Transportation: STEPHEN A. EDWARDS

At what everyone hopes is the end of the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s no longer a surprise to read another headline declaring that the Port of Virginia has shattered a previous cargo record. The port did so again in May 2022, when it handled more than 340,000 TEUs (20-foot equivalent units), breaking the previous record set in December 2021.

Edwards, who has led the port authority since January 2021, calls himself both its “landholder” and the “operator.” He has a bachelor’s degree in transport management from England’s Aston University. Before coming to Virginia, Edwards was CEO of California-based TraPac LLC for three years. He has also served as CEO of Global Container Terminals and P&O Ports America, which later became Ports America Inc.

Edwards expects Virginia’s port to have its best year on record in fiscal 2022. A $1.3 billion long-term infrastructure investment at the port has no doubt helped and will likely continue to do so. Two new ship-to-shore cranes are expected to expand processing capacity by about 360,000 TEUs annually and the port is set to become the deepest and widest on the East Coast in 2024 once a dredging project is completed.