News & Events

PORT COMMISSION NAMES OFFICERS-Bryant, Murphy, and Baylor selected to lead Port in 2012

SHREVEPORT/BOSSIER CITY, LA - The Board of Commissioners for the Caddo-Bossier Parishes Port Commission announced its new officers Thursday afternoon at the board's regular meeting.

Erica R. Bryant has been elected president. She previously served as vice president. Capt. Thomas Murphy was elected vice president. He previously served as secretary/treasurer. Ernest Baylor, Jr. was elected secretary/treasurer.

Newly elected President Bryant stated that 2011 was a remarkable year. "The Port saw the completion of the new Regional Commerce Center which, in turn, played a major role in attracting Ronpak, a major paper packaging manufacturer, to The Port for its expansion. Later in the year, economist, Dr. Loren Scott delivered key findings from his Economic Impact Study of The Port. One of the key findings revealed that for every new job created on the Port site, there are 4.1 additional jobs created in Caddo and Bossier Parishes. And before the year ended, total tonnage moved at The Port reached the 10 million ton milestone. We are already seeing outstanding barge tonnage for 2012 and I am confident this will be another very successful year at The Port," stated Bryant.    

Erica Bryant has served on The Port's Board of Commissioners since 2006. "The Caddo-Bossier Port Commission is committed to increasing investment and job creation for Caddo and Bossier Parishes. The Port continually improves and expands its infrastructure and the efficiencies of its multi-modal transportation system," Bryant said.

Capt. Murphy began serving on The Port's Board of Commissioners in 2007. According to Murphy, "The Port has seen a pretty dramatic increase in barge traffic and December 2011 proved to be the heaviest of not only 2011, but the heaviest on record for us. It should be noted that The Port's stevedores do a fantastic job of moving cargo efficiently through the Port site 24/7."

The Port
New Officers Elected
January 19, 2012

Ernest Baylor joined the Commission in 2008. Baylor commented, "As Erica mentioned, Dr. Scott's study revealed many interesting facts that clearly demonstrate what a strong economic engine The Port is for our region. One item that really stood out was that, in 2010, The Port's annual operating expenditures supported 7,550 new jobs within Caddo-Bossier. And we have seen significant growth since then."

The 2,500 acre Port of Shreveport-Bossier is located at the head of navigation on the Red River Waterway in Northwest Louisiana. An inland multi-modal transportation and distribution center, The Port works hand in hand with the port system of Louisiana to successfully link customers throughout the Ark-La-Tex region to domestic and international markets via the Mississippi River, the nation's largest river system, and the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway.

Submitted by: Anne Gremillion / Gremillion & Pou and Associates, Inc. / 318.424.2676 x311 / agremillion@gpmarketinginc.com