2007 Ohio Conference on Freight
September 17 & 18, Toledo OH
Ohio's first ever conference on freight will be held September 17 and 18 at the Park Inn in Toledo, Ohio. The conference is presented by the Toledo Metropolitan Area Council of Governments (TMACOG ) with the support of State Host Sponsor, the Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority.
This conference will bring together transportation professionals and economic development interests in a comprehensive review of challenges and opportunities in the freight and transportation logistics industry. Topics addressed by keynote speakers and in workshop sessions will include information on public/private partnerships, planning for freight movement, security concerns including border crossings, and recent innovations in freight handling.
For more information or to register for the 2007 Ohio Conference on Freight, log on to www.tmacog.org and follow the links.
The day-and-a-half conference will begin on Monday afternoon, September 17, 2007. The Honorable James Oberstar (D-MN), chairman of the U.S. House of Representatives Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, has been invited to give Monday's keynote presentation. The presentation at lunch on Tuesday, September 18 is by Collister "Terry" Johnson, Jr. , Administrator, Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation, U.S. Department of Transportation.
The program for Monday afternoon includes tours of northwest Ohio freight facilities. A boat tour will review Toledo's Marina District, the new Veterans' Glass City Skyway, the Port Authority's General Cargo Center, and grain elevators at bulk unloading facilities. A second tour at Toledo Express Airport will explore the BAX Global facility which processes an average volume of 350 million to 500 million pounds of freight annually.
The program on Tuesday, September 18 includes a plenary session on site selection and the freight planning process, followed by extensive workshops and discussion groups. Agencies contributing to presentations include: Canada Border Services Agency, Federal Highway Administration, Greater Columbus Chamber of Commerce, Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission, National Association of Regional Councils, Norfolk Southern Railroad, Ohio Department of Transportation, Ohio Rail Development Commission, Regional Growth Partnership, United States Department of Homeland Security, and University of Toledo Intermodal Transportation Institute.
Additional sponsorship and support for the 2007 Ohio Conference on Freight is provided by: Ohio Department of Transportation ( ODOT ), Ohio Rail Development Commission ( ORDC ), ThyssenKrupp, Eastman Smith, Midwest Terminals, The Andersons, Toledo Trucking Association, BGSU Canadian Studies, and Ohio Council of Port Authorities.
For more information, please contact Mary Pat McCarthy of Toledo Metropolitan Area Council Of Governments.