HOUSTON, Aug. 24, 2005 (PRIMEZONE) -- By unanimous vote, Houston City Council today re-appointed Kase L. Lawal to the Port of Houston Authority (PHA) Commission for another two years. Initially appointed to the commission in June 1999, Lawal serves as its vice chairman and is a member of the board of Pilot Commissioners. PHA commissioners serve two-year terms without pay.
"Kase Lawal relies upon his international business acumen to lead the port authority, and our port commission is all the stronger because of his leadership," said PHA Chairman Jim Edmonds. "He is a goal-oriented member and works diligently with his colleagues to accomplish the port authority's goals. His leadership is especially evident on the committees that he leads and serves on."
Lawal worked to organize the Port of Houston Authority International Corporation (POHAIC), which was created through state legislation enacted in 2001. POHAIC provides management consulting and technical assistance to foreign ports. Lawal also helped establish PHA's Small Business Development Program, which has an aggressive goal of awarding at least 35 percent of all eligible contracts to certified small businesses.
"It is my honor to represent the city of Houston as a Port of Houston Authority commissioner," Lawal said. "Our port is one of the finest in the world, and I remain a dedicated steward of our city."
Professionally, Lawal is chairman and chief executive officer of CAMAC Holdings, Inc., with interests in oil and gas exploration, production and energy trading. In 2002, CAMAC ranked No. 1 on Black Enterprise magazine's survey as the largest African-American-owned company in the United States. The company has ranked No. 2 on the list for two consecutive years. In June, Lawal acquired a significant share of ownership of Unity National Bank and was appointed to the board of directors of the Houston-based financial institution.
"The Port of Houston is one of the mostly important keys to what we're focused on at City Hall -- Houston's economy and quality of life," said Houston Mayor Bill White. "Kase Lawal understands how those things all fit together and how the city and the port are both good partners and good neighbors."
As a civic leader, Lawal has served as the chairman of former Houston Mayor Lee P. Brown's transition committee on the PHA. He also served as chairman of Brown's advisory board on international affairs, representing Africa. In 1999, Lawal was appointed by President Bill Clinton's administration and re-appointed in 2001 by President George Bush's administration to the U.S. Trade Advisory Committee on Africa. As a committee member, Lawal was responsible for helping to develop trade a U.S.- African policy.
"The Port of Houston Authority has benefited greatly from the leadership of Kase Lawal," said Houston City Council Member Ada Edwards. "Since his original appointment, Lawal has been instrumental in developing trade cooperatives and memorandum of friendship agreements with 20 global ports, including several in Africa and South America. These relationships strengthen Houston's status as a world-class port and bring vital import and export business to our port."
Lawal received a Bachelor of Science degree in chemical engineering from Texas Southern University and a Master of Business Administration degree specializing in finance and marketing from Prairie View A&M University. He and his wife Eileen have two sons and one daughter.
The Port of Houston Authority owns and operates the public facilities located along the Port of Houston, the 25-mile long complex of diversified public and private facilities designed for handling general cargo, containers, grain and other dry bulk materials, project and heavy lift cargo, and other types of cargo. Each year, more than 6,600 vessels call at the port, which ranks first in the U.S. in foreign waterborne tonnage, second in overall total tonnage, and sixth largest in the world. The Port Authority plays a vital role in ensuring navigational safety along the Houston Ship Channel, which has been instrumental in Houston's development as a center of international trade. The Barbours Cut Container Terminal and Central Maintenance Facility are the first of any U.S. port facilities to develop and implement an innovative Environmental Management System that meets the rigorous standards of ISO 14001. Additionally, the port is an approved delivery point for Coffee "C" futures contracts traded on the New York Board of Trade's Coffee, Sugar & Cocoa Exchange. For more information, please visit www.portofhouston.com .
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