The Alexander & Baldwin, Inc.
(NYSE:ALEX) ("A&B”) Board of
Directors has appointed A&B President Stanley M. Kuriyama to the
position of chief executive officer, effective January 1, 2010,
succeeding Chairman and Chief Executive Officer W. Allen Doane, who will
retire at year’s end after 11 years as CEO. Kuriyama also has been named
to serve on the A&B board of directors, effective January 1, 2010. Doane
will continue to serve A&B as a director, and current Lead Independent
Director Walter A. Dods, Jr. will become chairman of the A&B board, also
effective January 1, 2010.
W. Allen Doane, 61, has been A&B’s chief executive officer since
October 1998. Doane joined A&B in 1991 as executive vice president and
chief operating officer of A&B-Hawaii ("ABHI”), then A&B’s real estate
and food products subsidiary.
During Doane’s tenure as CEO, the company greatly expanded its business
scope and profitability. A principal element of this was the
strategically directed growth in real estate, where income in 2008 was
more than three times that of a decade earlier. A&B has become a leading
real estate company in Hawaii, with major active developments and
commercial properties statewide. In transportation, A&B’s shipping
subsidiary, Matson Navigation, has nearly doubled its income in the last
ten years by expanding both west and east from Hawaii. Most significant
has been Matson’s entry into the China market, where it calls on three
China ports and is the only U.S. shipping company with service from
China to the U.S. In addition, Matson has grown its logistics presence
on the U.S. mainland, where it is now the ninth largest logistics
provider in the country. The success of these initiatives has been
reflected in A&B’s earnings, which have increased from $25 million in
1998 to over $130 million in 2008.
Walter Dods, who has been a member of A&B’s board of directors since
1989, recognized Doane’s leadership at A&B. "Having had the privilege of
working with Allen since 1998, I want to extend on behalf of the entire
board our deepest gratitude and appreciation to him. Allen’s leadership
has been inclusive, and highly strategic and insightful. He has been the
architect of A&B's strategy for accelerated growth, and his successes
have left the corporation in a significantly improved operating and
financial condition, and with much strengthened tangible assets and
human resources,” said Dods. "We also are grateful that A&B will
continue to benefit from Allen’s counsel as a valued member of the
board.”
Doane said, "In 2007, I informed the Board of my plan to retire at the
end of this year. Having served as CEO since 1998, the timing was right
to implement the succession plan approved by the A&B Board. I am very
pleased that Stan Kuriyama will now become the company’s CEO. A&B is
truly fortunate to have an individual of Stan’s proven capability and
experience take on these leadership responsibilities, and I am confident
that the company’s best days are ahead.”
Stanley M. Kuriyama, 56, was promoted to president of A&B in
October 2008, and has since been responsible for the operations of both
Matson Navigation Company and the A&B Land Group, which includes A&B
Properties and A&B’s agricultural and trucking operations. He joined the
company in January 1992, as a vice president of ABHI. He was named a
vice president of A&B and executive vice president of ABHI in 1999, and
was named vice chairman and chief executive officer of A&B Properties,
Inc. in 2000, before assuming the role of president and chief executive
officer of A&B Land Group in 2005. He was named chairman of the board of
Matson in August 2009. His leadership has been the principal element in
A&B’s highly successful growth in real estate. Prior to joining A&B, he
was a partner with the law firm of Cades Schutte Fleming & Wright, and
earned his law degree from Harvard Law School.
Dods said, "On behalf of the board of directors, we are pleased to
express our confidence in Stan Kuriyama through this promotion to become
A&B’s new chief executive officer. On a personal level, it is thrilling
for me to have one of Hawaii’s own – a local boy – assume these
responsibilities. He is accomplished, approachable and has a strong
commitment to Hawaii. I know he will be an exceptional leader and that
Alexander & Baldwin will continue to serve Hawaii with integrity through
its business activities on both land and sea.”
Kuriyama said, "I am honored by the confidence Allen and the board have
placed in me. Alexander & Baldwin has a long and successful history in
Hawaii, and an enduring commitment to the people, communities and
markets we serve. Allen has done an extraordinary job of guiding and
growing this company, and has laid a strong foundation for the future.
While today’s economic environment is obviously challenging, I am
optimistic about our prospects. We have strong operating companies and
quality assets, we are committed to finding new ways and places to grow
our business, and most of all, we are blessed with extraordinarily
capable and dedicated employees throughout the organization.”
Walter A. Dods, Jr., 68, has served as lead independent director
of A&B since 2006 and as a director of A&B since 1989. He has more than
three decades of international and corporate experience at the highest
levels of executive leadership for First Hawaiian Bank and BancWest
Corporation, and also currently serves as Non-Executive Chairman of the
Board of Hawaiian Telcom Communications, Inc., as well as a member of
numerous other profit and non-profit boards.
About Alexander & Baldwin: A&B
is headquartered in Honolulu, Hawaii and is engaged in ocean
transportation and logistics services through its subsidiaries, Matson
Navigation Company, Inc., Matson Integrated Logistics, Inc. and Matson
Global Distribution Services; in real estate through A&B Properties,
Inc.; and in agribusiness through Hawaiian Commercial & Sugar Company
and Kauai Coffee Company, Inc. Additional information about A&B may be
found at its web site: www.alexanderbaldwin.com.
Statements in this press release that are not historical facts are
"forward-looking statements,” within the meaning of the Private
Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, that involve a number of risks
and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially
from those contemplated by the relevant forward-looking statement.
These
forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance.
This
release should be read in conjunction with our Annual Report on Form
10-K and our other filings with the SEC through the date of this
release, which identify important factors that could affect the
forward-looking statements in this release.
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