Oakland - California. On Thursday March 25th, the Bay Area Business Round Table (BABRT) will present a Spotlight Award to Omar Benjamin, Port of Oakland Executive Director. The award will be presented during the BABRT's monthly meeting held at the Homewood Suites Hotel in Oakland. Responsible for the administration and operations of the Port organization, Benjamin has shown exemplary leadership and commitment to the economic health and vitality of Bay Area business and communities.

As the Port continues to be the economic engine of Oakland, the BABRT recognizes several key achievements that are exemplary during the economic downturn, including:

• Oakland International Airport was rated No. 1 for on-time performance among U.S.airports during 2009.
• In May 2010 Southwest Airlines will begin offering 114 daily departures out of Oakland Airport, including restoration of non-stop service to Nashville, Tennessee and increased frequency of flights to the cities of Albuquerque, Denver and Seattle-Tacoma
• Port of Oakland was one of six major US West Coast ports to collaborate at the World Shipping Summit held last November in Qingdao, China. The collaboration showcased the benefits of the US West Coast as the premier region for trans-Pacific trade
• Port of Oakland has expanded capacity and improved transportation services to accommodate more cargo containers, increasing business by 10% from container shipping company APL Ltd., a subsidiary of NOL Group.

The BABRT meeting will convene at 10:00 and speakers will include Dr. Diana Wu, Dean U.C. of Berkeley Extension and Joe Haraburda, President of the Oakland Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce.

About the BABRT
The BABRT is a 501(c)-(3) focused building community and fostering positive change, along with economic growth in the San Francisco Bay Area. Visit our website at www.babrt.org

Media Contacts:

Bay Area Business Round Table
Bernard Ashcraft
Chief Executive Officer
Phone: (510) 444-6441