End Users '20 under 40' 2016—Eric Napralla

Eric Napralla, 35

Senior maritime projects manager, Port of Oakland

Oakland, Calif.

Eric Napralla, senior maritime projects manager for the Port of Oakland, said that he developed “a love for the maritime industry” after joining the Coast Guard in 2001, shortly after 9/11.

The Port of Oakland is the second port Napralla has worked with following the end of his enlistment; the first was the Port of Redwood City in California. “It's always kind of been where my passion is, and security is near-and-dear to my heart.”

Napralla joined the Port of Oakland as its maritime security projects administrator. He then began managing a $20 million portfolio of maritime security projects, including expanding fiber optic networks, security cameras, security systems and access control. Additionally, he focused on regulatory requirements “as well as heavily tracking federal and state programs, which finance the bulk of our initiatives,” Napralla said.

He held this role for four years, from 2011 to 2015, before rising to his current role. He is still overseeing many of the initiatives that were under his previous role's purview, he said.

Funding limitations are a challenge when it comes to physical security, he noted.

Napralla said that the Port of Oakland is interested in a reliable analytics program that would suit the large geographic footprint of the port. “We have a � rapidly changing environment,” he said. “It's not a one-size, out of the box, fits-all security solution here in Oakland. We've really had to focus on applying different types of camera and analytic technologies in different areas. It's been a learning experience.”

The port operates about 150 cameras around the location, primarily focused on securing the perimeter, and its own 24/7 monitoring center, according to Napralla.