North Star Port

N LATE MAY, the Duluth Seaway Port Authority Board of Commissioners named Kevin Beardsley to succeed Deb DeLuca as executive director of the Port Authority. His appointment began June 3, one day after DeLuca's retirement. The Port Authority's chief financial officer since 2014, Beardsley holds Port Professional Manager certification from the American Association of Port Authorities and is a Certified Public Accountant with more than 30 years of experience in financial analysis, accounting, taxation and strategic planning. Under his watch, the Port Authority initiated more than $35 million in capital projects, greatly increasing freight transport capacity and efficiency in the Port of Duluth-Superior. Upgrades to Duluth's multimodal logistics hub—the Port Authority-owned Clure Public Marine Terminal—helped produce four consecutive years of increased g e n e ra l ca rg o t o n n ag e t ot a l s, including a 39-year high in 2022. Beardsley's experience in the port also includes six years as financial services manager for the Midwest E n e r g y R e s o u r c e s C o m p a n y coal-shipping facility in Superior, Wisconsin. While in that role, the University of Wisconsin-Superior alumnus was par t of the team that helped MERC register record tonnages in 2008. Born in Duluth and raised in Two Harbors, Beardsley is the ninth executive director in the history of the Port Authority. DULUTHPORT.COM | 1 Change of Command Two Harbors native Kevin Beardsley appointed new executive director I With Kevin Beardsley's appointment, the executive director column in North Star Port magazine will evolve from the Harbor Line to Five for Freighting—a quarterly five-question interview. In it, Kevin will share his thoughts on port matters and more. We hope you enjoy this first installment of Five for Freighting on the following page. NEW LEADER, NEW FEATURE PHOTO / Lynnee's Portrait Design

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