Peter T. Leach, Senior Editor | Jan 31, 2012 4:21PM EST
Steven Cernak, CEO and director of the Port of Galveson, will lead Port Everglades.
Cernak will replace Phillip C. Allen, who is retiring Feb. 3, but his start date hasn’t been finalized. Cernak, who has served as the head of the Port of Galveston since 1999, helped the Texas port double its revenue and become a major cruise gateway in the Gulf of Mexico.
Under Cernak, Galveston has a sought a private operator to invest as much as $500 million in its breakbulk, dry bulk and roll-on, roll-off facilities and to build a two-berth container terminal on the port’s west end.
During his tenure, Cernak negotiated an agreement with the Army Corps of Engineers to deepen the Galveston Channel from 40 feet and 45 feet and secured federal funding for maintenance and new construction dredging to complete the project.
Before moving to Texas, Cernak was the manager of port development for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. He also held engineering positions with several private engineering consultancies in New Jersey.
-- Contact Peter T. Leach at pleach@joc.com. Follow him on Twitter @petertleach.
