Rhonda Winslow captain’s the Port’s business development work, and has been with the Port since 2012 and now serves as the Port’s Vice President of Development Finance.

Recently, Rhonda won the prestigious NAIOP President’s Award from the Northern Ohio Chapter. This award recognizes individuals who encourage and support development and the local real estate community.

Rhonda oversees the development finance program, including over $1.5 billion in outstanding bonds issued through the Port’s development finance group.

“Rhonda has shepherded dozens of revenue bond issuances by our Port Authority to closing,’’ said Will Friedman. “These projects have had a huge impact on our community. Rhonda is a consummate pro who works tirelessly behind the scenes helping projects access capital.”

She has worked extensively on numerous high-profile projects in and around Northeast Ohio, including two Amazon distribution centers, the Flats East Bank Development, the Lumen in Playhouse Square, the Intro in Ohio City, and the Sherwin-Williams headquarters.

She has been a board member of the Ohio Chapter of Women in Public Finance since January 2019.

Rhonda earned a master’s degree in business administration and bachelor’s in accounting from The University of Akron. She is a Certified Public Accountant.

Prior to joining the Port, she was with the professional services firm PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP.

Rhonda calls Shaker Heights home, where she resides with her husband and two children, ages 1 and 3.  In her free time, she’s an active volleyball player, a cyclist who explores the Towpath Trail and a fan of family outings to baseball games.  Despite her move from the neighborhood, Rhonda’s favorite dining spots are Tremont’s Grumpy’s and Rowley Inn.

Port of Cleveland

Great Lakes Forward

• Award/Accolade: TMSA Compass Award of Excellence
• Category: Content Marketing
• Firm: shark&minnow
• Client: Port of Cleveland

Port of Cleveland

The North Coast

• Award/Accolade: TMSA Compass Award of Merit
• Category: Advertising Campaign
• Firm: shark&minnow
• Client: Port of Cleveland

American Association of Port Authorities

2020 AAPA Communications Awards

The American Association of Port Authorities (AAPA), the unified and recognized voice of seaports in the Americas, notified 23 of its 130-member seaports throughout the Western Hemisphere that they’ve earned one or more awards for exemplary communications projects and programs as part of the trade association’s annual Communications Awards Program.

Sponsored by the AAPA Public Relations Committee, the annual Communications Awards Program has recognized excellence in port communications since 1966. For its 54th Annual Communications Awards Program, the Port of Cleveland earned four awards:

Flotsam & Jetsam

• Award/Accolade: AAPA Communications Award of Distinction
• Category: Video
• Firm: shark&minnow
• Client: Port of Cleveland

Great Lakes Forward

• Award/Accolade: AAPA Communications Award of Distinction
• Category:Audio-Only
• Firm: shark&minnow
• Client: Port of Cleveland

The North Coast Campaign

• Award/Accolade: AAPA Communications Award of Distinction
• Category:Advertisements
• Firm: shark&minnow
• Client: Port of Cleveland

Infrastructure Week 2019

• Award/Accolade: AAPA Communications Award of Merit
• Category: Special Events
• Firm: shark&minnow
• Client: Port of Cleveland

“The Communications Awards Program judges told us they were very impressed with the quality of this year’s winning entries, especially considering the extreme budget restrictions imposed on most ports by the coronavirus pandemic,” said Chris Connor, AAPA’s president and CEO. “This competition helps our member ports by rewarding strategic communications through peer-reviewed analyses of their programs and projects, and by showcasing best practices and lessons learned.”

He added: “When port authorities communicate strategically with their many audiences, including community residents, business leaders, policymakers, customers and other stakeholders, they’re better able to show their tremendous value as drivers of economic development, environmental enhancement and job creation.”

The 2020 AAPA Communications Awards Program utilized 37 professional public relations practitioners from the Washington, D.C. area who cumulatively spent more than 180 hours over two weeks judging the 14 classifications of entries, ranging from advertisements, periodicals, videos and websites, to social media and overall campaigns.

Based on the number of points awarded each entry by the judges, three of the 75 entries earned an Award of Overall Communications Excellence trophy, while 20 entries earned an Award of Excellence (similar to first place), 36 entries scored an Award of Distinction (similar to second place), and 12 entries netted an Award of Merit (similar to third place).

