Port People: Alabama, Tampa

Horace H. Horn, Jr.
Photo/Alabama State Port Authority

Governor Robert Bentley on October 19 named Horace H. Horn, Jr., chairman of the board of directors of the Alabama Port Authority. Mr. Horn has served on the board as representative of Alabama’s Central Region. Concurrently, the governor appointed T. Bestor Ward, III, to the board’s at-large seat.

Horace Horn is vice president of external affairs for PowerSouth Energy, where he oversees the daily operations of governmental and public affairs in Alabama, Florida and Washington, D.C. He is past state director of the Farmers Home Administration, an agency of the U.S Department of Agriculture now called the Rural Development Agency.

Mr. Horn serves on a number of national and regional boards, including the Energy Council, Montgomery Chamber of Commerce, the Business Council of Alabama and the Warrior-Tombigbee Waterway Association and Tennessee Tombigbee Waterway Development Authority. He recently served as president of the Montgomery Area Chamber of Commerce and Alabama Wildlife Federation.

Bestor Ward is president of Ward Properties, Inc., Safe Archives LLC and Uriah Land Company. Safe Archives specializes in secured document, imaging and media storage. Mr. Ward began his career in banking prior to moving into real estate management and development. He is chairman of the board of the JL Bedsole Foundation and a past chairman of both the Mobile Area Chamber of Commerce and the Infirmary Health System.

The port authority board consists of nine members – eight appointed by the governor to terms of five years plus the mayor of Mobile.

T. Bestor Ward, III
Photo/Alabama State Port Authority

Port Tampa Bay Marketing Staffer Christyna Doege Recognized as International Business Person of the Year by TB OWIT

The Tampa Bay Organization for Women in International Trade (TB OWIT) has named Port Tampa Bay staffer Christyna Doege 2016 International Business Person of the Year.

This annual award is presented to a local businessperson who exemplifies high ideals in business professionalism within the realm of international trade. The mission of OWIT is to promote international trade and affairs in the Tampa Bay area and to provide a forum for networking, education, and related activities with a global focus and an emphasis on women.

Ms. Doege has been Port Tampa Bay’s program coordinator for customer service January 2013. Previously, she worked in the port’s finance department and before that was a senior billing analyst at Ports America Group. She began her career as an English teacher in Zhuhai, China, before becoming the office administrator for American Finance Adjusters, and then she joined CP Ships as a customer service representative.

She is a graduate of Stetson University, with a Bachelor of Business Administration in International Business and holds a DELF premiere degree in French from Université d ’Avignon. An active member of Toastmasters International, she has been the VP of Public Relations for the new Urban Center Toastmasters and recently received the Distinguished Toastmasters Award Earlier this year, she won first place in the Division Toastmasters contest.

At the port, Ms. Doege is active role in all aspects of business development, including organizing and coordinating customer events, promotional materials, port statistics, cargo projections, budget coordination and managing the day-to-day activities of the marketing department. Recognized as the "Queen of Port Tours", she has an encyclopedic knowledge of Port Tampa Bay and all aspects of international trade and transportation. In addition to being an ambassador for Port Tampa Bay, she is an important part of Tampa Bay’s international business outreach efforts.

"It is great to see Port Tampa Bay staff recognized for their leadership in the community, and Christyna Doege is a shining example of this," Paul Anderson, port president and CEO, said. "The definition of a team player, Christyna plays a key role in our international business development efforts, and no task is too big or too small for her in support of our objectives."