Each year, WPPA honors a WPPA member port for leadership and innovation in economic development efforts. The association’s Executive Committee chooses the winning port from a pool of nominees.
According to the WPPA, the Port of Vancouver was honored for creating transportation connections including the June 2010 completion of a state-of-the-art unit train facility at the port’s recently developed Terminal 5. The $14 million project, part of the ongoing West Vancouver Freight Access rail improvement project, was completed on-time and on-budget. The award also acknowledges the port’s role as a sponsor port in the recently completed Lower Columbia Channel Deepening Project.
“The Port of Vancouver was presented this award because of their tremendous recent success in bringing jobs and investment to Clark County. They are a shining example of how to spur job-creation, and they have been recognized by their peers for their hard work,” noted WPPA Executive Director Eric Johnson.
The port’s investments to date are attracting almost $400 million in private investment and the anticipated creation of between 1,000 and 2,000 new, permanent jobs and nearly 4,000 construction jobs.
“A prospective major tenant at the Port of Vancouver said they were drawn to the port because of the capability and professionalism of its staff and by the significant investment the port had made in rail infrastructure. The Port of the Year award is a reflection on the staff and the economic vitality they bring to Vancouver,” said Jerry Oliver, Port of Vancouver Commission President.
