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The Port of Baltimore
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May/June 201 2
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BY MERRI LL WI T T Y
Photograph Courtesy of WWL
understand how our customers worked with
us within each of our five product offerings
(ocean services, terminal services, supply
chain management, technical services and
inland distribution), as well as gain a sense
of how satisfied they were with WWL’s
performance and responsiveness.”
Fitzgerald wanted to learn where the
company needed to improve and how it
could meet customers’ future requirements
in terms of services and capabilities. “With
this understanding, we then expanded
our focus internally to ensure that WWL’s
strategy and programs — related to talent
development, quality improvement and
process simplification — are aligned with
our customers,” Fitzgerald said.
RAY FITZGERALD
WWL Official Focuses on Future Filled with Promise
The Port of Baltimore is WWL’s largest
port operation in the Americas, and a loca-
tion where it is active across all five product
offerings. Within its ocean business, WWL
services automobiles, trucks, construction
and agricultural equipment, project cargo,
boats and other breakbulk cargo. With its
terminals, vehicle processing and inland
transportation businesses, it provides a
full spectrum of services for customers on
a 165-acre facility inside the Port.
Fitzgerald noted that the Maryland
Port Administration (MPA) and Executive
Director James J. White are adept at
helping business run smoothly. “Under the
professional leadership of Jim White, the
MPA has been very astute, even visionary,
in how it has marketed and positioned itself
to WWL and other operators in the shipping
and logistics sector,” Fitzgerald said. “Jim is
a clever, customer-focused leader who has
successfully leveraged the geographical
advantage of the Port of Baltimore with
a constructive and supportive business
approach. He can be tough, but he is fair. The
Port’s leadership has created an environment
that has given WWL the confidence to invest
in business expansion and new jobs at the
Port.” Fitzgerald added that the MPA team
is “open, innovative and responsive,” and
able to “deliver dependable solutions” that
have resulted in a strong and diversified
base of business across all segments of
the shipping industry.
White said of Fitzgerald, “Ray has ex-
emplified outstanding executive leadership
for many years. His many talents in our
industry are well-known. WWL is today
regarded as one of the world’s very best
maritime transportation companies. I have
no doubt that Ray's leadership will take
WWL to even greater heights.”
Baltimore is also ideally situated at the
center of trade and commerce on the U.S
East Coast, Fitzgerald acknowledged. “It
is well positioned as a natural gateway to
and from the Midwest with its two railroad
partnerships and efficient highway connec-
tions.” For that reason, he explained, the
Port is core to many of WWL’s key trade
routes that link the State of Maryland and
R
ay Fitzgerald has been presi-
dent of Wallenius Wilhelmsen
Logistics Americas for about
one year. We checked in with
him recently to see how that
year has gone.
“There are always challenges
associated with taking on a new role,
irrespective of how familiar you are with an
organization,” he said, noting that he has
been with the WWL group of companies
since May of 2000, spending eight of those
years with WWL and then almost four with
its sister company, the American Shipping
& Logistics Group.
“Upon returning to WWL last year,”
Fitzgerald said, “my priority was to