By Kathleen Dayton
Staff Writer

Pam Zaresk never dreamed her first job in an administrative position would one day place her in the midst of the Sept. 11 terrorist attack and lead her to top management positions at U.S. ports along the East Coast. Today, her boss is the president of the United States.

Zaresk took the helm as area port director of U.S. Customs and Border Protection in Charleston in January 2003 and has guided a staff of more than 100 inspectors, officers and specialists who are charged with overseeing $100 million in trade every day at the nation’s fifth-busiest port.

Zaresk’s next assignment is retirement. She plans to work another year and then take a month-long break before possibly embarking on work as a consultant.

Recently, she sat down with the Business Journal to discuss security at the ports.

CRBJ: What has been the main impact of Sept. 11 on daily operations at the port and in the port industry?

Zaresk: It changed everything, because we became a brand-new organization under the Department of Homeland Security. This organization’s No. 1 priority and emphasis is anti-terrorism. With (U.S.) Customs, there was a certain goal of keeping narcotics and other contraband out, but the consequences were not as immediately devastating and far-reaching as what we have now. You can’t afford to ever kind of take a break from it. I like to tell people, I worry about it so you don’t have to.

CRBJ: As the nation’s fifth-busiest port in terms of container traffic, how vulnerable do you feel Charleston is as a terrorist target?

Zaresk: I think to try to speculate what’s in the mind of a terrorist is probably futile. We know very much that the goal of terrorism is physical impact as well as disrupting trade and doing actual harm and fatalities. When you look at Charleston, with the amount of international trade here…and you’ve got the Naval Weapons Station right down the road, you’ve got the Air Force Base right down the road…how would I rate it as a target? I just couldn’t do that. I think any center of population is vulnerable, but the other thing is, we’re geographically located where, if something comes into Charleston, you can be into the Midwest or up North very quickly, when you look at the road structure. You can look at this as a starting place to go somewhere else.

CRBJ: Terrorism aside, what are some of the other major concerns today in the port environment?

Zaresk: We’re always on the lookout, obviously, for narcotics. There are also a lot of trade issues. I’m sure you’ve seen the concerns about the Chinese products coming in. We’re responsible to make sure we stay on top of that and don’t allow those into the country.

There are issues of intellectual property rights. I’m sure you’ve heard of the raid in the (City) Market on people selling knock-offs. There are agricultural issues. We are responsible for making sure that no pests that might infect our food supply get into the country. There are certain kinds of fruits and vegetables and meats that aren’t allowed in, and, of course, on a routine basis we make sure that people coming into the country are doing so legally. We enforce laws for about 40 different agencies.

CRBJ: What is the challenge of coordinating port security with other law enforcement groups such as the FBI and Coast Guard?

Zaresk: We’re very fortunate here because we have Operation Seahawk, which was an entity established some time ago where we all work together. Everybody sits down every morning and goes over everything that’s expected to come into the port and contributes what they think or what their concerns are, and that happens every day, so it is an excellent environment for sharing information and not stepping on each others’ toes. In many cases, we share resources. It’s a pilot project that has worked out very well and we’re fortunate in Charleston to have it. I think there’s another thing about Charleston—the waterfront here, the carriers that call here, the (South Carolina State Ports Authority)—this is a very cooperative community. It’s much more so than any place I’ve ever worked. We have a lot of organization here, the Maritime Association and others. There’s a lot of cooperation that goes on in Charleston and a lot of community.

CRBJ: What is the most unusual cargo that has ever come through the port?

Zaresk: The most interesting thing, I guess it was one in a million, was the weather balloon that dropped on top of a container while it was at sea. At the port, a port worker noticed it and there was some concern that is was some sort of explosive device. It looked just like that. The port was closed for a couple of hours. It was an excellent example of cooperation of everyone involved at the port.

CRBJ: What was your experience at the port during President Bush’s visit in 2004?

Zaresk: I actually briefed him. It was very interesting in terms of his interest and his ability. He’s a quick person. He doesn’t want to waste any time. He was very nice, but it was scary, because you are briefing your top boss.

Kathleen Dayton is a staff writer for the Business Journal. E-mail her at kdayton@charlestonbusiness.com.

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