Port Corpus Christi Welcomes Participants to the 2012 Texas Ports & Waterways Conference
Corpus Christi, Texas- Port Corpus Christi Commission and staff welcome the delegates from Texas Ports to the 2012 Texas Ports & Waterways Conference. The Conference will be held at the Omni Bayfront Hotel in Corpus Christi, August 1-3, 2012.
The conference is designed to allow time for networking and for interaction with speakers, starting with the welcoming reception hosted by the Texas Ports Association and the Texas Waterways Operators Association. The Port of Corpus Christi is hosting a night of entertainment at the ballpark on August 2 at Whataburger Field to watch the Corpus Christi Hooks take on the San Antonio Missions. Corpus Christi Hooks is ranked number 1 in its division. Reception is scheduled to start at 6:00 p.m.
The 2012 Texas Ports & Waterways Conference is organized by the Texas Transportation Institute. It focuses on providing practical information for port authorities, engineers, consultants, government officials and others who deal with the development and management of port facilities in Texas. The program includes the following speakers: Jim Kruse, Director, Center for Ports & Waterways, Texas Transportation Institute at Texas A&M University; Col. Christopher W. Sallese, District Engineer, Galveston District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Raul Cantu, Multimodal Section, Transportation Planning and Programming Division, Texas Department of Transportation, Gus de la Rosa, International Relations Office, Texas Department of Transportation, Captain Randal Ogrydziak, United States Coast Guard Sector Corpus Christi Deputy Commander, Katie Turnbull, Executive Associate Agency Director, Texas Transportation Institute, Thomas Tunstall, Director of the Center for Community and Business Research at the UTSA Institute for Economic Development, Matt Woodruff, Kirby Corporation, Spencer Chambers, Port of Houston Authority, Rob Harrison, Center for Transportation Research, University of Texas at Austin, Brian Hill, U.S. Maritime Administration, Houston Gateway Office, U.S Cong. Blake Farenthold, TX-27 and Texas Sen. Juan "Chuy" Hinojosa, Texas Senate District 20.
About Port Corpus Christi
As the primary economic engine of the Coastal Bend, Port Corpus Christi is the fifth largest port in the United States in total tonnage. The Port’s mission is to “serve as a regional economic development catalyst while protecting and enhancing its existing industrial base and simultaneously working to diversify its international maritime cargo business.” Strategically located on the western Gulf of Mexico, with a straight 45’ deep channel, (with a channel improvement project permitted and authorized to 52’) the Port provides quick access to the Gulf and the entire United States inland waterway system. The Port delivers outstanding access to overland transportation with on-site and direct connections to three Class-1 railroads and uncongested interstate and state highways. The Port is protected by a state-of-the-art security department and an award-winning Environmental Management System. With outstanding management and operations staff, Port Corpus Christi is clearly “More Than You Can Sea.”