Matthews Resigns As PortSL Executive Director
Paul Matthews has resigned as executive director of the Port of South Louisiana (PortSL), the port announced August 6. Matthews had held that role since January 2022. According to the press release from the port, Matthews opted to step down “to pursue new professional endeavors after a tenure marked by record-breaking growth and strategic expansion.”
Under Matthews’ leadership, the Port of South Louisiana saw consecutive years of growth in both cargo throughput and revenues following a seven-year decline in tonnage. During his tenure, the port also embarked on more than $1.5 billion in capital projects, including renewable energy infrastructure, like a “hydrogen fueling barge” for which the port is currently seeking bids. During Matthews’ time as executive director, the port also went through a rebranding and built a new headquarters.
“Paul Matthews brought energy and results to the Port of South Louisiana, which elevated our global competitiveness and positioned us for long-term success,” said Joey Murray, chairman of the Port of South Louisiana Commission. “We thank him for his service and wish him the very best in his next chapter.”
Just under a year into Matthews’ time at PortSL, the port announced an agreement with T. Parker Host to purchase the former Avondale Shipyard, located on the west bank of the Mississippi River in Jefferson Parish. The move raised eyebrows at the time due to the terminal’s location outside of the Port of South Louisiana’s jurisdiction (and within that of the Port of New Orleans), for the initial agreed-to sale price of $445 million and for the lack of coordination with the state and other ports in the area.
Host purchased the 254-acre property from Huntington Ingalls in 2018 for $60 million and reportedly invested around $100 million to convert the site into a multimodal terminal.
Despite an extended due diligence period and a renegotiation of the purchase price, the port and Host canceled the agreement roughly a year and a half after it was announced. Just two months later, in August 2024, Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry announced the formation of the Louisiana Ports and Waterways Investment Commission, with the stated mission of serving “as an advocate for all of [the] state’s ports and waterways investment interests [and] articulating a vision for the future through the development of a strategic plan and investment program.”
As a chief executive of one of the state’s ports, Matthews was a member of that commission.
Matthews got his start in the port industry at the Port of New Orleans, followed by a stint with the Plaquemines Port, Harbor and Terminal District.
Brian Cox, the port’s deputy director, will now serve as interim executive director while the commission seeks a permanent chief executive. Cox has served on the Port of South Louisiana’s executive team since 2017.
