Scott Smith, corporate relations director for container shipping leader APL, has been honored by the Bay Area World Trade Center for his 41 years of service to the transportation and logistics industry. Smith, a 24-year APL veteran, received the Bay Trade Global Award last month at ceremonies in Oakland attended by more than 250 people, including 25 consuls general and ambassadors from around the world.
By Paul Duclos
Published: June, 2008
The 26-year old World Trade Center stimulates Bay Area importing and exporting through political advocacy and international trade missions. It presented its first Bay Trade awards to Smith and six other business and government leaders, including former Oakland Mayor Elihu Harris.
Smith, a resident of Danville, represents APL on 11 industry and government boards related to trade and transportation. Among these are the Pacific Merchant Shipping Association, the Ocean Carrier Equipment Management Association and the Intermodal Association of North America. Before joining APL, Smith spent 17 years in a family-owned trucking business. In presenting its award to Smith, the World Trade Center said, Scott has become a visible face for APL in California ports, active in advising, planning and managing the various challenges that confront the trade and logistics community today.
Chevron Aids Disaster Victims
Richmond-based Chevron Corporation announced that it will contribute $1.4 million (approximately 10 million yuan) towards relief efforts in the aftermath of the earthquake that struck Sichuan Province in central China on May 12. The funds will be directed to the Sichuan Province Red Cross, an affiliate of the Red Cross Society of China. Chevron has an interest in the Chuandongbei gas project, which is located in the province.
The need for humanitarian assistance is vast and immediate, said Chevron vice chairman Peter Robertson. Our contribution to the Red Cross will support its critical efforts to assist those affected by this devastating earthquake.
We are concerned for the well-being of those in the local communities, said Jim Blackwell, president of Chevron Asia Pacific Exploration and Production. Chevron’s contribution is intended to help the many in the region who have been displaced by the tragedy.
Earlier in May, the company announced that it had contributed $2 million to provide assistance to those affected by the recent devastating cyclone in Myanmar. The International Federation of the Red Cross will receive a $1 million contribution. An additional $1 million will be allocated to four other organizations: the International Organization for Migration, Mercy Corps, Pact, and Save the Children. The contributions will aid disaster relief efforts for Cyclone Nargis that struck Myanmar on May 2, 2008, causing widespread destruction along the country’s southern coast and southeast regions.
Richmond Beefs Up Port Security
The Port of Richmond recently announced that it had installed more than 100 surveillance cameras at a cost of $2 million to protect its assets from thieves and terrorists. While the port does not serve container vessels, it does serve as a gateway for breakbulk and roll-on/roll-off cargo, principally automobiles. There is also a substantial amount of outbound freight consisting of copper and other valuable scrap metal. The funds for the cameras came from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
