The Port of Ridgefield may not have a seaport, railroad industry, or an airport, but it does have a community-centric project along the Lake River and a new executive director at the helm.
The Port of Ridgefield Board of Commissioners voted unanimously during its regularly scheduled Commission meeting on May 28 to appoint Ethan Perry as Executive Director.
Perry joined the Port in 2017. In his eight years with the Port, he has held the positions of director of operations, deputy director, and since March 2025, interim CEO, a press release by the port stated.
Perry steps into the role as executive director at the young age of 33, making him the youngest public port executive director in the state of Washington, and amongst the youngest in the nation, the release stated.
“No one knows more about the Port than Ethan,” said Commission President Scott Hughes in the press release. “In the eight years he’s been here, he’s done the lion’s share of work on every single project we’ve done, and he shoulders much of the managerial responsibility, too. He’s done a great job, he knows our culture and vision, and he works hard for the Port.”
Perry has lived in the Portland Metropolitan area for the better part of the last decade. He’s a graduate of Washington State University Vancouver. He started with an internship with the Port, and was hired afterwards, he said.
Over his tenure, Perry has led a wide range of economic development and infrastructure projects, including the Wisdom Ridge Business Park, renovations to the Port’s boat launch facilities and construction of the Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife Region 5 Headquarters. He also currently leads the Ridgefield Waterfront Development team, which Perry said may be a career-long project.
“Here we’re going to be focusing on what’s right for Ridgefield,” Perry said while standing on the waterfront property on Thursday, June 5. “Which is why we’re so excited that Palindrome is a good fit. The developer is a great fit for us because they build products that are good for the environment that they’re in.”
He said they have been able to learn a lot from the Vancouver Waterfront development project, a much larger but similar initiative where a once-industrial landscape has been transformed into a hub for people seeking to live, work, and play within a few city blocks.
At the Ridgefield site, Port tenant Pacific Wood Treating shut down in 1993, resulting in over 20 years and $90 million spent on cleaning up the toxic industrial site to prepare it for future environmental and economic health.
The project is slated to bring a hotel, improved park amenities featuring a small amphitheater, and more. The development will include mixed-use buildings with retail on the first floor and residential units above, as well as buildings that are residential-only and feature light industrial or office space, Perry explained.
As for boaters, Perry has sent the developer photos of when the overflow parking is at its limit. On the site plan, a parking lot near the current boat ramp has a visual of regular car parking, but Perry believes that will be an overflow trailer parking option once development takes place.
“We’re still looking at overflow options; however, you know, this development, what you’re seeing here, is not going to happen overnight,” he said. “We’re going to be accommodating as the development continues. This is probably at least a 10-plus year project. … Our busy season here for boating is between now and August then it dies down. Our boat launch sits empty for about nine months of the year, so in those three months we want to make sure that we are accommodating.”
The project is planned to bring in additional day dock facilities for both motorized and non-motorized watercraft to utilize for several hours.
