Jul 26, 2018
John McCarthy and Rod Koon
The Port of Tacoma Centennial

This year the Port of Tacoma is celebrating its centennial year. Created by a vote of Pierce County citizens Nov. 5, 1918, the Port started out on 240 acres in the Tacoma Tideflats.

Today, the Port is a major economic engine for our region. Port terminal and real estate operations cover about 2,700 acres of land and connect to more than 29,000 jobs in Pierce County.

Port commissioner John McCarthy and staff member Rod Koon will team up to present some of the highlights of the Port’s first 100 years as well as some of the challenges and opportunities facing the port and the shipping industry today.

A former Pierce County District and Superior Court judge for more than 22 years, John McCarthy recently retired from the bench.  He worked as a longshoreman for 10 years and served previously on the Port of Tacoma Commission from 1983 to 1992.  McCarthy has been a member of the Washington State Bar Association since 1975 and volunteers at Mount Rainier National Park.  He is an honorary life member of the Washington Public Ports Association.  He was the first member of the Boys and Girls Club of South Puget Sound’s to be selected to their Alumni Hall of Fame, and he continues to officiate high school football.  He also is on the Pierce County Regional Council and serves as the Port of Tacoma’s Tribal Liaison. He earned a bachelor’s degree in Science with a minor in Mathematics from Seattle University and a law degree from the University of San Francisco.