New construction honors late port commissioner

Although former Port of Beaumont Board of Commissioners President Lee Smith passed from this life in 2021, with the May 27 dedication of the Port’s newest overpass in honor of the late commissioner, his legacy will live in perpetuity for all to remember the community servant.

According to current Port of Beaumont President Georgine Guillory, commissioners voted in February to name the organization’s new Carroll Street Bridge/Overpass in honor of the late Commissioner Smith. Guillory said that Smith would have marked 20 years of service on the Port’s Board of Commissioners this year, some of which were served as the Port’s first Black president. Record operating revenue and growth was seen under Smith leadership, Guillory added, and his dedication to the Port and its people was unparalleled.

Read more about the honorable occasion in the June edition of the Southeast Texas Business Journal.