5 questions for Sam Gibboney, the Port of Olympia’s new executive director
The Port of Olympia hasn’t had a new executive director in a long time.
But after former director, Ed Galligan, resigned in spring 2018 after a dozen years at the helm, the port undertook an extensive process that finally resulted in three finalists and a new hire: Sam Gibboney.
Gibboney comes to the port from the Port of Port Townsend where she was executive director for two and a half years. Before that she worked for San Juan County in a variety of roles, including as its director of community development.
Her first day on the job was Jan. 18. As executive director, Gibboney will be paid $175,000 a year.
Gibboney thinks that one area of potential revenue growth for the port is through its real estate holdings, including light-industrial property it owns in Lacey at Meridian Campus. Those three buildings are now called the Commerce Business Center. Two of those buildings are 65 percent occupied, while a third is vacant. However, the port is working with Lacey to fill that space with up-and-coming businesses looking for that next stage of growth.
We sat down with Gibboney to ask her five questions about the job so far.
Question: Why did you want to be executive director here?
Answer: Two things: One is the makeup of the organization. It has four lines of business (the marine terminal, Olympia Regional Airport, real estate and Swantown Marina ) and it has a reputation for delivering on those business lines and providing good customer service. And the community was very appealing to me. My career has been shaped by where I wanted to live. This area is such a hub of government and commerce.
Q: What has been your focus since you started?
A: Taking a deep dive on the organization and learning the state of things at the port. I’ve also been meeting leaders in the community. I’ve also been doing my own assessment of the organization. It has a great staff with really high professional standards. As I come in, the Port of Olympia is not in need of a turnaround or a drastic shift in direction, but attention does need to be paid to its finances and a longer term plan of how we grow revenue.
Q: Is revenue growing? Flat? Or in decline?
A: Revenue has been fairly flat the last couple of years. That caught my attention and I’m trying to understand why that’s the case. The port has ties to the global market, so some forces are beyond our control. But other business lines have been fairly flat, too. I’m focused on working with staff and the commission to tweak that revenue growth.
Q: How do you improve revenue?
A: Certainly the biggest opportunity for growth is real estate by virtue of the assets we hold (New Market Industrial Campus in Tumwater, the Commerce Business Center in Lacey). The question with the marine terminal is how do we attract new shipments; the marina, meanwhile, is running pretty well. We want to avoid the ‘alligator jaws,’ with one business line of revenue soaring, while another is in decline.
Q: What kind of executive director do you want to be?
A: Really, a facilitative one where I can take on a lot diverse viewpoints and find common ground. Also, the commission gives direction to me. I can provide information, I can provide analysis, I can provide recommendations, but at the end of the day we are guided by a board of elected officials and they provide direction.
