FreightWeekSTL Showcases Supply Chains

FreightWeekSTL will bring together those interested in learning about how freight moves by river, rail and road and through the manufacturing process June 8–12 in St. Louis, Mo.

The annual conference, hosted by the St. Louis Regional Freightway, is designed with both in-person and online educational sessions and panel discussions, along with multiple tour options for those attending in person.

Mary Lamie, executive vice president – multimodal enterprises for BiState Development, oversees the conference. This year’s theme of “Delivering Global Access” captures the St. Louis region’s unique ability to connect businesses to the global market due to its strategic location in the center of the country and on the Mississippi River, combined with its multimodal infrastructure, she said.

The conference is designed to have broad appeal but will be of particular interest to those in logistics and transportation, shippers and carriers, along with those in economic development, manufacturing or those with an interest in learning how supply chains work, Lamie said. She also invited educators, noting the importance of communicating the availability of the high-paying jobs in these sectors to the workforce of the future.

“It’s an opportunity to have real conversations, share ideas and stay on top of where the industry is headed,” Lamie said.

The conference is a great place to meet key industry contacts across multiple transportation modes as well as in manufacturing and to learn from nationally recognized speakers, she said. She added that FreightWeek STL aims to offer a dynamic, fun and informative experience.

“The conference includes discussions on timely and important topics such as workforce pathways, infrastructure investment, supply chain resilience and regional competitiveness, all issues that are shaping the future of the nation’s supply chain and the industry, and it’s a unique opportunity to see how the St. Louis region collaborates to set infrastructure priorities,” Lamie said. “The caliber and the national influence of our speakers reflect the strength of the partnerships and relationships involved and highlight how the region is helping shape the nation’s supply chain.”

Lamie highlighted some of the conference’s key events.

The conference has partnered with Waterways Council, Inc., and the Corps of Engineers for a daylong tour for legislators and their staff titled “Gateway Connections — River, Road and Rail in Real Life.” Deb Calhoun, senior vice president of Waterways Council Inc., Angela Grett, vice president of corporate affairs for Ingram Marine Group and Frank Prentiss, commercial vice president for Ingram Infrastructure Group, are featured speakers. The tour will visit Ingram Barge Company’s terminal facilities along with Mel Price Locks and Dam to help help those attending gain a better understanding of the value of the inland waterways, the businesses operating on them and their interconnectivity with other modes of freight transportation.

On June 10, the conference’s 2026 Freight Summit, titled “Investing in Our Inland Waterways: Strengthening Freight Competitiveness,” has a new setting aboard the Tom Sawyer riverboat, a replica 19th-century paddlewheel riverboat that will be moored in front of the Gateway Arch.

“It’s just a memorable way to bring our guests directly to the heart of global commerce,” Lamie said. “The setting reinforces our theme, giving participants the opportunity to see firsthand how our region connects to the nation’s supply chain while hearing from leaders who are actively shaping its future.”

The session includes a catered luncheon and features the release of the St. Louis Regional Freightway’s 2027 Priority Projects List, which is used to advocate for support and funding for infrastructure improvements in the St. Louis region in both Missouri and Illinois. The keynote address will be from Tracy Zea, president and CEO of Waterways Council, Inc.

On June 11, the Ag Coast of America Riverboat Tour, which Lamie called one of the most unique experiences of the conference, will take passengers aboard the Tom Sawyer on a narrated tour of the Mississippi River, providing a firsthand look at the region’s multimodal freight network and the assets that position St. Louis as a global logistics hub, she said.

“We’ll see major barge terminals that are operated by companies like Bunge, Cargill, Consolidated Grain and Barge and Louis Dreyfus,” she said. Industry representatives from Ingram Infrastructure Group, ABNA Engineering, Terminal Railroad Association of St. Louis, Watco and the St. Louis Development Corporation will be on board to provide insight on career opportunities in the freight and logistics industries. Thirty educators have also been invited on board.

Lamie also highlighted presentations from J.P. Keating, managing partner at proChainVentures, an investor in supply chain companies; Panos Kouvelis, the Emerson Distinguished Professor of Supply Chain, Operations and Technology at the Olin Business School at Washington University of St. Louis and director of the Boeing Center for Supply Chain Innovation; and Ken Eriksen, managing member and strategic adviser for Polaris Analytics & Consulting, who will discuss the forces shaping today’s agriculture markets and freight movement.

Some other sessions are likely to be of particular interest to those in the river industry. “Building the Waterways Workforce” features Errin Howard of We Work The Waterways and Dawn Lopez of Associated Terminals and Turn Services. A session titled “Behind The Barges: How the Mississippi River Stays Open For Commerce,” brings together Randy Chamness of American Commercial Barge Line and Bradley Krischel from the Corps of Engineers.

“They are going to offer insight into how the private sector and federal partners collaborate to keep freight moving safely and reliably on the Mississippi River,” Lamie said. “This session, I think, is particularly compelling because it highlights the constant coordination required to navigate and to maintain navigation and system resilience. Mother Nature and challenges like extreme weather and river conditions can’t always be controlled, but there are tools and technologies and strategies being developed to manage those risks. That collaboration between the barge industry and the Corps is amazing, and it’s helping to support shippers and carriers.”

Those interested in signing up for any of the tours or online or in-person sessions may do so at https://freightweekstl.com/. While some events have limited space and require pre-registration and some, like the luncheon, have separate fees, Lamie noted that many of the sessions are free to enhance their accessibility for those interested in the topics.