Commissioners
Commissioner Dan Hess
Commissioner Hess was born at St. Mary's Hospital in Astoria. You might say he has grown up around many areas which made him a likely candidate for Port Commissioner. He has earned his livelihood working a farm with his dad, but also spent 28 years as a longshoreman. From 1966 until 1980 he owned a logging company and has spent ten years as a deckhand on a towboat. He has worked locally and in Alaska, and now is part-owner in a trucking company that hauls fish up and down the coast of Oregon. "My granddad had a fishboat," he said. "When you plank a wood boat they countersink the nail head and then put cork over it so the nail doesn't rust. We used to dip the cork in white lead, put it in the hole and drive it in. Then my grandpa came along and smoothed it off. I used to come out of there just speckled white." Read more
When asked why he had run for the Port Commission, he replied, "At that time we had a grain elevator. I started to do some research and found up the river they were tearing out a grain elevator. We could get parts for $8,000 and I talked to the commission about it. If we could buy the parts and unload barges, we could increase our business. I was told the future of the Port was not in grain. That ticked me off, so I decided to Port could look into other things and here we are."
Commisioner Hess is not new to public service and he has served on the board for Lewis and Clark School for 16 years as well as on the board for the Education Service District. "I have enjoyed trying to meet problems and get them solved for the betterment of the area," he continued. "Whether or not I have helped get them solved is one thing, but I would like to think I have."
"We are here for the betterment of the Port. I really think my previous experience on the school board has helped me. We'd start at 6 and by 7:30 it was time to go home. You try to make allowances for people: they have to be able to speak their piece and discuss things, but we need to move ahead."
Commissioner Larry Pfund
Commissioner Pfund is currently serving his second term as Port Commissioner. He joined the commission in 2001 after being encouraged to run for one of three upcoming positions. He is a Clatsop County native, born in Astoria and spending the rest of his upbringing and adult life in the Seaside/Gearhart area. "I have always had an appreciation for the Port," he said. "I grew up coming to the Port to watch all the activities. At times my father did casual longshore work and we had a neighbor who was also a longshoreman. What was going on at the docks was a part of our life."
"When I was younger I was a logger," he continued. "and I have been a commercial fisherman. I attended school at Blue Mountain College in Pendleton, Oregon, and I have an associate degree in diesel and heavy equipment maintenance and repair. I worked with the Clatsop County Road Department just short of 20 years. I have been in heavy equipment my whole life. I am just a blue-collar-type guy. I retired due to a problem with my knees. I had an accident and was just recovering from that when I ran for the Port Commission." Read more
"We are trying to find solutions," he said. "At a recent meeting in Portland forty people admitted that Astoria, and to a lesser extent, Ilwaco, are the poster children of the Columbia River with our dredging and contamination problems. They are all trying to help us. We have a higher concentration of hazards in our dredge materials...We are re-building bridges that were damaged during the violations. Now, that is a positive mark."
"I am pretty happy with the progress we have made. We have cleaned up most of our area and made some changes to move forward economically. In hindsight, most things have been good and others only somewhat successful. I guess I would call attention to the cannery jobs. My mother worked at a cannery which used to pay good wages. Now that is a minimum wage job and a lot of the workers come in from out of the area. That is a disappointment to me. I would like to see more local people working those jobs."
"Part of me still has kept an eye open for moving freight on these docks. I don't think we will be loading and offloading cars, but there are niche markets. We have reserved Pier 1 for industry and I'd like to see that expand. There may be niche markets to bring in revenue from the water over our docks and we need to continue to explore possibilities."
"For a success, I consider the Englund Marine building and the boat haulout. Those projects have been a boon to both the Port and the region, and we look forward to more projects such as those in the future."
Commissioner Bill Hunsinger
“I was born in Washington D.C.," said Port commissioner Bill Hunsinger, "but my mom and dad were born and raised here. I was here before age 1, so I have been here all my life."
Bill was a longshoreman for 44 years before retiring last February. He has also been a commercial fisherman since 1963. He stated why he became a Port commissioner: "I made a good living at the Port of Astoria...got a good retirement out of the union and I wanted to give something back." He says he is the "bulldog" of the commission and is hoping he can make a difference in his new role. "As area chairman for the Columbia River and all of Oregon for the longshoremen, I learned an awful lot about shipping, and ports, and how they are run. Read more
"Being a commercial fisherman for forty-plus years, I definitely have a pretty good handle on the fishing industry as well. My step-dad, Eddie Goodrich, was president of the boat owners association for the whole west coast so I know most of those guys."
