The Times and Democrat - DID YOU HEAR? Daschle joins the CaroLinks board

Tom Daschle, the former U.S. Senate majority leader, is the latest to join the advisory board of Carolina Linkages, the Charleston-based company with plans to bring an inland port into Orangeburg County.

Daschle, whose appointment was announced Thursday, gave two reasons for accepting the appointment to the CaroLinks advisory board: his belief in the project and the company’s achievements so far.

“I am impressed and enthusiastic about the CaroLinks model and believe very much in its ability to provide relief to the problem of port congestion and to be an important element in speeding distribution,” Daschle said.

“I believe that this is quite remarkable and having been involved in drafting legislation for the transportation sector, I welcome the opportunity to provide my advice and experience to this great new company,” he said.

Daschle’s appointment continues the relationship the former Democratic senator built with CaroLinks founder, President and CEO Lucy Duncan-Scheman during the 15 years she ran a consulting business in Washington, D.C.

Duncan-Scheman’s husband, Ron Scheman, has been a longtime supporter of the Democratic Party and its candidates, with a Brookings Institute report listing Scheman as a top contributor to former President Bill Clinton and one of the top 10 contributors who received a presidential appointment, according to the Charleston Business Journal.

In 2004, Scheman contributed $1,000 to Daschle’s unsuccessful re-election campaign, according to the Journal.

“I am delighted that he (Daschle) has accepted a position on the CaroLinks advisory board and will add his strength to this highly experienced management group assisting me to progress our operations here,” Duncan-Scheman said. “His knowledge and experience with various pieces of related legislation and complex issues will be particularly helpful to our company.”

Daschle’s appointment will help the company move forward “in getting the best kind of management advice” possible, according to Alan Capper, CaroLinks’ vice president of corporate communications. Capper cited Daschle’s experience working with transportation issues.

“The Safe Ports and CaroLinks operation is very simple in its concept, but in its execution it is more complex,” Capper said. “We need people who can embrace schemes like that. The way our company is constructed, we have a good team and operations people. It is very good to have access to senior management advice at that kind of level.”

CaroLinks is a unit of Charleston-based maritime consultant Safe Ports Inc.

Capper said further appointments to the board could be announced shortly. The entire board could schedule a meeting for early to mid-September.

Daschle’s appointment comes as CaroLinks prepares to purchase 789 acres at the Interstate 95-U.S. Highway 301 interchange.

CaroLinks has until approximately October to exercise its option on the Orangeburg County property, but company officials have said they could move on the property within a few weeks.

CaroLinks first announced in January its plans to develop an inland port in the I-95-U.S. 301 area. The company plans to invest between $10 million and $15 million in the development of the inland port over the next five years. An estimated 100 to 200 jobs could be created.

As envisioned, containers would be placed onto barges and hauled to Shipyard Creek in North Charleston. Trains and possibly barges would then ship containers to the Orangeburg County site, where cargo could be stored for distribution. Four million square feet of warehouse space could be developed as part of the project.

The company also plans to build a similar port in the Upstate. The cost of the total project is estimated to be $250 million.

Daschle completed 26 years of public service when he lost his re-election bid in 2004. He represented the state of South Dakota for eight years in Congress and eighteen years in the U.S. Senate.

In 1994, Daschle was chosen by his colleagues as their new minority leader. When Democrats gained control of the Senate in 2001, he became majority leader and held that position until 2003.

T&D Staff Writer Gene Zaleski can be reached by e-mail at gzaleski@timesanddemocrat.com or by phone at 803-533-5551. Discuss this and other stories online at TheTandD.com.

Other CaroLinks Advisory Board appointments

Chuck Raymond, Chairman and CEO of Horizon Lines

In his 34 years of service with Sea-Land Service, Raymond has had a broad range of responsibilities within the company and the industry, including his role as chief operating officer.

From 1999 to 2003, he served as president and CEO of CSX Lines, and from 2003 to the present day as chairman, president and CEO of Horizon Lines.

Howard “Humpy” Wheeler, president of Speedway Motorsports Inc. and Lowe’s Motor Speedway

Wheeler has been described as racing’s P.T. Barnum, combining showmanship’s flair with business discipline. He was recently inducted into the International Racing Hall of Fame.

Margaret A. Gilliam, CFA, a former Wall Street securities analyst covering retail and related industries. Now owns consulting firm Gilliam & Co.

Gilliam spent more than 30 years as a Wall Street securities analyst. In 1997, she founded Gilliam & Co. as a research and consulting entity that specializes in retailing and consumer products.

Steven S. Honigman, former general counsel of the United States Navy. Now a partner in Fox, Horan & Camerini

Appointed by President Clinton, Honigman served as general counsel of the Navy from 1993 to 1998.

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