Mr. Gary P. LaGrange
President & CEO
Gary LaGrange took leadership of the Board of Commissioners of
the Port of New Orleans in September 2001. A native of South
Louisiana, Mr. LaGrange came to New Orleans after serving as
Executive Director of the Mississippi State Port Authority at
Gulfport.
Since LaGrange became the Port President and CEO, the port has
opened new state-of-the art facilities. These include the
Napoleon Avenue Container Terminal, which opened in January
2004. The $101 million facility is the most
technologically-advanced container terminal in the world. The
port also opened its first ever dockside cold storage
facility, which has helped New Orleans gain an even larger
share of the export poultry market.
Under Mr. LaGrange’s leadership, the New Orleans cruise
industry has experienced phenomenal growth. Carnival Cruise
Lines, Norwegian Cruise Lines and Royal Caribbean agreed to
homeport vessels in New Orleans. The Erato Street Cruise
Terminal and Parking Garage was completed in October 2006. The
new $37 million cruise terminal adds a 1000 car parking garage
and 90,000 square foot terminal. The Port has also received
preliminary funding for another cruise ship terminal at the
Poland Avenue Wharves, and will soon begin renovations to its
Julia Street cruise terminal.
Most recently and without question most publicly, Mr. LaGrange
worked tenaciously to bring the Port of New Orleans back into
operation after the most extensive natural disaster in U.S.
history. A mere two weeks after Hurricane Katrina and with
limited resources and personnel, LaGrange’s leadership was
instrumental in the triumph of the first container ship call
at the Port of New Orleans, despite projections to the
contrary.
He also testified before the U.S. Senate Finance Committee
on behalf of the Port and the American Association of Port
Authorities (AAPA), expressing the urgent need for funding,
tax relief and other assistance to restore the Port of New
Orleans and other Gulf ports damaged by Hurricanes Katrina and
Rita.
In addition, LaGrange and the U.S. Maritime Administration
took the historic step of diverting military ready reserve
ships to provide support, housing and supplies to Port and
other recovery-related workers, enabling ports to rebound more
rapidly after a natural disaster.
Under his direction, the Port of New Orleans continues to lead
the recovery of the economy by bringing the Port back to 100
percent of its pre-Katrina performance in only months after
the storm devastation.
His commitment to the maritime industry is reflected in the
numerous leadership positions he has held at state, regional
and national levels. He recently served as Chairman of the
American Association of Port Authorities, an alliance of 350
ports in the Western Hemisphere. He also serves on the boards
of the Gulf Ports Association of the Americas and is past
chairman and past president of the Gulf Intracoastal Canal
Association. He is Vice President of the National Waterways
Council and serves on the Board of the Waterways Council, Inc.
Mr. LaGrange is a devoted advocate of community involvement
and his participation in numerous business and civic
organizations rival that of his professional commitments. He
was named the Maritime Person of the Year by the Propeller
Club of New Orleans in 2003 and the Maritime Person of the
Year by the Propeller Club of the Port of Gulfport in 2001.
He was recently named the Man of Steel by the American
Institute for International Steel (AIIS), as well as receiving
the Leadership Award for Post Katrina by the International
Maritime Association Hall of Fame at the United Nations in New
York.
Mr. LaGrange attended Louisiana State University. He received
his B.A. in Geography/Economics from the University of
Louisiana at Lafayette (formerly University of Southwestern
Louisiana). He completed a Master of Arts in Urban Planning,
with honors, at USL in 1975. He taught Economic Geography and
Urban Planning at the university through its University
College.
27 October 2006 |
