Port of Oakland & SSA Terminal

Featured at WERC Chapter Event

Northern California WERC chapter hosts behind the scenes view of nations 5th largest port

San Leandro, Calif.: SilMan Team members and two dozen other industry professionals were treated to a unique opportunity to learn more about one of the most important business and public works undertakings in Northern California: the Port of Oakland.

Commonly known as “WERC,” the Warehouse Education & Research Council is a national industry group serving thousands of warehouse and logistics-related professionals.  The organization boasts 13 “WERCouncils” nationally providing research and education resources to foster best practices and professional development of its members.

The February 2020 WERC event was co-sponsored by the Port of Oakland and the SSA Terminal who also provided the featured presenters, Ron Brown (Port of Oakland) and Susan Ransom (SSA Terminals, a Matson Carrix Corporation).  The 1/2 day event included:

  1. Lunch and learn presentation with Brown and Ransom, and
  2. Guided bus tour and dockside visit of the Port property.

Attendees included a variety of warehouse and material handling professionals, along with special guests from the Patterson High School career education department, specifically their logistics and transportation programs.

For the SilMan team members in attendance, the event held particular interest since the company has partnered with the Port on several recent projects, including Electrical Vehicle charging stations and baggage inspection systems for the Oakland International Airport, a division of the Port of Oakland.

About the Port

The Port of Oakland (“Port”) was established in the mid-19th century, and in 1895 the City of Oakland assumed ownership from Southern Pacific railroad. In the 1960s the Port was the first facility on the west coast to build a terminal exclusively for container ships.  Today the Port is the 5th largest destination for container ships in North America, and accounts for approximately 40% of jobs in the region.

Click here for “Fast Facts” about the Port of Oakland.

About SSA Terminals

The SSA Terminal is operated by SSA Marine, a Carrix Company.  Their Oakland port facility handles 100 vessel calls each month and occupies nearly 300 acres. You can learn more about their operate at-a-glance here.

Founded in 1949, SSA Marine has grown from their humble beginnings in Bellingham, Washington to become a global leader, active on five continents.  The firm offers a very interesting timeline of the company’s growth, which mirrors the remarkable growth of international trade in past half-century.

About SilMan

SilMan Industries (previously SilMan Construction) is based in San Leandro, Calif.  Founded in 2008, the firm operates nationally in three divisions – Construction, Material Handling and Site Services – and partners with “best in class” companies in the Industrial, Manufacturing, Distribution and Public Works sectors. For more information, please visit www.silmanindustries.com.