Page 28 - Port of Baltimore Magazine July August 2011

[26] The Port of Baltimore ■ July/August 2011 To subscribe or renew, visitwww.marylandports.com
IT’S NEVER BEEN PAUL KELLY’S AMBITION TO SEEK OUT SPOTS ON
COMMITTEES, YET SOMEHOW HE KEEPS BEING ELECTED TO THEM. IN FACT,
HE HAS SERVED ON ONE COMMITTEE OR ANOTHER FOR TWO DECADES.
BY MERRILL WITTY | Photography By Kathy Bergren Smith
Of course, those obligations are above
and beyond his day-to-day job with
A&S Intermodal Division (formerly Den-El
Transfer, Inc.), where he has been employed
for 10 years. This mover of containers and
rail boxes provides services within a 120-
mile radius of the Baltimore piers. Focusing
on local business gives the company an
advantage over larger, national haulers. “We
know how to get the job done,” Kelly said.
He has been married for 52 years to
Phyllis and is a father of three and grand-
father of nine. A Virginia native, Kelly started
his work life with a 20-year stint at a domestic
trucking company, Consolidated Freightways,
where he managed 15 terminals that were part
of his division. Then he spent three years at
Pilot Freight Carrier, managing 20 terminals.
He left there to start his own company, Kelman
Transportation, but closed Kelman after 13
years to come to Den-El, which is now A&S.
His heart now belongs completely to the
maritime world … and especially the Port
of Baltimore.
“By far, Baltimore’s is the best and most
efficient port in America, bar none,” Kelly said.
“The handling at the Baltimore piers, by Ports
America and the ILA, is extremely efficient
concerning turn times — the time spent at
the pier picking up and delivering. They do a
fantastic job. No other port on the East Coast or
West Coast has the efficiency Baltimore has.”
He is also proud of the work being
performed by the Baltimore Port Alliance.
“I think it’s the most efficient council in the
maritime business,” he said. “All the main
players are in the BPA: brokers, stevedores,
steamship lines, ILA, pilots, the Maryland
Port Administration, the terminal operator
— everyone is represented on it that does
business at the public and private terminals.”
He added, “All the partners participate
to make sure our customers are our main
concern. Without them, we are nowhere.
And this is with minimal or no involvement
on the customer’s part.”
There is, however, plenty of involvement
on Kelly’s part, working on behalf of the Port
and the trucking industry.
PORTperson
According to Kelly, when he was elected
chairman of the Intermodal Council of the
Maryland Motor Truck Association (MMTA)
in the early 1990s, it was supposed to have
been a one-year term. “But I ended up doing
that for 15 years,” he said. “I’m a sucker!”
Now, the 70-year-old vice president of
A&S Intermodal Division is the MMTA’s first
vice chairman — he becomes chairman in
September.
Maryland Port Administration Executive
Director James J. White is glad Kelly has
stuck around. “Paul Kelly is very well-
respected in the trucking industry,” White
said. “He is someone known for his hard-
working approach and dedication to tackle
any trucking issue head-on.”
Kelly is also vice chairman of the
Baltimore Port Alliance (BPA), which
provides a constructive environment for
sharing information and acting on issues
that impact the entire Port community. He
is in line to become BPA chairman next year.
Though he makes it clear that he has
“never solicited any chairmanship,” Kelly
is also quick to emphasize, “When I’m
approached by a committee though, I take
the position and give it my very, very best
shot; I share any knowledge I have. But none
of these committees is a one-man show.”
As White has noted, “We are very
fortunate to have him playing active roles in
both the Maryland Motor Truck Association
and Baltimore Port Alliance.”
PAUL KELLY
Trucking VP is Important Ally for Port
“ I think it’s the most efficient council
in the maritime business. All the main
players are in the BPA.”