LaHood Winner Makes Port of Los Angeles His Home Port

Actions determine legacy. And the WTS-LA Honorable Ray LaHood Award honors the actions of legendary former US Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood for his good works in transportation and diversity, equity, and inclusion. Through his works, his beliefs, and his actions, he made a very real difference in myriad ways. For more than four decades Port of Los Angeles Deputy Executive Director of Development Antonio Gioiello, PE has done very much the same. And that’s why WTS-LA honors him with the 2022 WTS-LA Honorable Ray LaHood Award.

Image

Gioiello started at the Port as a student engineer. He then rose through the ranks to become the Deputy Executive Director of Development in 2015, capping a remarkable ascent. But that climb was no accident. He achieved astounding success through grit, smarts, exceptional work, the pursuit of excellence, and an absolute commitment to improving and advancing the Port. And his efforts have paid off.

The busiest container port in the Western Hemisphere, the Port of Los Angeles continues to experience record volumes for containerized trade. So much so, in fact, that the Port is directly responsible for one in nine jobs in Southern California and nearly 9 million jobs nationwide. The Port’s passenger and cargo terminals handle billions of dollars of cargo each year. In June 2021, for example, Port of Los Angeles became the first Western Hemispheric port to process 10 million container units in a 12-month period. The Port continues to set cargo records, but that in large part is due to the work of Gioiello and his compatriots and their efforts to constantly improve both the Port’s workforce and infrastructure.

For example, under Gioiello’s leadership Port of Los Angeles recently completed an approximate $3 billion improvement program. And he is currently overseeing a multi-year $2.6 billion cargo-efficiency infrastructure investment program as well. In short, the Port’s success rests considerably on Gioiello and many key Port of Los Angeles staff. And that harkens to another key element of Gioiello’s success—his belief in diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Throughout his career, at every level, Gioiello has always sought out, worked with, and championed women and minorities, ensuring that the best person for a job received deserved opportunity and complete support. For example, under his leadership women engineers now represent 30% of the engineering professionals (higher than the national average) at the Port. And many of those women lead their divisions. This year he promoted Dina Aryan-Zahlan, PE to Chief Harbor Engineer to lead the Port’s Engineering Division, only the second woman in Port of Los Angeles history to hold this office. Of course, he did not limit his powerful advocacy to the Port.

A strong believer in WTS-LA and its mission, Gioiello actively supports and encourages Port staff to join WTS and participate in events, conferences, and other WTS functions. The Port also sponsors a much-beloved biannual tour of their facilities. Through substantive financial and participatory support, Gioiello and the Port have become a vital part of the chapter. In addition, he also supports other nonprofit organizations, including the Historically Black Colleges and Universities organization, helping to create a student engineering summer training program. And under Gioiello’s leadership, the Port always endeavors to exceed small and very small business contracting goals, bolstering the success of many women-owned and minority-owned businesses. For these reasons and many, many more, WTS-LA proudly names Port of Los Angeles Deputy Executive Director of Development Antonio Gioiello as the 2022 WTS-LA Honorable Ray LaHood Award winner.