Sessions include:

 - "Restoring America's Maritime Workforce: A Case Study from the Port of Tacoma" with Alisa Praskovich of the Port of Tacoma and Kristie Wolford of Maritime 253 Skills Center, Tacoma Public Schools
 - "Amazing Women in the Port Industry" with Susan Dvonch of Shey-Harding Executive Search and Sydney Plante of MARAD
 - "Investing in Communities: Workplace Development and Empowering Innovation" with Michael Walker of STAX

 

Attendees will discover how ports, educational institutions, employers, and community partners are collaborating to build a skilled, diverse, and resilient workforce for the maritime industry's continued growth.

The Mustin Seaplane Hangar Mitigation Project received the 2026 Pennsylvania Historic Preservation Award's Ralph Modjeski Award for Transportation Design, Preservation or Archaeology, recognizing PennDOT, the Pennsylvania Historical & Museum Commission, PhilaPort and project partners. Built in 1943 at the former Philadelphia Naval Shipyard, the hangar was the last surviving WWII-era seaplane hangar at the site and a notable example of structural engineer Anton Tedesko's thin-shell reinforced concrete design. When preservation was no longer feasible, the partners worked with Terracon Consultants to document the hangar through large-format photography, laser scanning, a 3D-printed model, a digital reconstruction video and survey documentation. Those resources are now available online through the Tinicum Township Historical Society, preserving public access to the hangar's history even though the building no longer survives.

The Port of New Orleans (Port NOLA) announced the appointment of Brad Guilmino as Vice President of Finance and Innovative Delivery, where he will lead major capital-project development and focus primarily on delivery of the Louisiana International Terminal (LIT). Guilmino is a Louisiana native with 25 years of financial and infrastructure experience, most recently as co-head of transportation and a director at PFM Financial Advisors, with earlier roles at HNTB Corporation and Citigroup Global Markets. He has executed more than $20 billion in financings as lead underwriter or municipal advisor and holds a Bachelor of Science in Finance from Louisiana State University.

The Port of Galveston is launching its first comprehensive mobility study as part of its 20-Year Strategic Master Plan, examining how people move through the port and surrounding area by car, bus, trolley, bicycle or on foot. The first phase will focus on the area bounded by Galveston Harbor, 14th Street, 33rd Street and Church Street, evaluating transportation conditions and recommending improvements, including better integration of Island Transit, the trolley system and the port's elevated pedestrian walkover at 25th Street. The port has already been awarded nearly $5 million in grant funds to implement road, sidewalk and wayfinding improvements, with work expected to begin this year. The effort builds on existing investments, including a 2-mile internal roadway system and a recently completed traffic study for a potential fifth cruise terminal at Pier 14.

The Port of Long Beach signed a Memorandum of Cooperation with the U.S. Maritime Administration (MARAD) on July 22, 2026, becoming the first U.S. seaport to formalize a partnership with the agency to advance small modular reactor (SMR) technology for powering commercial vessels, ports and other maritime assets. The agreement, which builds on MARAD's May 2026 Request for Information on SMR development, will have the Port and MARAD working with the U.S. Coast Guard, the Department of Energy and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to define operational protocols and safety standards for SMR-powered vessels. The nonbinding agreement does not commit either party to funding, procurement decisions or adoption of any specific technology, and complements the Port's new lease with BlueCore Energy Inc. to assemble, test and store maritime power modules.

The Port of Savannah closed fiscal year 2026 with June volumes of 483,684 TEUs, an 18 percent increase (nearly 73,300 TEUs) over June 2025, bringing total FY2026 volume to 5.67 million TEUs. The Appalachian Regional Port in Northwest Georgia handled a record 49,319 intermodal containers for the year, up 20 percent, while GPA moved 541,405 containers by rail at Mason Mega Rail for the third consecutive year above 500,000. In July, the Georgia Department of Transportation opened the $130 million Brampton Road Connector, linking Garden City Terminal's Gate 3 directly to the interstate system. GPA also signed a five-year extension to its Memorandum of Understanding with the Panama Canal Authority and announced new board appointments, including Martin "Trey" E. Kilpatrick III and Lauren Curry. The Port of Brunswick handled 763,122 units of Roll-on/Roll-off cargo for the year, a 12.4 percent decrease from FY2025 amid challenging global market conditions.