Former Port CEO Matthews joins Bowman as VP, Port Assets & Strategic Partnerships

Bowman has appointed Paul Matthews, MBA, CPE, as vice president, port assets & strategic partnership. Paul brings a rare mix of real-world port leadership and relationship building experience that will help shape one of Bowman’s fastest growing service lines.

Having led the Port of South Louisiana, one of the nation’s busiest ports, Paul knows exactly what port directors deal with on a daily basis. In this new role, he’ll help port leaders tackle challenges more efficiently while spearheading digital transformation, backed by a team that applies innovative technology to understands the bigger infrastructure picture. He’ll be drawing heavily on his decades of executive experience at the Port of South Louisiana and Louisiana Gateway Port to help expand Bowman’s work with ports across the country.

“I know what it’s like to manage port operations,” Paul said. “I’ve been in their seat, and I know how much it helps to have a partner who gets it. I’m looking forward to rolling up my sleeves with the Bowman team and delivering solutions to our nation’s ports.

Vijay Agrawal, Bowman’s executive vice president of ports & harbors, emphasized the value of having a former port CEO on the team: “Paul’s background as a port CEO gives him a perspective few in our industry have. He understands the pressures, the stakeholders, the funding realities and the decisions port authorities face. His experience and relationships will accelerate our group’s expansion and our digital services to position Bowman as a top tier service provider in this market.”

During his tenure at the Port of South Louisiana, Paul led several major initiatives that reshaped the port’s progress. He negotiated a $350 million agreement tied to a $6 billion steel processing facility, secured major leases with biofuel and renewable energy companies and oversaw three consecutive years of record operational revenue. He also advanced more than $100 million in capital improvements, elevated the port to the #1 U.S. Foreign Trade Zone ranking in 2024 and consistently brought in state and federal funding—all while driving the port’s first multi-year tonnage growth streak since 2016.