JAXPORT’s Board of Directors Names Clarkson Chair, Elects New Officers

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The Jacksonville Port Authority (JAXPORT) Board of Directors unanimously elected business leader J. Palmer Clarkson as Chair and selected additional officer positions effective Oct. 1, 2022.  

Clarkson is the founder of Bridgestone HosePower, LLC, the largest U.S.-based service provider of hydraulic and industrial hoses used in construction machinery, mining, oil field equipment and manufacturing facilities. He currently serves on the company’s Board of Directors and retired as President and CEO in June. Clarkson has more than 30 years of experience as an entrepreneur, business builder and senior leader with skills in negotiation, mergers and acquisitions, financial and operational management, and business plan analysis. 

Clarkson and the following officers will serve in these roles through Sept. 30, 2023:

• Vice Chair: Daniel Bean, Attorney and Partner at Abel Bean Law, P.A.
• Treasurer: Brad Talbert, CEO of HCA Florida Memorial Hospital
• Secretary and Immediate Past Chair: Wendy Hamilton, President, Eventide Investments of Florida

Other members of the JAXPORT Board of Directors include Jamie Shelton, President of bestbet Jacksonville; and Ed Fleming, Retired CEO/President of Atlantic Marine Holding Co, LLC.

“The completion of harbor deepening, ongoing enhancements of our cargo terminals, and growth of the region’s industrial warehousing all position Jacksonville’s port for success,” Clarkson said. “CEO Green and his team have our full support as we all work to maximize the return on investment of these projects to benefit Florida’s economy and strengthen our nation’s supply chain.”

Board Vice Chair Bean will serve as Chair of the Audit Committee, which provides oversight on the port’s finances as well as internal and external control systems. Talbert, Fleming and Hamilton also serve on the committee.

JAXPORT’s unpaid, appointed seven-member Board of Directors provides policy guidance. Four board members are appointed by the Mayor of Jacksonville and three members are appointed by the Governor of Florida.

JAXPORT is Florida’s largest container port by volume and one of the nation’s busiest vehicle-handling ports. Cargo activity through Jacksonville’s seaport generates 138,000 jobs and more than $31 billion in annual economic output for the region and state.