Page 84 - Rukert - 100th Anniversary

ABOVE: A 1991 Port of Baltimore magazine cover celebrates Rukert Terminals’ 70th anniversary.
construction and terminal improvements were built to last. To support the heaviest of cargoes for decades to come, new warehouses and outside storage pads had a minimum of 12 inches of compacted stone and six inches of asphalt, far exceeding normal standards. In addition, leaders designed new buildings to last twice as long as their predecessors, with thicker steel columns
and supporting beams. Warehouse roofs featured specialized panels and insulation to prevent leaks,
condensation, and damage to customers’ cargo. Cap’s grandsons learned that spending more money at the outset would pay off
in the long run. “Build it and they will come” refers to continuously expanding and improving, whether it was immediately needed
or not. Norm explained, “We buy land and build warehouses to increase inside and outside storage. We don’t always know how we’ll fill the space and the next thing we know it is chock-full of new cargo, so we just expand again and the cycle repeats.”
In February of 1990, Rukert Terminals’ faithful Controller and long-time employee Frances Foertsch died suddenly, after 33 years with the company. Frances started as a Payroll Clerk in
1957. In 1983, she was promoted to Controller
after the retirement of Virginia Orlowski. In 1985, Frances ordered the company’s first computer for the Accounting Department. The “portable” Compaq
model weighed 28 pounds, even though it did not have a hard drive. With its two floppy disks running all night, payroll was finished by morning, to the amazement of everyone in the office.
In 1991, Rukert Terminals Corporation celebrated its 70th anniversary. With a 70-acre footprint, and 100 employees who handled 1 million tons of cargo per year, Rukert Terminals had slowly carved out a significant niche in the port. What started with one truck and a rented stable had evolved into a complete marine terminal with four berths, 30 acres of paved storage, and 17 warehouses totaling 500,000 square feet of covered storage. By 1991, Beacon Stevedoring was handling over 100 vessels per year at Rukert facilities.
The 70th anniversary was marked with a party at the World Trade Center in Baltimore’s Inner Harbor and a cover feature in the Port of Baltimore magazine. When Bud was asked about the future
of the company, he responded, “I hope the future
is very similar to the past. Norm and I would be tickled if our children continue Rukert Terminals. We would like to see it remain a family business and celebrate 100 years.” After seven decades of tradition and progress, a new generation and the ultimate milestone were on the horizon.
Within a decade of building the PECO, Rukert Terminals and Beacon Stevedoring became known as the bulk specialists in the Port of Baltimore, coming full circle from Cap’s start unloading potash in the 1920s. In addition to fertilizers, Rukert Terminals specialized in handling salt, ferro alloys, ores and other dry bulk products. The company also had decades of experience screening and packaging bulk into sacks and drums, according to customer specifications.
In the Port of Baltimore, bulk cargoes have historically been handled by private terminals. While these terminals tend to be overshadowed by
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