Georgia Ports installs Price as president ahead of $4.5 billion expansion

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The Georgia Ports Authority has formally installed Kevin Price as president, beginning a planned leadership transition designed to maintain operational continuity while the authority carries out a $4.5 billion infrastructure investment programme.

Price assumed the role on July 1 and now oversees GPA operations while reporting directly to Chief Executive Griff Lynch. Under the succession plan approved by the authority’s board, Price is scheduled to become president and chief executive on August 1, 2027, when Lynch retires.

The arrangement gives GPA an 18 month transition period at a time when the Port of Savannah and the Port of Brunswick are expanding container, automotive and roll on roll off capacity.

Rather than making an abrupt change at the top, the authority is keeping Lynch involved while Price takes responsibility for daily operations. The structure is intended to protect continuity across terminal management, infrastructure development and customer relationships.

GPA’s board announced Price’s appointment on February 10, naming him president and placing him under Lynch during the transition period.

Price brings more than 30 years of experience in terminal operations and port leadership. Immediately before joining GPA, he served as president of Gateway Terminals in Savannah, the operating company responsible for container terminal activities at the Port of Savannah.

That role gave Price direct experience with GPA’s facilities, workforce and cargo operations. He worked closely with the authority for four years, reducing the learning curve normally associated with a senior executive appointment.

Before joining Gateway Terminals, Price served as chief operating officer of Virginia International Terminals. His background includes responsibility for container terminal operations at major US East Coast gateways, where ports have faced pressure to handle larger vessels, higher cargo volumes and increasingly complex inland supply chains.

Lynch has described Price as a proven operations executive and the appropriate candidate to lead GPA through its next phase.

The transition places operational experience at the centre of the authority’s succession strategy. Port leadership changes often come with new priorities and management structures. GPA’s approach instead resembles a watch handover on a vessel, with the incoming officer learning the full operating picture before taking command.

Lynch will remain chief executive until his planned retirement in 2027, completing a 38 year maritime career that includes 15 years with GPA.

During his tenure, Savannah developed into one of the largest container gateways in the United States, while Brunswick strengthened its position in automotive and roll on roll off cargo.

By retaining Lynch during the transition, GPA is seeking to preserve relationships with ocean carriers, cargo owners, rail operators, truckers and government partners. Price will manage operations while Lynch continues to provide strategic oversight and institutional knowledge.

The authority has presented the change as a structured succession process rather than a response to disruption or underperformance.

Price’s scheduled promotion to the combined president and chief executive role on August 1, 2027, also provides a clear timetable for employees, customers and infrastructure partners.

The management transition comes as GPA advances a ten year capital plan valued at about $4.5 billion.

The investment programme is expected to support additional capacity, terminal efficiency and inland connectivity across Georgia’s port system. Savannah remains the central focus for container growth, while Brunswick plays an expanding role in vehicle and machinery movements.

The projects will require close coordination between terminal operators, construction contractors, shipping lines, railroads and state agencies. Price’s operational background is likely to place terminal performance and cargo flow at the centre of those decisions.

For container customers, the main questions will involve berth availability, crane productivity, yard capacity and the movement of boxes between the port and inland destinations.

For automotive and roll on roll off shippers, the priorities include vehicle processing space, vessel access and reliable links to manufacturing and distribution centres.

GPA has tied Price’s appointment to its goal of maintaining cargo growth and supply chain reliability during the construction programme. Expansion can increase capacity, but it can also create temporary pressure on traffic patterns, yard operations and terminal access when projects overlap with daily cargo handling.

Price takes office as US East Coast ports continue competing for container services, distribution investment and automotive cargo.

Savannah has benefited from population growth and industrial development across the US Southeast. Its position also depends on maintaining dependable rail and road connections as cargo volumes move farther inland.

Brunswick competes for vehicle volumes linked to US manufacturing, imports and exports. Capacity, processing efficiency and access to inland markets remain central to that business.

Price’s familiarity with Savannah’s terminal operations gives GPA a leader who already understands the practical constraints behind those growth plans. The transition will now test whether that experience can be converted into stable daily performance while the authority adds infrastructure and prepares for another change at the top in August 2027.