"I am a very strong labor guy. I am very interested in labor and I think we are going to make the right steps. The new dredging permit and better dredging will open the door for better opportunity than we have had before. I would like to see some moderate shipping come to the Port. All of the big ports are out of room and there is no place for expansion. Smaller ports are going to benefit from that."
"I am looking to bring some trust and credibility back to the Port for the taxpayers and voters. We have to get past where we are. We need to take a break and settle in before we start making major decisions."
Commissioner Floyd Holcom
Commissioner Floyd E. Holcom is a native Astorian who grew up on the Port of Astoria docks. Currently serving his second 4 year term as a commissioner, Floyd has held the Chair, Vice President and Treasure Positions at the Port
of Astoria and now holds the Secretary/Treasurer title.
"Our greatest challenge at the Port of Astoria is to maintain the continuity of infrastructure and provide for job producing assets as the deepest water port in the State of Oregon." Comments Commissioner Holcom. While President
of the Commission, Floyd assisted in the development of the Sister Port agreement with Busan, Korea, Oregon's 2nd largest trading partner." Read more
Floyd's private and government experience has enhanced his involvement with the Port, as he volunteered with the U.S. Army at age 17 serving in both the 82nd Airborne Division and as a Green Beret in the Special Forces. While serving the needs of the US Government he used his 30 days-a-year leave to gillnet fish in Alaska, a skill he learned on the Columbia River to earn additional money for college . His private life included studies at University of Oregon but graduating from Oregon State University, foreign study at Beijing University in China, a stint as a state employee in Economic Development's International Trade Institute in Portland, Graduate Studies in the MBA Program at Portland State University and traveling to 84 countries as a consultant. During this over achievement period of time, he helped Nike Inc. penetrate China and Vietnam as well as Verizon Business and others in the development of international submarine communication cables that land here in Oregon from Asia.
In addition to his International Consulting practice, Floyd and his family own the Pier 39 Facility in Astoria (formerly known as the Hanthorn - Bumble Bee Cannery). "I look forward to witnessing the Port of Astoria re-emerge as a strong commercial voice on the Columbia River and internationally," states Commissioner Holcom.
Commissioner Jack Bland
Public Service
Founding director (1975) and Chairman of the Board, San Mateo County Transit District (San Francisco Bay Area). In 1988, "SamTrans" was named "America’s Best Transit District" by the American Public Transit Association.
Executive Director, Governor’s Transportation Task Force. Led a bi-partisan consortium of public and private officials and consultants in addressing the needs of public transportation in the six-county Chicago Metropolitan Area. This effort resulted in creation of the six-county Chicago Metropolitan Area Regional Transportation Authority or "RTA."
Executive Director, Governor’s Commission on Organization. Recruited a team of public officials and private consultants to organize the State of Illinois’ first "DOT" (Department of Transportation).
Advisory Director, Cascade Division, The Salvation Army. Volunteer worker at "Ground Zero" following 9/11.
Private Experience
Management consultant, specializing in business planning, marketing and financing for start-up companies and small businesses.
Founder and Chairman of the Board, "AirPortland," aka The Coast Airlines, Inc., start-up transcontinental airline based at PDX (Portland International Airport).
Founder, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, AirVIA, Silicon Valley transcontinental airline based at SJC (San Jose International Airport).
President and Chief Operating Officer, Pro-Air, all-cargo DC-3 regional airline based at SFO (San Francisco International Airport).
Director, Transportation Management, SRI International (Stanford Research Institute).
Led professional staff in providing air, rail, highway and water transportation assistance to private companies and government agencies. Developed a world passenger forecast for the Federal Aviation Administration; directed the State of Michigan's mandate to determine the future role, ownership and financing for Detroit’s Willow Run Cargo Airport; reviewed the National Transportation Plan for Saudi Arabia, involving the kingdom’s commercial sea ports, international airports and Saudia Airlines; directed development of a National Transportation Plan for Kuwait, involving the country’s commercial sea ports, Kuwait International Airport and Kuwait Airlines.
Director of Cargo Marketing for United Airlines.
Originated the concept of Boeing’s 727QC "Quick Change" aircraft, capable of converting between all-cargo and all-passenger service in twenty minutes. This development represented Boeing’s most successful modification program in terms of additional new aircraft sales. As a result, United ordered 38 QC’s and became America’s leading cargo airline.
Manager of Marketing Planning for United Airlines. Developed the company’s first marketing plan.
MBA, Stanford University
Officer, United States Navy, Carrier duty, Pacific Fleet
BS, Aeronautical Engineering and private pilot, University of Illinois
Gearhart, Oregon (since 2006)
Portland Metropolitan Area (1994-2006)
San Francisco Bay Area (1974-1994)
Chicago Metropolitan Area (1961-1974)
