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Beardsley earns PPM certification

October 31, 2024

DULUTH, Minn. — Duluth Seaway Port Authority Chief Financial Officer Kevin Beardsley recently earned Port Professional Manager (PPM) certification from the American Association of Port Authorities, graduating Oct. 30 with a nine-person cohort at the 2024 AAPA Annual Convention in Boston.

Beardsley’s collaborative capstone project explored best practices in capital investment strategy development for mid-sized ports.

Established in 1995, the PPM program is a comprehensive port and supply chain education curriculum that includes nearly 250 hours of study and participation across all aspects of the port management profession.

“Definitely a worthwhile experience,” said Beardsley. “Port leaders face a wide variety of topics and challenges each day, and the PPM program reflects that with its curriculum. Plus, as the saying goes, ‘If you’ve seen one port, you’ve seen one port,’ so by working with a cohort from all over the Americas, we learned from each other’s different experiences and perspectives.”

Beardsley joined the Port Authority in 2014 and leads all financial activities and planning for the organization. He is a Certified Public Accountant with more than 30 years of experience in financial analysis, accounting, taxation and strategic planning.

“Kevin and I came to the Port Authority at almost the same time, so we’ve worked together for 10 years, strategizing and implementing as a team. I credit that working partnership for much of what I feel has been a particularly fruitful 10 years for the Port Authority. Kevin has been a tremendous asset to the organization, a true catalyst in our success,” said Deb DeLuca, executive director of the Duluth Seaway Port Authority. “His finance skills were fine-tuned from the start, and now, with a decade of experience helping drive the Port Authority’s overall mission, plus his work in the PPM program, he’s also enhanced his skills on the policy side of the port business. That’s a winning combination for our team, our port and our region.”

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More than 700 vessels and 30 million short tons of cargo move through the Port of Duluth-Superior each year, making it the Great Lakes’ largest tonnage port and one of the nation’s top 20. The port supports more than 7,000 jobs and contributes $1.3 billion in business revenue to the regional economy. Learn more at DuluthPort.com.