(The following story by Kelly Kearsley appeared on The News Tribune website on April 30, 2009.)
TACOMA, Wash. — Railroad and terminal operator executives at the annual Port of Tacoma breakfast Wednesday morning praised the port for being “forward-looking.”
The executives participated in a panel discussion regarding the challenges of the current economy on the port industry.
“The Port of Tacoma is constantly looking forward,” said John Kaiser, vice president and general manager of marketing and intermodal sales with the Union Pacific Railroad.
Kaiser told a packed conference room at the Hotel Murano that the Tacoma port is one of the most forward-looking ports.
His comment was part of an answer to a question about the port’s Maytown property – a now defunct project with its share of critics.
The port bought the property in Thurston County in 2006 to use as a rail yard and staging area for trains coming into Tacoma, but opposition derailed the proposal and the property is now for sale.
Other panelists and the keynote speaker, Walter Kemmsies, chief economist for Moffatt & Nichol, also complimented the Tacoma port for its long view when it comes to planning and for outperforming in a downturn.
Moffatt & Nichol provides engineering and consulting to maritime and transportation industries.
One panelist jokingly noted that “down is the new up” when it comes to cargo volume.
Tim Farrell, the port’s executive director and also a panelist, agreed, saying he’d never thought he’d be happy to say that container volume was down 3.3 percent (last year) and more than 14 percent (year-to-date). But, he said, it’s the best on the West Coast and outperforms East Coast ports.