New chairmen installed for North Carolina ports authority, national soybean coalition

North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory recently named Tom Adams chairman of the North Carolina State Ports Authority.

President and chief executive officer of Adams Building and Consulting Co. L.L.C., Adams was appointed to the authority's board in January. The board includes North Carolina Secretary of Transportation Tony Tata, six members appointed by the governor and four appointed by the General Assembly. The governor selects the chairman and vice chair.

"North Carolina ports are a significant economic engine for our state, directly and indirectly supporting more than 76,000 jobs statewide," said Tata in a press release. "Tom understands the important role of our ports in recruiting business and industry to North Carolina. He is a strong leader and will be a valuable asset to the ports."

Meanwhile, the Soy Transportation Coalition (STC) has elected Scott Gauslow as chairman. A soybeans and corn farmer in North Dakota, Gauslow has been a STC board member since the organization’s inception in 2007 and served as vice chair in 2013-14. He also chairs the North Dakota Soybean Council.

"Many states, like North Dakota, that are primarily dependent upon rail service to move commodities to market suffered this past year due to our transportation system not being able to meet the needs of a growing agricultural industry," said Gauslow in a press release. "I look forward to serving as chairman of the Soy Transportation Coalition — an organization that has positioned itself as an innovative and pragmatic voice for improving the transportation system for soybean farmers throughout the country."

The STC also elected Gerry Hayden — the coalition's secretary-treasurer the past two years — as vice chair and Mike Bellar as secretary-treasurer. Pat Knouff, a board member since 2008 who served as chairman for 2013-14, has concluded his service on the board, STC officials said.