The board of directors of the Georgia Ports Authority (GPA) recently elected Alec L. Poitevint II of Bainbridge to serve as chairman of the board.

Poitevint was first appointed to the board of directors in July 2007 by Gov. Sonny Perdue and previously served as vice chairman.

He is the chairman and President of Southeastern Minerals Inc. and its affiliated companies headquartered in Bainbridge. Poitevint will follow Stephen S. Green, who has served as GPA’s chairman of the board for the past three years.

Upon election as Chairman Poitevint said: “I am honored to have the opportunity to serve the people of Georgia. On your watch, Steve, we have achieved great things, and I hope to follow in your large footsteps.”

Georgia’s deepwater ports and inland barge terminals support more than 295,000 jobs throughout the state annually and contribute $15.5 billion in income, $61.7 billion in revenue and $2.6 billion in state and local taxes to Georgia’s economy.

“Clearly, our number-one priority is the deepening of the Savannah River channel,” said Poitevint. “I look forward to working with my fellow board members and GPA staff to enhance our role as a major economic engine of our state.”

Poitevint currently serves as vice-chairman and director of First Port City Bank of Bainbridge. He is chairman of American Feed Industry Insurance Company and past chairman of the American Feed Industry Association and National Feed Ingredients Association.

He serves as a director of the Georgia Agribusiness Council and was Federal Commissioner of the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint (ACF) Water Compact. He was a former mission member of the U.S. Agricultural Trade and Development Mission to Europe in 1990 and U.S. Delegate to World Food Summit in 2002.