Tenn-Tom To Host 42nd Annual Conference Next Month

Stakeholders of the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway (Tenn-Tom), which connects the Tennessee River at the shared border of Mississippi, Alabama and Tennessee to the Gulf of Mexico at Mobile, Ala., will gather at the Grand Hotel Marriott in Point Clear, Ala., August 14–16 for the 42nd annual Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway Conference. 

As in years past, the three-day event will start with a golf tournament at 10 a.m. August 14 at Lakewood Golf Club, which is part of Alabama’s renowned Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail. Proceeds from both the golf tournament and the silent auction, which will be held the evening of August 15, will benefit the Agnes Zaiontz Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway Transportation Museum and Intermodal Learning Center, named for the long-time office manager of the Tenn-Tom Waterway Development Authority’s headquarters in Columbus, Miss. 

Registration for the conference runs from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. following the golf tournament, with an opening reception at the hotel’s grand ballroom foyer from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. 

Day two of the Tenn-Tom conference will focus on politics, with a presentation from Scott Baum, chief operating officer of SEMPRE, a communications company, and congressional reports from a panel of congressional leaders, including Rep. Robert Aderholt (R-Ala.). 

“Scott is going to speak at a high level about geopolitical issues, mainly focusing on China and Russia, and give us a look at what’s going on in the world and how that might affect business in the United States,” said Mitch Mays, administrator of the Tenn-Tom Waterway Development Authority and president of the Tenn-Tom Waterway Development Council. 

Following the congressional panel, Joe Bastardi, co-chief forecaster at WeatherBell Analytics, will look at weather patterns for the Southeast and how that could impact the four -states that make up the Tenn-Tomb compact: Alabama, Kentucky, Mississippi and Tennessee. Attendees will also hear from Bill Renick, who serves on the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) board of directors. 

Afternoon sessions on August 15 will begin with a panel discussion focused on developing a fishing economy on the Tennessee River, including the effort to draw more fishing tournaments to the river. 

“This is going to be a presentation by the Tennessee Department of Tourism,” Mays said. “Tennessee has what they call ‘Fish Tennessee,’ and they’re promoting recreational and competition fishing on all the lakes and waterways in Tennessee. They also have a partnership with Bill Dance to help design features in lakes and rivers to attract more fishing.” 

Day two sessions will finish with a presentation from Jeanette Goldsmith of Strategic Development Group on economic development strategies for port sites; a discussion by Jen Armstrong, director of government relations for Waterways Council Inc., on the status of the nation’s inland waterway infrastructure and future Water Resources Development Act initiatives; and an in-depth look at the response and repair work this spring following the miter sill failure at Demopolis Lock. The panel focused on Demopolis Lock will feature Nelson Sanchez, operations division chief for the Mobile Engineer District, along with representatives from R&D Maintenance and J.F. Brennan Company. 

Dinner that night will feature entertainment by comedian Rik Roberts. 

Day three morning sessions will begin with a presentation by Errin Howard, program director of We Work the Waterways, a maritime, shipping and logistics education outreach program that’s part of Inland Rivers, Ports and Terminals Inc. 

Conference attendees will then hear an update from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers commanders and project leaders connected to the Tenn-Tom, including Col. Jeremy Chapman, commander of the Mobile District; Sanchez; Justin Murphree, operations project manager of the Tenn-Tom Waterway; Anthony Perkins, operations project manager of the Black Warrior-Tombigbee Waterway; and Lt. Col. Robert Green, commander of the Nashville Engineer District. 

Mays said he expects recent emergency lock closures on the Black Warrior-Tombigbee—the four-month closure at Demopolis in the spring and the ongoing closure at Holt Lock—will be a major point of discussion, along with planned closures on the Tenn-Tom later this year. 

“We’ve had a rough go of it on the Tenn-Tom and Warrior-Tom this year,” Mays said. “It’s had a tremendous effect on business and industry. It’s been an absolute disruption, particularly when you’re talking about Holt and all the coal that’s cut off from barge transportation. There’s not enough rail and trucks to move all the coal that needs to be moved. That’s why they have to be able to ship by water.” 

The conference will then conclude with a report from the U.S. Coast Guard. 

Conference details, including both online and mail-in registration forms, are available at www.tenntom.org.