Seating Limited at Connie Award Dinner in Long Beach Honoring Ron Widdows and Jon Hemingway September 30

LONG BEACH, Calif., Sept. 23 /PRNewswire/ -- Just 40 seats remain available for the September 30 gala dinner at which Ronald Widdows, Group President and Chief Executive Officer of NOL, and Jon Hemingway, Chief Executive Officer of Carrix and SSA Marine, will receive the 2010 Connie Awards presented by the Containerization and Intermodal Institute (CII) at a dinner marking its 50th anniversary. A record $71,500 in scholarships will also be presented at the event.

Each recipient is being recognized with this prestigious award for significant influence on containerization in world trade and transportation, as well as for innovative spirit in their careers and at their respective companies and for positive influence on the industries they serve. The event is an industry-wide dinner at the Renaissance Hotel in Long Beach, CA.

CII, founded in 1960, has been presenting the Connie Award since 1972 and it has become the most coveted honor in the field of containerization and its ancillary industries. Among some 40 recipients to date are James McKenna, Malcom McLean, Thomas B. Crowley Sr., Bruce Seaton, Robert McEllrath, Chuck Raymond, Anthony A. Scioscia, Captain S. Y. Kuo and Douglas Tilden.

Mr. Widdows, whose company owns and operates APL, has been in the maritime industry for more than 40 years. Mr. Hemingway is a lawyer who joined the family stevedoring business in 1985. Both received early educations at the University of Washington.

Allen Clifford, CII president and Executive Vice President of Mediterranean Shipping Company, said:  "The success of last year's Connie awards on the West Coast was overwhelming and so far this year we have doubled the support and attendance. We want a total sell-out event so our endeavors in the field of education can also increase." He added that industry support has more than quadrupled the amount of scholarship and philanthropy offered through CII at the Long Beach event to $71,500.

CII, a non-profit organization, promotes industry awareness, preserves the history of intermodalism and engages scholarly interest in the field by organizing educational conferences and seminars, serving as an information resource, providing networking opportunities, offering career guidance, arranging internships and facilitating scholarships.

The CII Connie Awards dinner is $225 per ticket and seating is limited. Some 300 people are expected. Tickets and sponsorships are available. For more information contact Barbara Yeninas, Executive Director, by (800) 231-8244 or [email protected] by September 29.

SOURCE Containerization and Intermodal Institute