After nearly three decades and over 400 board meetings, Commissioner C.A. “Pete” Shelton retired from the Port of Beaumont Board of Commissioners, attending his final board meeting on April 29, 2019.
Commissioner Pete Shelton, who served as Beaumont’s fire chief for 20 years, was first appointed to the Port of Beaumont Board in 1989 as one of two at-large commissioners. A Beaumont native, Shelton joined the fire department in 1950 and was fire chief from 1976 until he retired in 1996. Shelton also served as president of the Sabine-Neches Chiefs Association and the Texas Fire Chiefs Association, and has been active in numerous civic organizations including the American Red Cross, Boy’s Haven, United Way and Beaumont Main Street.
“Commissioner Shelton has been part of the Port family for three decades and under his leadership we have seen the Port grow from a small public port to a globally competitive port that generates thousands of jobs and has diversified into liquid bulk products and wind energy,” says Port Director Chris Fisher, “Commissioner Shelton’s leadership helped transform the Port and, many would argue, Southeast Texas. He is a pillar in our community.”
Some of the significant accomplishments achieved under Shelton’s leadership include:
- the completion of a $70 million Capital Improvement Project (2006) funded from port revenues and federal grants;
- development of the Orange County Terminal;
- award/receipt of over $40 million in federal and state grant funds;
- approval of a $500 million Port Master Plan in 2014, the largest capital program in the history of the Port of Beaumont;
- passage of an $85 general obligation bond election by voters of the Port of Beaumont Navigation District on a 2 to 1 margin to fund the rebuild of Docks 2, 3 and 4 and other major capital projects;
- revenue increase to average nearly $13 million in gross revenues annually and over $6 million in net revenues annually over the last 10 years, with revenues continuing on an upward trend; and
- total assets have increased from $77.3 million in 2001 to $321.8 million in 2018, an increase of 316%.
“I am proud to have been a member of the Port of Beaumont Board of Commissioners for the last 30 years and I am so pleased to have been a part of the accomplishments the Port has realized,” says Commissioner Shelton. “It has truly been a pleasure working with my fellow commissioners and our Port staff.”
To honor the lasting impact Commissioner Shelton has made on the Port and the community, fellow Commissioners and Port staff dedicated the Orange County Terminal Overpass, a project that will enhance safety and efficiency at the Orange County Terminal, as the C.A. “Pete” Shelton Overpass.
