Former Virginia Port Authority CEO and Executive Director John Reinhart, who is credited with transforming the Port of Virginia from a financial liability into a key economic driver for the state, died Saturday at age 72.
According to his obituary, he died at his Virginia Beach home surrounded by family after a three-year battle with cancer.
Before Reinhart took over the port authority in 2014, the state had considered selling the port after it lost $120 million over five years. But Reinhart restored profitability and led major investments, including a nearly $800 million terminal expansion in Hampton Roads and a $450 million dredging project to create the deepest and widest harbor on the East Coast, which was completed in February…