The Port of Tacoma recognized its strong, supportive relationships with customers and tenants by honoring three with the first-ever Summit Awards for their outstanding contributions to Port business and the Pierce County community.

Presented April 24 at the Port's Annual Breakfast, award recipients included Port tenant MacMillan-Piper for Business Magnet, Tacoma terminal operator Totem Ocean Trailer Express for Environmental Stewardship and the Port's labor partner, the International Longshore and Warehouse Union Local 23, for Livable Community.

"We are so proud of the Port's many customers and tenants who understand that business, environmental stewardship and livable communities go hand in hand," Commission President Dick Marzano said at the event.

Award winners were recognized in three categories:

Business Magnet: MacMillan-Piper
With a presence in Tacoma since 1985, MacMillan-Piper currently handles bulk and provides warehouse transloading services at two facilities in the Tacoma Tideflats.

In the past year, the company doubled its warehouse transloading space to 202,000 feet to support handling bulk cargoes. MacMillan-Piper also reduced the number of idling and draying trucks by unloading import containers and loading them with exports in the same location, helping to improve air quality.

Environmental Stewardship: Totem Ocean Trailer Express
Totem Ocean Trailer Express, which serves the Alaska trade, was the first commercial cargo carrier in the Puget Sound to install shore power. Its ships now plug into electricity while at berth, reducing diesel emissions.

The ISO certified company (in Quality, Environmental and Safety) was also the first to install rain gardens at a marine terminal to manage stormwater quality. The gardens now serve as a demonstration project for other industrial sites interested in innovative, inexpensive ways to meet state water quality benchmarks.

Livable Community: International Longshore and Warehouse Union Local 23
In 2011, the Port's longshore labor partners donated more than $200,000 in money and goods during holiday toy drives, auctions, walks and other fundraisers that benefited schools and local agencies, including the Foss Waterway Seaport Working Waterfront Museum, Mary Bridge Children's Hospital and the YWCA women's shelter.

Union members also volunteered thousands of hours for such organizations as Tall Ships Tacoma, the Multiple Sclerosis Walk, Rainier School, St. Leo's Hospitality Kitchen and Paint Tacoma-Pierce County Beautiful.

Recipients were selected by a panel of community and business leaders led by Marzano. The panel included Tacoma Mayor Marilyn Strickland, Bonnie Giese from the Tacoma Transportation Club and Dr. Joel Baker, the Port of Tacoma Endowed Chair for the University of Washington Tacoma at the Center for Urban Waters.

Learn more about the Summit Awards at www.portoftacoma.com/summits.

To receive updates about the awards and the Annual Breakfast, subscribe to the Port's email list.

About the Port of Tacoma
The Port of Tacoma is an economic engine for South Puget Sound, with more than 43,000 family-wage jobs in Pierce County and 113,000 jobs across Washington state connected to Port activities. A major gateway to Asia and Alaska, the Port of Tacoma is among the largest container ports in North America. The Port is also a major center for bulk, breakbulk and project/heavy-lift cargoes, as well as automobiles and trucks.