ATLANTA/MACON – Mercer University will conclude the 2015-2016 Executive Forum, presented by BB&T, with presentations in Atlanta and Macon by Griff Lynch, chief operating officer and executive director designee for the Georgia Ports Authority (GPA).
Lynch will speak Thursday to Executive Forum members and invited guests during a noon lunch presentation at the Commerce Club in downtown Atlanta and a 6:30 p.m. dinner presentation in the Presidents Dining Room inside the University Center on Mercer's Macon campus.
As COO of the single largest container terminal in North America and second busiest U.S. auto port, Lynch is responsible for leading a team of 1,100 employees, sustaining the profitable growth and development of all operations and maintaining world-class operating standards. His duties include overseeing ambitious capital improvement and development programs for five deep water ports and two inland terminals while maintaining strong relationships with numerous customers, labor officials and supply chain partners.
On July 1, he will succeed Curtis Foltz as the new executive director of the GPA.
“The Georgia Ports have the potential to have greater impact on our state's economy than any other single industry,” said Dr. Susan P. Gilbert, dean of Mercer's Stetson School of Business and Economics. “We are proud to partner with BB&T to give our Mercer community the opportunity to hear about the future of the ports.”
A proven leader in the maritime industry, Lynch has more than 27 years of experience in the design and implementation of major port expansions, the effective execution of sustainable profit and productivity models and identifying winning sales and marketing strategies.
Lynch graduated from the State University of New York at Maritime College in 1988 and immediately began training as a vessel planner.
Prior to his career at the GPA, Lynch was vice president for Global Container Terminals, where he managed the design and implementation of the Bayonne, New Jersey, terminal expansion. He also worked for Sea-Land Inc. and APM Terminals for a combined 16 years and has held various positions, including vice president of sales and marketing for North America, as well as senior director of operations, in which he was responsible for developing the world-class, state-of-the-art APM facility in Portsmouth, Virginia.
The Executive Forum is a membership organization composed of businesses, organizations and individuals. Events are by invitation only to members. For more information on membership, call (800) 837-2911 or (478) 301-4169, or visit forum.mercer.edu/membership.
About the Executive Forum, presented by BB&T
The Executive Forum, presented by BB&T, is a business outreach program of Mercer University's Eugene W. Stetson School of Business and Economics and the Office of University Advancement. The Executive Forum provides business professionals with an opportunity to hear nationally noted speakers while networking with other business leaders. For more information, call Mercer's Office of University Advancement at (800) 837-2911 or (478) 301-4169, or visit forum.mercer.edu.
