AAPA Maritime Economic Development Chair Amy Miller, President & CEO of the Port of Pensacola, authors “The Art of Business Development,” an article outlining the fine points of developing a sales and marketing strategy. Miller says, “The successful port business developer must be part Ron Popeil, part Fred Trump and part Josh Flagg (or Altman). That is to say, part skilled and convincing pitchman, part shrewd property and asset developer, and part savvy closer.” With so much at stake, port business developers can’t afford to miss an opportunity to brush up their skills and network with their colleagues at the AAPA Business Development Workshop.

Attracting Chief Commercial Officers from ports throughout the continent, AAPA’s Business Development Workshop is filling up quickly. Be sure to join your colleagues for this day-long event at Port Houston to focus on business negotiations, corporate diplomacy and data sharing and storytelling.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is awarding a Diesel Emissions Reduction Act (DERA) Clean Diesel Funding Assistance Program grant totaling $400,000 to the Alabama State Port Authority in Mobile, Ala., to support efforts to reduce diesel emissions and exposure by replacing one 1982 locomotive with a Tier IV locomotive engine. The first phase of work on the South End Container Terminal extension, which involves dredging of soft material that has accumulated over time, at the Port of Halifax is well underway; the first phase of the project is over 50% complete.

This year, Western Hemisphere Ports Day will take place on April 5, 2019, and we will celebrate the skill, professionalism and commitment of the port industry workforce. Our workforce comprises thousands of people who ensure that cargo and passengers move efficiently through our ports every day. Join us and our Ports Day supporters TransPorts and Lamar University in saluting our ports and its workforce! Share with us what you have planned and we will share it with the industry; contact AAPA's Andrew Cameron (acameron@aapa-ports.org) for more information.

Close to 100 cruise professionals met in Miami February 20-21, for the biennial conference on cruise issues, organized by the AAPA Cruise Committee. It included speakers and moderators from all four AAPA delegations. Participants heard from a wide array of speakers from cruise lines to experts on cruise facility design. Attendees acknowledged the leadership of Steve Cernak, PE, PPM, Chief Executive/Port Director of Port Everglades, who received the 2019 AAPA Cruise Award. AAPA was also honored to have Gonzalo Mortola, President of the Port of Buenos Aires and representative of the Interamerican Committee of Ports of the OAS, give the keynote address.

The Port of Vancouver USA welcomed the M/V Gallop, commanded by Capt. Choi Jung-Hoon of South Korea, on its maiden voyage to the U.S. Feb. 28. Giant cranes bound for the Northwest Seaport Alliance are heading through the Puget Sound. A picture portfolio on social media will capture the voyage.

Congratulations to the new members of the PPM® Class of 2023. The PPM® is an unparalleled industry certification designed to shape the future of port leadership and enhance port management professionalism. This is the 5th cohort to go through the PPM® program together as a class. The new candidates will kick off their program at the May 6-10 Executive Management Conference in Rancho Bernardo.