The New York/ New Jersey Foreign Freight Forwarders and Brokers Association has named David F. Adam, Chairman and CEO, United States Maritime Alliance (USMX), as its 2020 Person of the Year. Adam will be honored at a gala dinner on February 6, 2020 at the Sheraton New York Times Square Hotel, which is a new venue for the event.

Since 2013, David F. Adam has served as Chairman & Chief Executive Officer of USMX, a non-profit incorporated membership association representing longshore industry employers on the U.S. East and Gulf Coasts, including container carriers, marine terminal operators and port associations. Adam joined the company as its Senior Vice President & Chief Operating Officer in 2010.

David F. Adam, Chairman and CEO, United States Maritime Alliance (USMX
David F. Adam, Chairman and CEO, USMX

Serving as the maritime management group's representative in Master Contract bargaining with the International Longshoremen's Association, AFL-CIO (ILA), USMX is responsible for the administration of coast-wide fringe benefit funds and programs that are part of the Master Contract. Other responsibilities include the articulation of various industry positions on regulatory and safety issues; the oversight of coast-wide training and retraining, and certification/recertification programs.
William Skinner, NYNJFFFBA President said: "Mr. Adam is USMX's chief negotiator in Master Contract bargaining and led the USMX Bargaining Committee in negotiating a 6-year agreement with the ILA that covers 14,500 port workers on the East and Gulf Coasts and runs through September 30, 2024."
Prior to joining USMX, Adam spent 31 years with Ports America, managing its labor relations strategy and overseeing administration of its then 20+ labor agreements. While with Ports America, Adam served as a USMX Director as Ports America's bargaining representative during the 2009 USMX-ILA Master Contract extension agreement talks. Immediately prior to joining USMX, Mr. Adam had served as President of the Port Newark Container Terminal.
"An effective maritime labor leader, Adam is known for his commitment to ensuring continued labor peace in our ports," said Mr. Skinner. "He has a proven track record of balancing the needs of multiple stakeholders, including USMX members, BCOs, supply chain partners and the ILA."
Adam has served on the Board of Directors of Pacific Merchant Shipping Association, the National Association of Waterfront Employers, the National Maritime Safety Association and the Maritime Association of the Port of New York and New Jersey, and he was a founding member of Pierpass on the U.S. West Coast.

Along with the ILA's International President Harold J. Daggett, Adam serves as co-chair of the Annual ILA-USMX Hole in the Wall Gang Camp Golf Tournament. To date, this maritime industry charitable endeavor has raised more than $5 million dollars for the Hole in the Wall Gang Camp charity, founded by the late Paul Newman to provide opportunities for children with serious illnesses (and their families) to experience the transformational spirit and friendships that go hand-in-hand with the camp.