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CII Honors Clifford, Pyron with Connie Awards

[ January 3, 2025   //   Gary G Burrows ]

The Containerization & Intermodal Institute, or CII, honored Allen Clifford, executive vice president, MSC Mediterranean Shipping Co. (USA) Inc. with the 2024 Connie Award in front of nearly 600 transportation industry experts gathered on Dec 9 in Newark, NJ.
Additionally, Clifford Pyron, advisor at Georgia Ports Authority, was presented with the CII’s Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition of his invaluable contributions to the development of commercial and trade activities at the GPA.

Allen Clifford
Clifford is celebrated as a forward-thinking leader whose impactful contributions have influenced the industry throughout his career. In 1981 after graduating from the University at Buffalo, he began his journey in freight forwarding and the emerging non-vessel-operating common carrier sector with Deugro GmbH. He later transitioned to Containership Agency, where he represented a wide-ranging portfolio of ocean carriers, including Italian Lines, Neptune Orient Lines, and Bottachi Lines of Argentina.
Mediterranean Shipping Company was originally part of Containership, where Clifford oversaw its operations within the trade group. As MSC grew, it became an independent entity, first known as American Container Agency, before rebranding to MSC Mediterranean Shipping Co. (USA) and establishing its U.S. headquarters in New York City.
At MSC, Clifford steadily advanced from assistant vice president of sales in addition to executive vice president. In 2014, he was appointed USA Ambassador for the MSC Foundation and became a member of the MSC board of directors.

Clifford Pyron
Pyron has more than 40 years of experience in liner container shipping, global supply chain logistics, trucking, the port sector, and economic and industrial development.
Early in his career, Pyron worked in Hong Kong as general manager of sales and marketing for Sea-Land, overseeing operations in Hong Kong, Macau, and South China. During the 1999 acquisition of Sea-Land by Maersk, he served as general manager of Southeast sales and led Buyers Consolidators in Charlotte. By 2007, he had become vice president of North American sales for NYK Line and vice president of sales for the southern region at Maersk-Sealand, before eventually joining the GPA.
At the GPA, he served as chief commercial officer, providing strategic leadership in commercial business, trade development, and economic initiatives. His efforts were instrumental in driving long-term, profitable growth, expanding market share, and boosting global trade across Georgia and the Southeast through sales, marketing, customer service, and international partnerships.

CII Scholarship Program
During the event, CII continued its commitment to industry education by awarding 33 scholarships to logistics students and institutions that are developing tomorrow’s leaders. The organization awarded scholarships to students studying supply chain, logistics, and transportation, as well as to the academic institutions that are preparing the next generation of professionals in the industry. Students from SUNY Maritime, USMMA Kings Point, Seton Hall University, Rutgers University and New Jersey City University were honored for their grades and passion for the industry. Since 1992, CII has been dedicated to supporting education through scholarships, surpassing the significant milestone of US$1 million in contributions. Companies can actively contribute to advancing industry education by sponsoring scholarships through CII, with opportunities starting at US$1,000.
Founded in 1960, CII has been presenting the Connie Award since 1972, making it the most prestigious honor in the field of containerization and its related industries. To date, about 70 individuals and organizations have received the award. Notable recipients include Gene Seroka, Malcom McLean, James McKenna, Robert McEllrath, Ed DeNike, John Wolfe, Bruce Fenimore, Helen Delich Bentley, Capt. S.Y. Kuo, Matthew Cox, Bill Shea, Mike Wilson, Robert Sappio, Ken Kellaway, and Vincent J. Marino.
“I am proud to say that for over 50 years, the Connie Award has honored industry leaders who have made remarkable contributions to containerization and intermodalism through innovation, entrepreneurship, and leadership,” said CII President Chris Brooks.

Tags: Containerization & Intermodal Institute