Southeastern Ohio Port Authority Year-End Stakeholders Report
To our valued stakeholders:
In light of everything that has transpired this year, it should come as no surprise that 2020 has been a year of transformational change for the Southeastern Ohio Port Authority (SeOPA). Even before COVID-19 began impacting our lives, the resignation of former Executive Director Andy Kuhn in February, followed by the hiring of new Executive Director Jesse Roush in mid-March, presented the first significant change our organization would undergo this year. In May, operation of the rail assets in Washington County shifted from CSX to Cathcart Rail, operator of the Belpre Industrial Parkersburg Railroad. This is a substantial change that is arguably the most positive outcome in local development this year. In October, we hired Ms. Hannah Schaffer as our first-ever Executive Coordinator, a position that builds on the work done by long-time Executive Assistant Janet Nelson, who retired at the end of 2019. Amidst these changes, SeOPA remained engaged in several substantive development projects and we anticipate announcing the outcomes of these projects in 2021.
Historically, we’ve held a year-end annual meeting where we share the nature of, and outcomes from, our work throughout the calendar year. With respect to current COVID conditions, we elected to forego our traditional meeting this year and instead, chose to provide a safer alternative for communicating the same message. As you’ll see in the following report, years of steadfast leadership and sound fiscal management by our Board of Directors positioned SeOPA for a year of growth, despite the odds. While we continue to deal with an ever-changing set of operating conditions, we remain committed to our mission and look forward to a new year full of positive outcomes for Washington County.
If you’d like to learn more about anything discussed in the report, please contact staff via any method listed in the footer. On behalf of our staff and Board of Directors, “Thank You!” for your continued support of our organization. We wish you a Happy Holidays and all the best in 2021!
With sincere gratitude,
SeOPA Board of Directors and Staff