The Port of Seattle Commission on Sept. 11 voted to formally
appoint Ted J. Fick as the port’s new Chief Executive Officer; his selection
was announced in August. Fick officially takes over for the retiring Tay
Yoshitani on Sept. 29.
“I am ready to dig in to the complex competitive challenges
facing the port – and to working with such a skilled team of commissioners,
executives and staff. I look forward to all that we will accomplish together,”
Fick said.
Fick has over 25 years of leadership experience in major
manufacturing and transportation organizations – including oversight of
international operations. He spent many years working in the Puget Sound
region’s manufacturing and industrial community, beginning at his family’s
Tacoma-based company, Fick Foundry. He then spent many years with one of the
Pacific Northwest’s primary manufacturers, PACCAR, holding leadership positions
in both PACCAR and their Kenworth division.
He left the Pacific Northwest in 2000, and has since held
multiple leadership positions in transportation and manufacturing companies.
Most recently, he served as CEO of Polar Corp., a $475 million trailer and
component parts manufacturer in Minnesota. In that job, he oversaw three
operating divisions, multiple manufacturing plants and a workforce of over
2,000 represented and non-represented employees.
Commissioners said they were excited to see how his
expertise in successfully guiding organizations through changing competitive
environments will bring new ideas and energy to the port.
“Ted understands and appreciates the challenges facing the
port,” Commission Co-President Courtney Gregoire said. “He also immediately
demonstrated to us where he saw opportunities within those challenges,
opportunities for making the port stronger and more competitive and for
generating new jobs and growth for our region.”
