[ Long Beach Board of Harbor Commissioners Appointed .. ]

Long Beach Board of Harbor Commissioners Appointed Richard D. Steinke
as the Port’s Executive Director

To ensure continyity in port management, the Long Beach Board of Harbo
r Commissioners on Dec. 1 unanimously approved Richard D. Steinke’s a
ppointment as the port’s Executive Director. Steinke, 41, was appoint
ed to the position after only two months as acting executive director.
He previously served as deputy executive director and director of pro
perties. He has been with the Port since 1990.
In affirmign ger decision to approve Steinke, Commission President Car
men O. Perez said, “It is important to let our customers know that we
have a sense of continuity, and we intend to remain the number one co
ntainerport in the united States.”
Other commissioners indicated that Steinke’s previous port experience
will help maintain that continuity. “We did not go on a worldwide se
arch because we knew we had the execuuive director within” said Commi
ssioner Roy Hearrean. “Mr. Steinke understands this port, and he unde
rstands our operations.”
As deputy executive director, Steinke helped guide the port during the
completion of the new Hanjin Terminal and the port’s $150 million ro
adway construction program.
hired in 1990 as the director of the Properties Division, Steinke was
instrumental in the 1994 purchase of 725 acres of land and water area
from Union Pacific Resources Co., which provided the acreage for the n
ew Hanjin Terminal.
Now as executive director, Steinke will oversee the daily operations o
f the port and some 302 full-time port employees. “We know our goals
and our mission,” he said. “We must remain focused on the needs of o
ur customers and our need to grow.”
Steinke said that his management style is one of interaction and commu
nication with his staff. “I will rely on the staff for their good jud
gments,” he said. Steinke and his wife, Tamy, and their three childre
m live in Long Beach.