Texas Ports Association honors Speaker Phelan

The Texas Ports Association (TPA) honored Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan of Beaumont as its 2021 Port Person of the Year at the State Capitol in Austin during the ongoing 87th Texas Legislative Session.

Each year, TPA honors individuals for their work and support of Texas ports. Phyllis Saathoff, TPA President and Port Freeport Executive Director/CEO, presented Speaker Phelan with the award along with directors representing the ports of Beaumont, Galveston, Orange, Palacios, Port Arthur and the Sabine Neches Navigation District.

“Texas is the busiest maritime state in the nation, and Texas ports are a diverse economic engine generating $450 billion of annual total economic value – representing 25% of Texas gross domestic product – and impacting two million jobs in the Lone Star State,” Saathoff said. “Speaker Phelan, throughout his tenure in the Texas House and more recently as Speaker of the House, understands the importance of Texas ports to our state’s economy and has consistently striven to ensure the concerns of ports are heard at the legislative level. Speaker Phelan is extremely deserving of this honor, and we thank him for his partnership.”

“I am pleased and honored to accept this award from the Texas Ports Association and am thankful I represent a district with multiple ports and maritime interests,” Phelan said. “As Speaker, I have the opportunity of reaching a broader coalition of ports spanning from Brownsville up the Texas coast to my district in Orange, and I look forward to continuing to see our Texas ports be an economic driver for our state and nation.”