Gary Coy, President of Sperry Ocean Dock, was
recognized as the Propeller Club’s Master Mariner of the Year at the Maritime Day
Luncheon.
Coy is a second generation Washingtonian who
grew up in the family business – neighborhood movie theaters during the 1940’s
and 1950’s – until he moved to Alaska, where he worked as a commercial
fisherman for several years. He returned
to Washington as an employee of The Boeing Company and served for two years in
the U.S. Army.
After his discharge, Coy returned to work in
several fields. For a number of years,
he owned a restaurant and office products business. His career path included commercial and
industrial waterfront real estate and eventually led to co-ownership of the
Sperry Ocean Dock.
Sperry Ocean Dock is comprised of state-of-the-art
fendering with metered shore power in a fenced, lighted, clean and secure area
for large, oceangoing vessels. As such, Sperry
Ocean Dock is a vital national security asset for Joint Base Lewis-McChord.
The two ships stationed at the Sperry Ocean Dock
facility are controlled by the federal government’s MARAD department and
provide critical sealift for military operations. Firefighter schools along with local, state
and federal government agencies use the vessels for unique training opportunities. In addition, the ships are potential
resources for the community during natural disasters capable of producing
electricity, water, shelter and medical facilities.
Presenting the award, Rockney Nigretto, Past International
President of the Propeller Club of the U.S. and Past President of the Tacoma
Propeller Club, said: “(Gary Coy) has been a steadfast supporter of the
military, from concern for the living condition for our troops to assuring that
intermodal sealift is well supported. By
this June, he will have made 23 trips to visit Congress, seeking support for
the maritime industry and the military in the Pacific Northwest. He has made a unique and lasting impact on
military readiness on the West Coast. I
quote from one source: ‘One could easily argue that, through his consistent
interaction with government leaders - Congress, Transcom, Marad and others – he
is responsible for the expansion of the Marad fleet berthed on the West Coast
and the jobs that they have created. His
creativity and tenacity in support of military readiness and the national
interest has distinguished him among his peers and has served our nation well.’”
Coy has greatly improved his site through removal of a multi-story building of approx 180,000 sq ft. During a Phase 2, he's
removed approx. 20,000 sq ft of rail loading dock/decking, that was directly
along the upper shore line bank. And, in the big Phase 3, he's removed approximately 88,000 sq ft. of over-water
coverage, approximately 1,000 creosote piles, and restored 650 lineal feet of beach
and tidal area. To
date, he has created approximately 100,000 sq ft of intertidal habitat
area. Plus, his company is
looking to do two more phases, starting with a small phase this
summer, removing additional over-water coverage and more creosote piles. And the real praise comes from having never been offered, or even asked for any
type of public funding.
Coy has been extremely active in the South Sound
community as a utility commissioner and member of the Tacoma-Pierce County
Chamber. As a Chamber member, he is the record
holder for attending the most Washington-to-Washington, D.C. Conferences in the
nation’s capital where he advocates on behalf of the maritime community. He is an active member of the HLNC,
Association of the United States Army, Navy League, Transportation Club of
Tacoma and, of course, the Propeller Club.
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