Commissioner Rodney Ellis visited the Port of Houston Feb. 23 for a briefing and tour. Ellis recently joined the Harris County Commissioners Court as Commissioner for Precinct One after having served the Houston area for 25 years in the Texas Senate.

Port Chairman Janiece Longoria and Port Commissioner Clyde Fitzgerald welcomed Commissioner Ellis and his staff and provided an overview of the port with Executive Director Roger Guenther.

Port Houston Director of Channel Development Mark Vincent gave a presentation on the Houston Ship Channel, while Chief Commercial Officer Ricky Kunz discussed trade development. Senior Director of Small Business and Education Outreach Gilda Ramirez highlighted the port’s maritime education efforts.

The delegation was given a tour of the Bayport Container Terminal before boarding a Port of Houston fireboat for a tour along the ship channel led by Chief HSSE Officer Marcus Woodring. Both tours provided the Commissioner and his staff a perspective on the volume of commerce at the port, its impact on the economic health of the region and the diversity of the stakeholders that contribute to the port’s operations.

“Charting new waters today at Port Houston. Seeing the Houston Ship Channel from a different vantage point,” said the Commissioner on his official Twitter account.