this initial series of direct flights from Hanoi may open the door for future opportunities.” “Wen-Parker


Logistics is


proud to be supporting our customers who are shipping critically-needed protective gear to the United States,” said Brady Borycki, Executive Vice-President, Global Business


Wen-Parker


Development Logistics.


at “Our


team overseas and in the USA are working hard to make this program a success, and we are excited to be assisting the international relief effort!” Rickenbacker and its


partners in the logistics industry have been playing a


vital role in responding


to demands for PPE in the fight against COVID-19. Early in the pandemic, airfreight forwarding companies rallied to the cause by utilizing their connections to bring PPE into


the US “We are very proud to


have Wen-Parker bringing these flights into LCK,” said Schreiber. “In addition to these critical PPE flights, many industry partners have found that in this time of extreme supply chain disruption,


Rickenbacker is


an efficient connection point to and from the US market for many different


types of


cargo.” As one of the world’s only


cargo-dedicated airports, Rickenbacker supports the world’s largest aircraft, connecting importers and exporters to an extensive global network. Strategically located within a 10-hour drive of half the US and a third


port returned to profitability and record-setting cargo volume for six consecutive years. Under Reinhart’s leadership, the VPA/VIT relationship was restructured; the port pushed forward on the largest capital


spending


program in its history – nearly $1.5 billion; a new leadership hierarchy was implemented; the organization adopted seven core guiding values; the state made its largest


of Canadian populations, Rickenbacker offers a geographic advantage for shippers and distributors. The airport is part of a robust


logistics ecosystem bringing air,


ocean, and overland capabilities all into one area


one-time investment in the port; the operation adopted a focus on efficiency; and the port embarked on a dredging project that will create deepest commercial harbor and shipping channels on the U.S. East Coast by 2024. “John Reinhart was the


right man at the right time. His strength of character, combined with his


vision and leadership skills, lifted The Port of Virginia from a very low point in early 2014 to its proper role as one of


the nation’s pre-eminent


commercial gateways,” said John G. Milliken, chairman of the VPA board. “Upon arrival, he focused first on stemming the port’s financial losses and on restoring its credibility in the marketplace. He then reinvented the the


port bottom-up and from rebuilt


its terminals into modern, semiautomated facilities able to handle the largest vessels calling on the East Coast.” VPA will begin compiling


information on candidates as soon as it becomes available.


serving the eastern half of the US Within a few short hours after arriving at Rickenbacker, cargo is unloaded, broken down, staged, and reloaded onto trucks, or in some cases helicopters, before arriving at its final destination.


clear


Wen-Parker Logistics is chartering direct flights from Vietnam to Rickenbacker International Airport (LCK). (Wen-Parker photo.)


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