Representatives from Siem Car Carriers, Port of Grays Harbor, and The Pasha Group welcomed Chrysler executives William Cook, Mike Dezenski and John Griffin at a ribbon-cutting ceremony held at the Port on August 22. The celebration recognizes the 100,000th export vehicle processed for Chrysler by Pasha Automotive Services (PAS), loaded onto Siem car carriers by Pasha Stevedoring & Terminals and Local 24. The vehicles are shipped out of Grays Harbor to ports in Asia using Siem's NAPA service (North American Pacific Asia) which offers direct Roll-On Roll-Off service with a fleet of modern Pure Car and Truck Carriers. Jeff Campbell, Siem Vice President, remarks, "Exports are a driver of U.S. economic growth, and Siem is proud to have been part of the Chrysler resurgence. Despite a challenging global economy, there is a continued global demand for American goods. And increased exports mean increased job opportunities. Our partnership with Pasha and the Port of Grays Harbor provides expansion opportunities for all of us."

The number of Chrysler exports shipped out of Grays Harbor greatly exceeds the estimated 25,000 units a year anticipated at the inception of this business in January 2010, demonstrating a healthy growth for these partners in transportation. Pasha, established in 1947, opened its port processing operation at Grays Harbor a year prior to the Chrysler contract.

Among the benefits that drew Pasha to the Port of Grays Harbor, in addition to its deep water berths and its strategic location, are its available property and a solid motivated local work force. In partnership with the Port, PAS is now rapidly expanding its operations as new infrastructure and increased rail access are drawing attention to OEMs capitalizing on the growing demand overseas for U.S. manufactured vehicles.

President of the Port Commission, Chuck Caldwell, stated, “We are very excited and proud to be a part of this great milestone. We look forward to an on-going partnership with Chrysler and Seim, The Pasha Group, Puget Sound and Pacific Railroad, and Union Pacific Railroad as they continue to bring more opportunities, jobs and prosperity to the community.”

Michael Pasha, General Manager for Pasha Automotive Services, notes, “We look forward to meeting new challenges with each new customer. We would like the growth pattern at the Port of Grays Harbor to match that we have experienced at our Port of San Diego operation, which we opened in 1990. That first year we processed 30,000 cars, and we have now exceeded 4 million. The same potential exists at the Port of Grays Harbor. We have nowhere to go but up, thanks to prestigious partners like Chrysler, Siem and, of course, the Port itself.”