Commission & Staff
The Port of Ridgefield is governed by a three-member Board of Commissioners, one from each of the three Port Districts. Commissioners are elected by voters to six-year terms with only one board position coming before the voters in any given year.
The Commission sets policy, liaisons with other elected officials, authorizes major expenditures, conducts public meetings and appoints an Executive Director who is responsible for management leadership and the day-to-day operations of the Port.
 | Commissioner R. Bruce Wiseman, Port District #1 Email: bwiseman@portridgefield.org
Commissioner Wiseman was first appointed to the Port Commission in October of 1998 and was elected to serve a six-year term in November of that same year. Before becoming a member of the Port Commission Bruce spent 30 years with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and at the time of his retirement was Project Leader for the Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge. As owner of “The Tree Wisemans", a Ridgefield Christmas tree farm, Bruce claims “I’ve never met a tree I didn’t like…” and that must be true, he’s been succussfully managing the business for nearly 30 years. As a volunteer, Bruce has donated his time to numerous civic groups and other organizations such as the Ridgefield School District, Little League, Ridgefield 4th of July Committee, Ridgefield Lions, Boosters Clubs, Chamber of Commerce and the Vancouver Lake Watershed Partnership. At the Port he takes special interest is environmental matters, especially with regard to the Wildlife Refuge and the Port's environmental cleanup of the Lake River Industrial Site. He and his wife Nicki have raised 5 daughters in the Ridgefield area and have 11 grandchildren. All five of the children graduated from Ridgefield High School and all but one still live in the Ridgefield Port District. He and Nicki are both graduates of RHS and Washington State University-Pullman. |
 | Commissioner Scott Hughes, Port District # 2 Board Chairman for 2012
Email: shughes@portridgefield.org
Commissioner Hughes moved to Ridgefield from Hazel Dell in 1993 and in 1999 purchased Ridgefield True Value Hardware. He still owns and operates the store which is a Ridgefield ‘landmark’. Scott also has enjoyed a successful career in the insurance industry. He has been active with the Ridgefield Business Association and served 3 years on the Ridgefield Planning Commission including a term as commission chairman. Scott has also been a long time regular attendee at Port public meetings offering input and feedback as well as volunteering his time and energy to numerous Port events. Commissioner Hughes and his wife Cathy, have two sons who also live in Ridgefield and a daughter at home who is a sophomore at Ridgefield High. He is a University of Portland graduate and also holds an MBA from Washington State University. |
 | Commissioner D. Joe Melroy, Port District #3
Email: jmelroy@portridgefield.org
Commissioner Melroy was elected to the Port Commission in 1998. Joe Melroy is a long time resident of Ridgefield, having relocated to the area in 1968 from San Diego where he was attending college. Shortly after moving to Ridgefield, Joe formed On-site Roll Forming and successfully operated the company for nearly thirty years. While running his company, Joe and his wife Barbara also raised five children, all of whom attended Ridgefield public schools and with the exception of one, still remain in the Ridgefield area along with 9 grandchildren also attending Ridgefield schools. During this same period (Joe is not one to rest on his laurels, he doesn’t have the time!), Joe is active with civic groups such as Spudder Boosters Club, Ridgefield 4th of July Committee, Little League Baseball, Chamber of Commerce, Ridgefield Business Association, the Lions Club and holds the distinction of having Chaired that organization. Additionally, Joe held a seat on the Ridgefield Planning Commission and remains active today with Growth Management Act planning while continuing to devote time to various groups and other interests which include the redevelopment of the Ridgefield waterfront. |
 | Brent Grening, Executive Director
Email: bgrening@portridgefield.org
Bringing nearly two decades of experience with him, Brent Grening was appointed Executive Director of the Port in March of 1998. Prior to accepting his position with the Port of Ridgefield, Brent served as Executive Director of the Tri-County Economic Development District in northeast Washington State and as Manager of Business Development for the Snohomish County Washington Economic Development Council. He is also a past chairman and treasurer of the Washington State Association of Economic Development Councils. He currently serves on the Board of Directors at the Columbia River Economic Development Council, the Public Affairs Committee at the Greater Vancouver Chamber of Commerce, the City of Ridgefield's Design Committee and is actively involved in the Washington Public Ports Association. Brent is a third generation Washingtonian originally from the Seattle area. Brent and his wife Paige have one child attending Ridgefield schools. He holds a Masters degree in Urban Planning from the University of Washington. |
 | Bill Eling, Port Counsel
Email: beling@portofridgefield.org
A lifelong Clark County resident, Bill Eling has served as the Port's general legal counsel for more than 25 years. He is a graduate of the University of Washington School of Law and Gonzaga University. Bill was recently appointed as counsel for the Port of Klickitat and has served as the city attorney for the Cities of Woodland and Bingen. He is a member of the Washington State Association of Municipal Attorneys and the Washington Public Port Association. Bill's parents owned and operated a business in Ridgefield until their retirement and his grandfather taught shop at Ridgefield High.
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Administration Staff
Office 360.887.3873. Fax: 360.887.3403
Administrative Office Hours:
Monday - Friday
8:00 AM - 12:00 PM
1:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Postal Address:
Port of Ridgefield
PO Box 55
Ridgefield, WA 98642
Physical Delivery Address (UPS/FedEx):
Port of Ridgefield
111 West Division St.
Ridgefield, WA 98642
Management Team
PWT Environmental Cleanup Staff
Karl Jolin, Remediation Project Manager
Email: kjolin@portridgefield.org
To contact the Remediation Staff directly, please call 360.887.4700, fax 360.887.4997