Griffin to be honored by Reno chamber

Jeff Griffin, a leader of the logistics industry in northern Nevada and a former mayor of Reno, will be recognized Wednesday by the Reno Sparks Chamber of Commerce.

Griffin will receive the Raymond I. Smith Civic Leader of the Year Award during the chamber's annual chair luncheon. It begins at 11:30 a.m. at the Eldorado Resort and Casino.

Moving to Reno in 1975, Griffin launched Mountain Air Delivery, a company that later grew into Griffin Transport Services. Now known as Griffin Global Logistics, it's the largest international transportation services company in Nevada. Griffin also worked to establish a foreign trade zone in the Truckee Meadows and helped form the Center for Logistics Management at the University of Nevada, Reno.

Griffin served two terms as mayor of Reno, beginning with his election in 1995.

Also scheduled during Wednesday's luncheon is installation of the 2010 chamber chair, Mary Simmons, an executive of NV Energy. She succeeds Ralph Hartmann of Hartmann & Associates.

Keynote speaker for the event is Billy Vassiliadis, chief executive officer of R&R Partners.