CII Presented 2021 Connie Award to Eugene D. Seroka; William Mongelluzzo Received Lifetime Achievement Award; Special Recognition Award to ILA, NYSA and USMX
From left: Connie Award Recipient Gene Seroka, Executive Director, Port of Los Angeles;
Lifetime Achievement Award Recipient Bill Mongelluzzo, Trans-Pacific Senior Editor, Journal of Commerce;
The Honorable Steve Blust, President, CII
CII bestowed 27 individual scholarships to supply chain, logistics and transportation students and academic institutions
ELIZABETH, NJ, December 9, 2021- The Containerization & Intermodal Institute (CII) presented the prestigious 2021 Connie Award to Eugene D. Seroka, Executive Director of the Port of Los Angeles before nearly 400 industry leaders at its 49th Connie Award luncheon event held at the Renaissance Newark Airport Hotel on December 6, 2021. William Mongelluzzo, Trans-Pacific Senior Editor at the Journal of Commerce, was the recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award. Additionally, a Special Recognition Award was presented to the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA), New York Shipping Association (NYSA) and the United States Maritime Alliance (USMX).
Mr. Seroka is the dynamic leader of the Port of Los Angeles, which is the busiest container port in the United States. At the outset of the COVID-19 global health crisis, he led the port’s response to the pandemic, keeping cargo flowing as an essential service to the nation. In March 2020, he was named by Mayor Garcetti as Chief Logistics Officer for the City of Los Angeles. While maintaining his duties as the Port’s Executive Director, Seroka leads the Logistics Victory Los Angeles (LoVLA) response effort.
The Honorable Steven Blust, President of CII and Senior Advisor of IICL, said: "For nearly 50 years, the Connie Award has been bestowed to leaders who have made significant contributions to the industry. A very deserving honoree, Mr. Seroka has shown unwavering leadership throughout the pandemic by consistently rising to the occasion with innovative solutions to ever-changing challenges. Under his leadership, the Port of Los Angeles has experienced historic, record-breaking performances since his appointment."
In accepting the award, Mr. Seroka acknowledged the importance of three leadership traits: Visibility, Mobility and Durability. He stressed that now more than ever the need to develop future-ready leaders who are resilient, mobile and visible because this is how the industry will manage the complexities and mitigate the uncertainty of our times. He also thanked Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, Board of Harbor Commissioners President Jaime Lee and Vice President Ed Renwick. He also thanked the 877 dedicated women and men at the Los Angeles Harbor Department who work so hard every day and helped pave the way to receive this distinguished honor.
Lifetime Achievement Award
Bill Mongelluzzo a prolific contributor to The Journal of Commerce, considered the premier publication covering the supply chain, logistics and transportation industry, has been honing his journalism skills for nearly 50 years. He spent the early part of his tenure with the JOC in New Orleans and New York and opened the Long Beach bureau in 1985.
“A veteran journalist, Bill Mongelluzzo is a pioneer in international trade and logistics journalism and his reporting has strengthened the industry as a whole,” said Mr. Blust. “Thanks to him, we are all better informed as a result of his unflinching dedication to covering the important news and topics that impact our industry.”
Special Recognition Award
Additionally, a Special Recognition Award was proudly bestowed upon the ILA, NYSA and USMX. Representing labor and management, these three groups worked collaboratively to keep the supply chain as well as the global economy moving. Their relentless commitment to getting the job done is clearly woven into their fabric as their work ethic rose to new heights during the pandemic.
On hand to accept this special honor was NYSA’s President John Nardi, USMX’s Chairman & CEO Dave Adam as well as ILA Secretary / Treasurer Stephen Knott and Michael Vigneron, President of the Atlantic Coast District and Secretary-Treasurer, ILA Local 1804-1.
CII Scholarship Program
CII honored its industry education mission by presenting scholarships in a separate ceremony preceding the Connie event to students studying logistics as well as the institutions that are educating our future leaders. On hand to accept their awards were students and faculty from New Jersey City University, Rutgers University, Seton Hall University, State University of NY Maritime College at Fort Schuyler, Union County (NJ) College, University of Baltimore and the U. S. Merchant Marine Academy at Kings Point.
Under its auspices since 1992, CII has awarded nearly $1 million toward scholarships. Companies have the opportunity to support ongoing industry education by purchasing scholarships through CII, starting at $1,000.
As such, the following scholarship recipients / education institutions and corporate donor sponsors were acknowledged during the scholarship event:
Educational Institution Scholarship Recipient Corporate Donor Sponsor
New Jersey City University Vincent Durso Cranford Consulting LLC
Rutgers University Santwana Mandalika CII
Hadia Minahill Blue Sea Products, LLC
Gabriela Sanchez BSY Associates Inc.
Evan Van Rossum Safesea Group
David Weissler CII
Shawn Zhang Evergreen Line
Seton Hall University Benjamin Bakaletz Matson Giving
Bryant Canas CII
Marla Georges Direct ChassisLink, Inc. (DCLI)
State University of NY Maritime College at Fort Schuyler
Ivan Cardoso TRAC Intermodal
Matthew Demme CII
Alec Downes New York Shipping Association
Katherine Mattikow Sandy Hook Pilots
Nicholas Ovanessian Institute of International Container Lessors (IICL)
Union County College Careers in Transportation Scholarship CII
Careers in Transportation Scholarship Douglas Tilden
University of Baltimore The Honorable Helen Bentley Scholarship CII
U. S. Merchant Marine Academy at Kings Point
Midshipman Breanna Frank Thomas B. Crowley Sr. Memorial Scholarship - Crowley Logistics
Midshipman Anders Berg Marius Matson Giving
Midshipman Nathan Mathes Thomas B. Crowley Sr. Memorial Scholarship - Crowley Logistics
Midshipman Blain Wilson McDonough I.B.V. Industries LLC
Midshipman Andrew Thomas Nolan CII
Midshipman Tyler Zachary Pittman The Journal of Commerce
Midshipman Ryan Thomas Pletcher Port of Los Angeles
Midshipman Arturo Poznanski Thomas B. Crowley Sr. Memorial Scholarship - Crowley Logistics
Midshipman Erin Roberts Thomas B. Crowley Sr. Memorial Scholarship - Crowley Logistics
CII, founded in 1960, has been presenting the Connie Award since 1972 and it has become the most coveted honor in the field of containerization and its ancillary industries. Among some 65 recipients to date are Malcom McLean, James McKenna, Ed DeNike, John Wolfe, Richard Steinke, Mike Wilson, Bruce Fenimore, Helen Bentley, Richard Larrabee, Carol Lambos, Matthew Cox, Bill Shea, James Butcher, Jim Newsome, Anthony Scioscia, Win Thurber, Anil Vitarana and Ronald Widdows.
About CII
Containerization & Intermodal Institute (CII), a non-profit organization founded in 1960, promotes industry awareness, preserves the history of intermodalism, and engages scholarly interest in the field by organizing educational conferences and seminars, serving as an information resource, providing networking opportunities, offering career guidance, arranging internships and facilitating scholarships. For more information, visit http://www.containerization.org/.