Coffee exec. Thomas Westfeldt appointed to New Orleans Board

Thomas D. Westfeldt, a long-time coffee industry executive and civic leader, has been sworn in as a member of the Board of Commissioners of the Port of New Orleans. Mr. Westfeldt, who was nominated for the position by Greater New Orleans Inc., replaces outgoing commissioner Mr. Angus Cooper on the seven-person Board, which sets policies and regulates traffic and commerce at the Port.

A graduate of Louisiana State University with a degree in business administration, Mr. Westfeldt is president of Westfeldt Brothers Inc., a green coffee importing firm; Westfeldt Brothers Forwarders Inc., an export freight-forwarding firm; Worldwide Service Inc., a full-service air freight-forwarding firm; and chairman of the board and secretary of New Orleans Cold Storage, a locally-based cold storage warehousing firm with facilities in New Orleans, Charleston, SC, and Houston, Texas.

'It is a privilege to welcome Mr. Westfeldt a commissioner,' said Gary LaGrange, President and CEO of the Port of New Orleans. 'He brings a wealth of knowledge of international commerce and maritime matters to this governing body and his experience will be a great asset to the management and oversight of the entire Port community.'

Gov. Kathleen Blanco appointed Mr. Westfeldt to the regional Board for a five-year term. Commissioners are unsalaried and serve staggered terms. The Board governs public port operations in Orleans, Jefferson and St. Bernard parishes.

Mr. Westfeldt is extremely active in the business and non-profit community. He currently serves on the boards of the Louisiana Civil Service League, Metropolitan Crime Commission, Society for the Relief of Destitute Orphan Boys, Green Coffee Association of New Orleans, World Trade Center, New Orleans Board of Trade, and Whitney National Bank. He serves as treasurer of the National Coffee Association and the Audubon Nature Institute. He is also a board member of the National Donor Awareness Foundation.

Mr. Westfeldt is a member of the New York Board of Trade Coffee Committee; co-founder of the Chartwell Consortium, a school for autistic children; and represents Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama as an honorary consul to Sweden.

In prior years, Mr. Westfeldt served as president of the Southern Coffee Association, Green Coffee Association of New Orleans and New Orleans Board of Trade.