Ports of Indiana Taps Rail, Marine Execs to Build Business
Written by Marybeth Luczak, Executive Editor
Ian Hirt (left) and Matt Service have joined the Ports of Indiana.
Senior rail executive Matt Service and maritime industry veteran Ian Hirt have been hired to help develop new cargo and rail projects for the Ports of Indiana, a statewide port authority managing three ports (Burns Harbor; Mt. Vernon; and Jeffersonville, Ind.) on the Ohio River and Lake Michigan.
Service will lead rail development efforts at all three ports and explore expansion projects outside the existing ports. He is the owner of Service Rail Advisors and served recently as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer for Patriot Rail. He also held the role of Chief Investment Officer at Pioneer Lines, which Patriot Rail acquired in 2022, and various management roles at CSX and OmniTrax. Service has successfully led negotiations for more than $1 billion in mergers and acquisitions, and has extensive experience in strategic planning, business growth and continuous safety improvement for rail operations, according to the Ports of Indiana. He is a University of Mississippi graduate.
Hirt will lead targeted cargo development efforts for Ports of Indiana, including establishing new container shipments. He served as Port Director at Ports of Indiana-Burns Harbor from 2017 to 2021, and now has an ownership interest in Benchmark Marine Agency, a vessel agency servicing ports around the western Great Lakes. A graduate of Northern Michigan University, Hirt started his maritime career with Fednav, and spent 12 years as General Manager for Federal Marine Terminals at Burns Harbor and six years as General Manager at North American Stevedoring Co. at the Port of Chicago.
“Ports of Indiana is committed to growing our economic impact for the state and we have identified key opportunities to expand our current operations with the help of two senior industry executives,” said Jody Peacock, who was promoted to CEO of Ports of Indiana earlier this year. “Ian and Matt bring extensive experience and proven records of success for developing rail and maritime cargo projects. Their expertise and institutional knowledge will be extremely valuable as Ports of Indiana seeks to launch new multimodal projects involving container shipping and rail expansions throughout Indiana.”
“We are excited to enlist their services to lead key projects and explore uncharted territory for Ports of Indiana’s future growth and development,” said Jenna Richardt, Senior Vice President-Business Development and Engagement at Ports of Indiana.
Among the railroads directly serving the Ports of Indiana are Evansville Western Railway, CSX, Louisville & Indiana Rail Road, and Norfolk Southern.
In a related development, infrastructure investments surpassing $1.1 million were recently completed at Ports of Indiana-Jeffersonville through a yearlong series of road and rail projects by Ports of Indiana and MG Rail, the port’s rail switcher.
