Michael Kearney Recognized for Vision & Leadership

NEW ORLEANS—June 21, 2017—Michael W. Kearney, Chairman of the Board of Commissioners of the Port of New Orleans, was named the recipient of the 2017 Diolkos Award at the 7th Annual Rail Supply Chain Summit in Chicago on June 14, 2017. The Diolkos Award recognizes an individual with outstanding vision and leadership within the supply chain who equally has contributed to his community. The award is named after Ancient Greece’s Diolkos Wagonway, the world’s first supply chain and earliest known form of rail transport, which facilitated the transfer of heavy cargo from the sea, over land, to the sea.

“Chairman Kearney understands the strategic value of a strong intermodal system and its importance to our competitive advantage globally,” said Brandy D. Christian, President and CEO of the Port of New Orleans. “I congratulate him on this well-deserved honor. It has been a privilege to work with him to further the Port’s economic impact in the region.”

A prominent local businessman and Chairman of The Kearney Companies (KCO), a logistics firm that began servicing Port NOLA in 1996, Kearney has spent more than 40 years working in transportation. Appointed to the Board of Commissioners for Port NOLA in 2012, the New Orleans native has worked tirelessly to forward the Port’s mission to maximize maritime commerce, help gain and retain new business, and improve efficiency.

“It is a great honor to be recognized professionally by such a skilled group of transportation industry experts,” said Kearney. “New Orleans is a special port city, uniquely located to maximize the movement of goods in and out of the country. And with premium inland connections, the Port of New Orleans is a critically important component of the global transportation network.”

In 2016, Kearney was recognized for his outstanding commitments to New Orleans by the Rex Organization by being named “Rex,” King of Carnival. With a deep commitment to the well-being of the New Orleans community, Kearney has served on numerous boards and commissions.

About the Rail Supply Chain Summit

The Rail Supply Chain Summit is an annual, one-day event founded by MEP&A, an economic development firm. The summit presents current breakthroughs, innovative developments, and leading trends which prompt thoughtful, practical, and profitable solutions. For more than six years, sponsors and participants have substantially benefited from the networking opportunities and information provided by the Summit.

About the Kearney Company, Inc.

The Kearney Companies, Inc. (KCO) established Third Party Logistics (3PL) services in the Port of New Orleans, LA in 1996. The company's 3PL services are supported by four generations of warehousing and 3PL experience. Today, KCO operates over 700,000 square feet of rail-served warehouse capacity and over 45 acres of yard capacity in the New Orleans area, making The Kearney Companies one of the largest 3PL's in the Gulf South. KCO is headquartered in New Orleans and employs a staff of logistics professionals, including certified warehouse operators, licensed customs brokers, and licensed freight forwarders.

About the Port of New Orleans

The Port of New Orleans is a deep-draft multipurpose port at the center of the world’s busiest port system — Louisiana’s Lower Mississippi River. Connected to major inland markets and Canada via 14,500 miles of waterways, six class-1 railroads and the interstate highway system, Port NOLA is the ideal gateway for containers and breakbulk cargo, as well as passenger cruises. A growing network of ocean carrier services, along with services like container-on-barge make Port NOLA the superior logistics solution.