Daniel Inouye: “I have known Robert J. Pfeiffer, the outgoing chairman of the Board of Alexander & Baldwin, Inc. for many years. He is…”

“I have known Robert J. Pfeiffer, the outgoing chairman of the Board of Alexander & Baldwin, Inc. for many years. He is an acknowledged and respected leader in the shipping industry in Hawaii and in our Nation. I wish to join the people of Hawaii in wishing him a happy and rewarding retirement. Bob Pfeiffer was born in Fiji in 1920. As a very young child he came to Hololulu, was educated at McKinley High School and became a deckhand for the Inter-Island Steam Navigation Co., Ltd., of which he later became president. Bob Pfeiffer's career with Alexander & Baldwin [A&B] began in 1956 when he joined its subsidiary, Matson Navigation Co., Inc. Matchinal Corp., a Matson off-shoot, was a stevedoring and terminal company in the San Francisco Bay area, which Bob Pfeiffer joined as vice president and general manager. In 1962 he was promoted to president of Matson Terminals, Inc., another Matson subsidiary. He was appointed Matson president and CEO in 1973; he has served as Matson's chairman continuously since 1979. At Matson, he guided the company through a period of tremendous growth and success and in the process transformed it into one of the world's most efficient, modern ocean transportation companies. Bob Pfeiffer was named to A&B's board of directors in 1978; he was appointed president of A&B the next year. He assumed the posts of chief executive officer and chairman of the board in 1980. Under his leadership, A&B has grown, modernized, and diversified.”