by David Chapman
Staff Writer
When asked how life was, Jacksonville Port Authority Executive Director Rick Ferrin simply laughed.
“It’s an interesting time,” he said, referring to the state of the global economy, “but we’ve got a lot of irons in the fire.”
Ferrin has had many interesting times and his own irons in the fire over the course of his career and before.
Travels to numerous foreign countries, time with the Army Corps of Engineers — which included work at the Panama Canal — and work with ports in California have helped Ferrin in his nearly 12 years at the Jacksonville Port Authority.
During his leadership, Ferrin has implemented the strategic plan and expansion he believed was possible when he arrived from the Port of Oakland in 1997.
“I saw the potential of Jacksonville,” said Ferrin.
Major deals with cargo shippers Mitsui and Hanjin have helped that potential become a reality and with a recession all around it, Port progress isn’t going away — it’s just slowed for the moment.
“The biggest challenge for the Port in 2009 is that we really don’t know what the economy is going to do,” said Ferrin. “It’s that unknown that makes it difficult.”
Still, he remains optimistic about the road ahead, both in business and his personal life.
Ferrin grew up traveling and said he’s got his eye on a place he hasn’t been in some time for his next vacation.
“I’d like to go back to the Mediterranean,” he said. “It’s beautiful ... the last time I went was 1965.”
356-2466