Containerization & Intermodal Institute to fete Shea, Lytle  

William J. “Bill” Shea Jr. will receive the 2019 Connie Award and J. Christopher Lytle will be honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award in California in September.

   William J. “Bill” Shea Jr., chief executive officer of Direct ChassisLink Inc. (DCLI), will receive the 2019 Connie Award presented by the Containerization and Intermodal Institute (CII) on Sept. 17.
   In his current position, Shea (pictured above left) has been instrumental in shaping the strategic vision of DCLI and facilitating the acquisition of major legacy chassis fleets while maintaining oversight of the company’s growth and financial performance, according to the award anouncement.
   J. Christopher Lytle (above right), the executive director of the Port of Oakland and a longtime shipping industry veteran, will be presented with the CII’s Lifetime Achievement Award.
    The industry-wide event to honor the two men will be held at the Renaissance Hotel in Long Beach, Calif.
   Michael DiVirgilio, president of CII, said, “Bill Shea’s track record of innovation within the transportation industry encapsulates CII’s mission and vision. His contributions are valued greatly.”
   Shea has more than three decades of experience in the transportation leasing industry, starting his career with Itel Rail Corporation. He also co-founded Kelley Transportation Services. Shea was the key executive who oversaw the creation of DCLI, formerly the chassis leasing division of Maersk, the award announcement said.
   Shea also engineered the acquisition of REZ-1 and IAS, now called Blume Global, to provide asset management and logistics software services to railroads, ocean carriers, logistics companies, motor carriers and beneficial cargo owners.
   Lytle was named to the Oakland port’s top management position in 2013. Prior to assuming the position at the Port of Oakland, he was executive director of the Port of Long Beach.
    Earlier in his career, Lytle served as vice president of West Coast operations for the French shipping line CMA CGM and  held leadership positions at P&O Ports North America, APM Terminals and Sea-Land Service Inc.
   CII, founded in 1960, has been presenting the Connie Award since 1972 and it has been presented to 65 industry leaders.
   At the Long Beach event, CII also will present scholarships to students studying logistics as well as the institutions that are educating our future leaders. To learn more about funding a 2019 named scholarship or for sponsorships or tickets, call CII Executive Director Lisa Aurichio at (917)476-8366 or lisa@bsya.com or the CII staff at (732) 817-9131 or connielb@containerization.org.
 Tickets and sponsorship information also are available here