After leading the Port of Charleston through its biggest expansion and to record cargo levels, Jim Newsome announced in 2021 he'll hand over the State Ports Authority's top job to longtime second-in-command Barbara Melvin, who likely will have to continue navigating a labor dispute at the port's newest terminal.
Newsome, who was inducted in 2021 into the International Maritime Hall of Fame, said he will retire June 30, the end of the SPA's fiscal year. He'll remain with the maritime agency as an adviser for one year after his retirement.
“I’ve had a good run at this — it will be close to 13 years,” said Newsome, who joined the SPA in 2009 as president and CEO. “CEOs have a shelf life and I’ve got some other things I want to do. The port will be in fantastic hands going forward.”
Melvin, who joined the SPA in 1998 and led efforts to get funding for deepening Charleston Harbor, has been chief operating officer since 2019. She’ll be among a handful of women who've led major U.S. ports, running a maritime agency that directly employs about 850 people and generates $63.4 billion in annual economic impact statewide.
Much of her focus likely will be on getting the new Leatherman Terminal in North Charleston running at full capacity.
The terminal, which had been 20 years in the making, was the first new container terminal to open in the U.S. since 2009 and it offered much needed space for global supply chains stretched by consumers during a COVID-induced online buying binge. However, the terminal has seen little use since its opening due to a dispute with the International Longshoremen's Association over who will operate cranes at the facility — union labor or SPA employees.
Container ships have been reluctant to use the Leatherman Terminal in North Charleston because of a labor dispute between the State Ports Authority and the International Longshoremen's Association. File/Provided
That labor dispute, which has caused container ships to avoid the terminal, is being heard by the National Labor Relations Board, and it could be well past Newsome's retirement — and well into Melvin's tenure — before it's resolved.
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December 26, 2021 at 10:00PM
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Newsmaker of the year: New leadership, terminal at Port of Charleston - Charleston Post Courier
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