The governing board for the inland Columbia River Port of Woodland has announced that Nelson Holmberg will take the helm as the port's new executive director effective April 12.
The 43-year-old Holmberg, who has served as the communications manager for the Washington state Port of Vancouver for the past three years, will replace outgoing executive director Erica Rainford who announced in February that she is leaving the port after two years in the top executive slot.
In his new position, Holmberg will take a small cut in pay, earning $61,000 compared to his $64,170 salary at Vancouver. Holmberg will also become one of only two full-time employees on the Port of Woodland staff, compared to a total of 80 staff at Vancouver and more than 400 employees at each of the nation's two leading ports in Long Beach and Los Angeles.
Located about 85 miles inland from the Pacific Ocean, the Washington state Port of Woodland has about 200 acres of industrial property serviced by Interstate Highway 5, BNSF and Union Pacific main lines, and a federally maintained deep-draft water channel that is 40 feet deep and 600 feet wide.