Founded in 1912 and recognized as the unified voice of seaports in the Americas, AAPA today represents 130 of the leading seaport authorities in the United States, Canada, Latin America and the Caribbean and more than 200 sustaining and associate members, firms and individuals with an interest in seaports.
According to IHS Markit’s GTA Forecasting (previously known as World Trade Service), combined international sea trade moving through Western Hemisphere seaports in 2018 totaled nearly 4.2 billion metric tons in volume and US$3.7 trillion in value. Of that combined total, seaports in Central and South America handled 1.86 billion metric tons of cargo valued at US$1.17 trillion, while North American seaports handled 2.34 billion metric tons of goods, valued at US$2.53 trillion.  Within North America, U.S. seaports handled 1.01 billion metric tons of international trade valued at US$1.95 trillion, while Canada’s seaports handled 380.53 million metric tons of goods valued at US$266.67 billion, and Mexico’s seaports handled 352.53 million metric tons of cargo valued at US$312.91 billion. For more information, visit www.aapa-ports.org.

American Association of Port Authorities

2019 AAPA Communications Awards

The American Association of Port Authorities (AAPA), the unified and recognized voice of seaports in the Americas, notified 31 of its 130-member seaports throughout the Western Hemisphere that they’ve earned one or more awards for exemplary communications projects and programs as part of the trade association’s annual Communications Awards Program.

Sponsored by the AAPA Public Relations Committee, the annual Communications Awards Program has recognized excellence in port communications since 1966. For its 53rd Annual Communications Awards Program, the Port of Cleveland earned three awards:

• Award of Distinction – Port of Cleveland – Field Guide (Directory/Handbook)
• Award of Distinction – Port of Cleveland – Port50 (Campaign)
• Award of Distinction – Port of Cleveland – Rock the Port (Special Events)

“The Communications Awards Program judges told us that this year’s entries set a new, higher standard of excellence than ever before,” said Kurt Nagle, AAPA’s president and CEO. “This competition helps our member ports by rewarding strategic communications through peer-reviewed analyses of their programs and projects, and by showcasing best practices and lessons learned.”

He added: “When port authorities communicate strategically with their many audiences, including their communities, business leaders and policymakers, they’re better able to show their tremendous value as drivers of economic development, environmental enhancement and job creation.”

The 2019 AAPA Communications Awards Program utilized 32 professional public relations practitioners from the Washington, D.C. area who cumulatively spent 128 hours over two weeks judging the 15 classifications of entries, ranging from advertisements, periodicals, videos and websites, to social media and overall campaigns.

Based on the number of points awarded each entry by the judges, three of the 79 entries earned an Overall Award of Communications Excellence trophy, while 24 entries earned an Award of Excellence (similar to first place), 33 entries scored an Award of Distinction (similar to second place), and 15 entries netted an Award of Merit (similar to third place).

Founded in 1912 and recognized as the unified voice of seaports in the Americas, AAPA today represents 130 of the leading seaport authorities in the United States, Canada, Latin America and the Caribbean and more than 200 sustaining and associate members, firms and individuals with an interest in seaports. According to IHS Markit’s World Trade Service, combined international sea trade moving through Western Hemisphere ports in 2017 totaled 4.303 billion metric tons in volume and US$2.675 trillion in value. Of that total, ports in Central and South America handled 1.741 billion metric tons of cargo valued at US$1.024 trillion, while North American ports handled 1.90 billion metric tons of goods, valued at US$2.305 trillion. To meet the growing demand for trade, the AAPA and its members are committed to keeping seaports navigable, secure and sustainable.  For more information, visit www.aapa-ports.org.

Nowhere else is there more meaningful recognition of the best in marketing, communications and sales in transportation and logistics than the Transportation Marketing & Sales Association Compass Awards. The competition brings out the best of thought leadership, strategic management, creativity, successful solutions, and business results within our industry.

Port of Cleveland

Rock the Port

• Award/Accolade: TMSA Compass Award of Merit
• Category: Events
• Firm: shark&minnow
• Client: Port of Cleveland