Leadership

Norman Arikawa retired from the Port of Los Angeles after serving 54 years. As Assistant Director of the Trade Development Division, his responsibilities included promotion of the port and to develop inbound and outbound trade. He helped to develop a program to outreach to small and medium businesses that promotes export opportunities and to educate them on the available resources for exporting called “trade connect” which received the Presidential “E Star” Award in 2013. He helped coordinate visits by foreign officials to the port and met government leaders such as heads of state, ministers and ambassadors from countries around the world. He received the “International Citizen Diplomat of the Year – 2019” by the International Visitors Council of Los Angeles. He was a member of the District Export Council of Southern California, by appointment of the US Secretary of Commerce, a member of the board of the Foreign Trade Association, a member of the board of the California Fashion Association, a member of the board of the International Visitors Council of Los Angeles and a member of the board of the Los Angeles Regional Export Council. After retirement, he has become involved in assisting countries in their economic development in South-East Asia and Sub-Sahara Africa and is working with the Consulates of a number of countries. In May, 2022 at the World Trade Week celebration in Los Angeles, he was the recipient of the Stanley T. Olafson Award from the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce. This is the highest award given in international trade.

Prior to his work in trade promotion, he worked in the financial section and previously held the positions of risk manager and chief accountant for the Port. He instituted the port’s risk management and insurance program and served on several national port industry insurance committees including serving as chairman of the Pacific Coast Association of Port Authorities Insurance and Finance Committee. He served as a national co-chair for the development of the publication “Port Risk Management and Insurance Guidebook – 1998” which was published in October 1998 for the Federal Maritime Administration. In the 1980’s he was involved in structuring the financing of the Port’s infrastructure expansion program which included Pier 400.

He has been involved in the Sister Cities program and is currently a member of the board of the Los Angeles/Nagoya Sister City Affiliation and was appointed by Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa as the chairman for 2006-2008. He is also on the board of the Long Beach- Mombasa Sister City Association.