DIX Industries, a stevedoring, warehousing and logistics firm that got its start at the Port of Brownsville in 1947, is this year’s recipient of the port’s Chairman’s Award in recognition of its accomplishments over the last 75 years.
Brownsville Navigation District Chairman Esteban Guerra presented the award to the company’s president, Lee Ostos, during the port’s annual customer appreciation luncheon on Dec. 8.
“The legacy of a company like DIX Industries is earned and built from the ground up,” Guerra said. “It has been an asset to our local economy since its inception by the Ostos family. From locally grown agricultural products to windmill blades, steel and space project cargo, DIX Industries has been there to connect the Rio Grande Valley with opportunities around the world.”
Ostos’ grandfather, Richard “Dick” Ostos, founded DIX, which employees more than 100 people and serves markets in the United States and Mexico. The company — the oldest full-service stevedoring operation at the port — has 800,000 square feet of warehouse space at the port, twice its original space. In addition to Brownsville and Corpus Christi, the firm maintains offices in Monterrey and Veracruz, Mexico.
The board commemorated the elder Ostos’ contributions to the port in 1996 by renaming the road on the south side of the Brownsville Ship Channel “R.L. Ostos Road.”
The proclamation issued by the BND Board of Commissioners read in part that Ostos “was instrumental in developing connections with citrus packers in Montemorelos, Mexico, and West German importers, which led to millions of cartons of citrus export moving through the port in the 1960s and the export of Texas citrus and Rio Grande Valley vegetables in the 1970s.”
Bob Ostos, Richard’s youngest son and Lee’s father, became president of the company in the late 1970s, while Lee is credited with helping the company “transition with the times” and spearhead the change from its original name, DIX Shipping Company.
He said the port’s continual development of infrastructure such as docks and leased space for warehouses has allows DIX to expand its business. In receiving the award, Ostos said the company looks forward to many more years of doing business at the port.
“This award is a great honor for DIX Industries and is a result of the hard work and dedication from all of our employees,” he said.
The annual Chairman’s Award highlights the achievements of port tenants in business growth, leadership, job creation, customer service, innovation, safety and community involvement. Past recipients include International Shipbreaking Ltd., WestPlains LLC, Welding Works International, Keppel AmFELS and Schaefer Stevedoring.
