David Grzebinski Selected as Greater Houston Port Bureau’s 2023 Maritime Leader of the Year
The Greater Houston Port Bureau (“Port Bureau”) is pleased to announce that David Grzebinski, President and CEO of Kirby Corporation (“Kirby”), has been named the 2023 Maritime Leader of the Year. Grzebinski will be honored at the Port Bureau’s Annual Maritime Dinner on August 26, 2023. The Port Bureau Board of Directors named Grzebinski as the 2023 honoree for his steadfast commitment to improving the greater Houston port region.
Mr. Grzebinski joined Kirby in 2010 and has served as president and CEO since 2014. His leadership has strengthened Kirby’s commitment to its core values – Safety, People, Integrity, Excellence and Community. Kirby is recognized for its guiding principle for safety: “No Harm to People, the Environment, and Equipment” and its robust environment, social, and governance (“ESG”) efforts.
“The Port Bureau is honored to name David Grzebinski as the 2023 Maritime Leader of the Year. Mr. Grzebinski has been a stalwart advocate for the tugboat, towboat, and barge industry and a leader in sustainability initiatives for the future of the industry,” said Bernt Netland, chairman of the Greater Houston Port Bureau.
Mr. Grzebinski is a Chartered Financial Analyst and holds a Master of Business Administration degree from Tulane University and a degree in chemical engineering from the University of South Florida. He serves on the boards of the Blue Sky Maritime Coalition, Coast Guard Foundation, and American Bureau of Shipping.
“First of all, I want to say thank you to our Kirby team. It is their commitment to our core values that makes Kirby what it is today. I am accepting this recognition on their behalf,” Grzebinski noted. “Being recognized in our hometown means a lot to us. The Houston Ship Channel is the epicenter of the nation’s petroleum and chemical industries and thus also the epicenter of Kirby’s operations. Just about anywhere you look on the Ship Channel, you will see a Kirby boat or barge. We feel a special obligation to be an active contributor to this community.”
The Houston Ship Channel is the nation’s busiest waterway. Collectively, the more than 200 private and public terminals along the 52-mile channel make the area the nation’s largest port for waterborne tonnage and an essential economic engine for the Houston region, the state of Texas, and the U.S. expansion of the Houston Ship Channel and improvements of the public facilities ensures its continued economic impacts.
Over 750 maritime, transportation, and industry professionals and their guests attend the Annual Maritime Dinner to recognize maritime leaders or companies that have exhibited outstanding leadership and support for the port region. Recent honorees include Port Houston Commission Chairman Ric Campo, Jim Teague, Co-CEO of Enterprise Products, ExxonMobil, and Shell Oil Company.
The Annual Maritime Dinner is supported by Title Sponsor Kirby Corporation and Queen of the Fleet Sponsors Callan Marine, Enterprise Products Partners, Kinder Morgan, Port Houston, and Shell (US) Trading Company. Proceeds from the Annual Maritime Dinner support the Port Bureau’s regional maritime advocacy efforts. Table and sponsorship opportunities and additional information are available online at www.txgulf.org/annual-dinner.