Lower Mississippi Port Directors Speak On ‘Unifying’ Voice

The last session of the day on October 1 during the American Association of Port Authorities convention in New Orleans saw the executive directors of five ports on the Lower Mississippi River speak on the importance of speaking with one voice. The panel was hosted by Chet Chiasson, executive director of Port Fourchon, who invited panelists to introduce themselves.

Julia Fisher-Cormier, executive director of the Port of South Louisiana, said she had been in the position for only 10 months, but before that, she served in several roles, having been appointed by Gov. Jeff Landry as chair of the Louisiana Ports and Waterways Investment Commission, overseeing the development of the state’s first-ever statewide strategic investment plan for Louisiana’s 32 ports. Fisher-Cormier also served as deputy secretary of the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development, leading the newly created Office of Transformation, overseeing initiatives to cut red tape, modernize operations and improve fiscal efficiency. She pointed out that 60 percent of the nation’s grain exports move through the port, which embraces three parishes and has about 100,000 people.

Beth Branch, executive director of the Port of New Orleans, moved there from Alabama, which has one state port on the Gulf Coast at Mobile and a few inland ports, to a state with 32 port districts.

Bo Etheridge, executive director of the Plaquemines, Port Harbor and Terminal District (also known as the Gateway Port), called himself the “newbie” of the group, noting he had been in office for only six weeks.

Drew Heaphy, executive director of the St. Bernard Port, Harbor and Terminal District, was appointed in 2017, but his career with the port goes back 23 years. He said his port specializes in bulk and project cargoes.

Finally, Jay Hardman, executive director of the Port of Baton Rouge, noted that Baton Rouge is the sixth largest port in the country by tonnage. Hardman is set to retire in December.

Chiasson asked the port leaders to talk about what they’ve done to increase cooperation. He said these leaders have always kept in close touch, speaking to each other monthly. “What the commission did was formalize that collaboration,” he said.

Fisher-Cormier offered a mild qualification, saying that, in the past, Louisiana’s ports had often competed against each other for federal grants, resulting in denials from the Maritime Administration. “We saw the commission as a directive to us,” she said. “If we want to compete with other states, we have to show our work — not just tell about it.”

Branch agreed, saying the mission of all the ports is to drive economic development and prosperity for the whole state. “Taken together, we form the largest port complex in the world,” she said. “How do we deliver that message to potential customers?”

Hardman referred to the recent joint marketing study undertaken by the five ports together. Fisher-Cormier said international trade missions to the region “look a lot different than they did five years ago. We have more synergy than we realize!”

When asked what barriers to further progress remain, Hardman said that structuring funding is still an issue.

Branch noted that Louisiana’s ports today will often refer queries to each other, based on their specialties. She said that never happened at her previous position at the port of Oakland, Calif. “I never said, ‘Call Los Angeles or Long Beach.’ We have a lot of business lines here at the Port of New Orleans, but I will never cannibalize anyone else’s cargo. Our ports do have some overlap with each other, but it’s all about how we grow new markets.”

“How can other port groupings do what you’re doing?” Chiasson asked. “We are DOA (dead on arrival) unless we cooperate, including across state lines,” Branch said. “Houston attracts large cruise vessels, but those cruises make more than one stop. All our channels need to be dredged. About 17,000 ships a year pass through Plaquemines.”

Fisher-Cormier concluded, “I’m proud of our group and our state” for their example of collaboration.