By Mark Edward Nero
The Long Beach Board of Harbor Commissioners on June 30 voted to name Jon Slangerup, a veteran corporate executive with extensive experience in global logistics and environmental technologies, as the Port of Long Beach’s new executive director.
Slangerup has served the past two decades as a president, CEO and/or director of both public and private companies, ranging from technology startups to a subsidiary of FedEx Corp. During the last seven years of a 20-year career with FedEx, Slangerup was President of FedEx Canada, which he helped transform from a small regional domestic courier operation into Canada’s leading international express logistics company.
Since FedEx, he has served as a CEO and board member of environmental technology companies providing solutions in marine ballast water treatment, renewable energy and distributed power generation to customers throughout the world.
“He’s an extremely capable leader, proven team-builder and expert at managing a world-class organization,” Harbor Commission President Doug Drummond said. “In our highly competitive, quickly changing industry challenged by major environmental and energy issues, he’s the perfect person for the job.”
Harbor Commissioners made the decision on Slangerup in an executive session following their regular June 23 board meeting. Slangerup succeeds former POLB Executive Director Chris Lytle, who left the port in July 2013 for a similar position at the Port of Oakland. The Long Beach civil engineer had served as the port’s interim executive director since Lytle’s departure.
“I am extremely pleased to be joining the Port of Long Beach team, which has a long and distinguished record of operational excellence, technological innovation and environmental stewardship,” Slangerup said. “The Port of Long Beach is investing billions of dollars in advanced technology and infrastructure development, and I look forward to working with our team.”
Slangerup’s hiring means that both major Southern California ports now have head officials after several months without one. On June 11, the Los Angeles City Council confirmed veteran shipping industry leader Gene Seroka as the new executive director of the Port of Los Angeles. Seroka replaced former Executive Director Geraldine Knatz, who retired in late 2013.
