Charles Cherrington became interested in the maritime industry at an early age. So much so that after graduating high school he decided to make it his career. As a student of the Texas A&M Maritime Academy, one of six maritime academies in the United States, Charles learned the ins and outs of the industry before eventually joining Evergreen Marine Corporation as a sales representative in Dallas.

“After several years of selling container space,” Charles recalled, “I decided I wanted to explore the port and terminal operations side of the industry and accepted a position with Schaefer Stevedoring in Brownsville, Texas.”

This role provided him with valuable insight into and experience with the industry’s stevedoring and terminal operations. While making his career in Brownsville, Charles married and started a family. However, after nine years of living in extreme south Texas, he and his family decided it was time for a change of scenery.

From Brownsville, Charles and his family relocated to Houston, where in 2009 he took the position of Vessel Superintendent at Cooper/T. Smith Stevedoring, which eventually became Cooper/Ports America (C/PA).

As a Vessel Superintendent, Charles currently is responsible for overseeing C/PA’s day-to-day stevedoring operations. This includes planning discharges and loads to and from vessels, ensuring the proper allocation of labor and equipment is available for each job, and overseeing the disbursement of cargo at the C/PA terminal.

With a high volume of cargo passing through Houston’s docks, having enough crew and equipment on hand for each job can pose a challenge, but Charles and his team make it happen.

“I love working with my team,” he enthused. “They’re the best. They have a great work ethic and a ‘can do’ attitude, ready to provide support wherever needed.”

Charles takes great pride in his work and appreciates that he has an opportunity to help others succeed.

“I enjoy helping our clients find workable logistics solutions and derive great satisfaction from seeing them succeed,” he shared. “If they’re successful, that means we’re successful.”