Lake Superior Warehousing Co.’s Gary Nicholson lost to cancer
July 01, 08 by TheFleetIf you're new here, you may want to subscribe to our RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!
by Peter Passi | Source: Duluth News Tribune
“Gary was the magic man, in terms of marketing the port,” said Davis Helberg, former executive director of the Duluth Seaway Port Authority.
“No one else has done for the port’s cargo profile what Gary Nicholson did,” he said.
One of Nicholson’s primary orders of business was to mend fractured labor relations with the port’s longshoremen, a move that improved productivity, said Adolph Ojard, who succeeded Helberg as director of the Duluth Seaway Port Authority five years ago.
He said Nicholson also was quick to recognize and market the port’s ability to quickly and efficiently transload cargo between ships, trucks and trains. With access to four separate railroads, shippers who use the Twin Ports often benefit from more competitive rates.
Chuck Hilleren, president of Guthrie-Hubner Inc., a Duluth ship agent, said “Because of his background in rail, trucking and marine operations, he could put the whole package together.”
… Despite the pressures and rigors of the job, Clarke said Nicholson was always a pleasure to work with.
“He was always true to his word. If Gary said he’d do something, he did it,” Clarke said.
Nicholson’s work ethic was impeccable as well, Clarke added.
“He’d stay up with you for 24 hours straight, if that was what it took to get the job done.”
“Much of what you see today in the port has Gary Nicholson’s fingerprints on it,” Helberg said.
In Nicholson’s memory, his friends and family have established the G.W. Scholarship Fund, to support students in the University of Wisconsin-Superior’s Transportation and Logistics program. Memorials may be sent to the UWS Advancement Office, P.O. Box 2000, Superior, WI 54880.
Please read more about Gary’s work and legacy at the Duluth News Tribune >>
