Waterways Symposium Set For St. Louis, November 2–4
Returning to an in-person format after being virtual last year, the 2021 Waterways Symposium will be held November 2–4 in St. Louis, Mo., at the Live! by Loews Hotel at the Ballpark.
This year’s symposium will cover a variety of waterway transportation issues, including the geopolitical economic outlook, waterways resilience, energy policy, and the commodity outlook relating to waterway transportation.
The event is cosponsored by Waterways Council Inc. and The Waterways Journal.
The symposium kicks off on November 2 with a buffet breakfast, followed by a meeting of the National Waterways Foundation (limited to trustees and invited guests). The Waterways Council annual meeting and board of directors meeting will take place that afternoon, and there will be an opening reception that evening from 5–6:30 p.m.
On November 3, following a buffet breakfast, WCI Chairman Matt Ricketts, president of Crounse Corporation, will give opening remarks, followed by a presentation entitled “Geopolitical Change and the Continued Resilience of our Nation’s Inland Waterways,” by Rodger Baker, senior vice president of Strategic Analysis for RANE Network.
The theme of resilience will carry over into the next presentation, by Craig Phillip and Janey Camp of Vanderbilt University, who will discuss their recent Inland Waterways Resilience Case Study.
The morning will wrap up with talks by Michael Seyfert, president of the National Grain & Feed Association, and Col. Kevin Golinghorst, commander of the St. Louis Engineer District. The luncheon keynote speaker is Nathan Gonzalez, editor and publisher of Inside Elections.
Edward Belk Jr., programs manager for the Mississippi Valley Engineer Division, will lead off the afternoon session with updates on the Navigation-Ecosystem Sustainability Program (NESP), Mississippi River dredging and infrastructure. Then, following a break, Jake Brodbeck of ADM and Kristin Beck of LafargeHolcim will take part in a commodities panel, exploring “What’s Moving on the Waterways. The panel will be moderated by Ken Eriksen of IHS Markit.
Closing remarks will be presented by Tracey Zea, WCI president and CEO.
That evening a reception and dinner will be held at the Champion’s Club inside of Busch Stadium. The symposium will close with a buffet breakfast on November 4.
For information, visit WCI’s website, www.waterwayscouncil.org, or call 202, 765-2166.
