Oakland, CA — August 3, 2012 — On Wednesday, August 1, Mayor Jean Quan swore in two new Commissioners for the Port of Oakland, Cestra “Ces” Butner and Bryan Parker. The commissioners were nominated by Mayor Quan and appointed by the Oakland City Council on July 26, 2012. They replace outgoing Commissioners Pamela Calloway and Margaret Gordon. Commissioners Butner and Parker will join the Commission at its upcoming Special Meeting on August 16, 2012.

“I welcome the opportunity to work with Commissioners Butner and Parker to continue guiding the Port toward a sustainable future,” commented Board of Port Commissioners President Gilda Gonzales. “Their practical business experiences will be welcome additions as we continue our relentless focus on our core aviation, maritime, and commercial real estate businesses in fulfillment of our duties under state law as trustees of state tidelands.”

Commissioner Cestra “Ces” Butner is the President, CEO and owner of Horizon Beverage Company, an Oakland-based beverage distributorship that supplies retailers in Northern Alameda County and Western Contra Costa County. Upon graduating from the University of Missouri in 1975 and working in Minneapolis and Chicago for Fortune 500 companies, Butner settled in Oakland in 1981, working for a local beverage distributorship. By age 33, he became the youngest owner of an Anheuser-Busch wholesale operation in the country. Through acquisitions and expansions over the last 25 years Butner has more than tripled the size of Horizon Beverage Company revenues placing it among Black Enterprise’s top 100 Black Owned Business nationally. His community service work includes serving on the boards of the East Bay YMCA, Oakland Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce, and as president of Sequoyah Country Club. Butner lives in Oakland with his wife Teresa and two daughters Raquel & Andrea.

Commissioner Bryan Parker serves as the Vice President of Davita, Inc., a Fortune 500 company and leading provider of kidney care in the United States, providing dialysis service and education for patients with chronic kidney failure and end stage renal disease. Prior to joining Davita, Parker volunteered for nine months with the Obama presidential campaign’s finance committee and before that, he was the Chief Operating Officer of a $100 million global digital media company. Parker’s broad expertise also includes investment banking, operations management and law. He received his BA from the University of California, Berkeley in Political Economy of Industrial Societies and JD from the New York University School of Law in 1995 (bar certified in both California and New York). Parkers’ community service includes volunteering at his local church, Allen Temple Baptist Church and his hobbies include art collecting and football.

About the Oakland Board of Port Commissioners:
The Port of Oakland is governed by a 7-member Board of Port Commissioners, established in 1927 to govern the tidelands entrusted to the Port of Oakland by the State of California. Members must be residents of the City of Oakland, and are nominated by the Mayor and appointed by the City Council to staggered 4-year terms without term limits. All Commissioners are volunteers and receive no compensation for their service to the Port of Oakland.

About the Port of Oakland:
The Port of Oakland oversees the Oakland seaport, Oakland International Airport, and 20 miles of waterfront. The Oakland seaport is the fifth busiest container port in the U.S.; Oakland International Airport is the second largest San Francisco Bay Area airport offering over 300 daily passenger and cargo flights; and the Port’s real estate includes commercial developments such as Jack London Square and hundreds of acres of public parks and conservation areas. Together, through Port operations and those of its tenants and users, the Port supports more than 70,000 jobs in the region and over 800,000 jobs across the United States. The Port of Oakland was established in 1927 and is an independent department of the City of Oakland. Connect with the Port of Oakland and Oakland International Airport through Facebook, or with the Port on Twitter, YouTube, and at www.portofoakland.com.

MEDIA CONTACTS:

Isaac Kos-Read
Director of External Affairs
(510) 627-1565
[email protected]