Port of Harlingen Receives National Recognition in Public Relations

BOSTON, MA- The Port of Harlingen Authority received the 2024 Lighthouse Award in "Excellence in Public Relations Campaign" Small Ports Category from the American Association of Port Authorities (AAPA) during the organization's 113^th annual convention in Boston, MA, Oct. 27-30.

The Port received the award for their "Rebranding Campaign" that launched a new logo and updated look for the Port in January 2024. Since 2017, the Port of Harlingen has grown 129% to boast an average annual tonnage of 3.2 million in multimodal cargo. With Port growth came the need to change its image that dated back more than 30 years. The campaign consisted of not only a rebrand in collaboration with Jaclyn Buelow Creative for design and concept, but also a public relations and marketing calendar/campaign to promote the Port's new image.

"Being recognized, nationally, by your industry is a major honor for our Port," Walker Smith, Port of Harlingen Port Director, said. "There was a lot of work put in to get the Port to where it is today and in turn a lot of work that went into rebranding. Not just with design and color, but also launching our new look and getting our new image out there. I am proud of what our staff has done, and it is well deserved."

AAPA is a national organization of ports and maritime industry partners across the Western Hemisphere aimed at advocating for national policies and infrastructure investments in support of a resilient global supply chain and a positive impact on the way people live, work, travel, and engage in commerce. Harlingen was one of 24 ports awarded in 12 categories in communication, environment and technology. Each award had two categories; large and small ports. This year, AAPA received a record number of 104 submissions, a record number of applications for award.

"To better serve the global economy and their respective local communities, ports are constantly upgrading and updating their assets," said Cary S. Davis, AAPA President & CEO. "AAPA's Lighthouse Awards are an exciting opportunity to showcase and celebrate the port industry's most outstanding innovative projects and steadfast commitment to excellence. Congratulations to our winners and thank you to everyone involved in this unique privilege."

For more information on the Lighthouse Awards and to view detailed information about the winning projects, please visit https://bit.ly/Lighthouse24. For more information on this story contact Amy Lynch, Director of Public Relations and Marketing, or go to https://portofharlingen.com/2024/11/06/aapa_lighthouse_award_2024/.

To learn more about the Port of Harlingen go to portofharlingen.com.