State of the Port
Business in the Ports of Philadelphia is on the rise on all fronts. That's the key message heard by two hundred twenty-five people at the WTCGP's 3rd Annual State of the Port luncheon on October 15 at the Hyatt Regency at Penn's Landing

After introductions by Joanna Savvides, President, and Manuel Stamatakis, Chairman of the Board of the WTCGP, the four key entities that manage the port of Philadelphia gave an invaluable overview of business development activities.

John Matheussen, CEO of the Delaware River Port Authority, gave an overview of DRPA's activities as a regional transportation and economic development agency, owning and operating Philly's four main bridges, the PATCO high speedline (through a subsidiary), the RiverLink Ferry, the Philadelphia Cruise Terminal Pier 1, and the AmeriPort Intermodal Rail Center. The rail center is a key part of the supporting facilities to shipping in the port. Mr. Matheussen encouraged the audience to sail from Philadelphia next time they take a cruise to the Caribbean, New England or Canada.
www.drpa.org

William McLaughlin III represented the Philadelphia Regional Port Authority, which presides over many of the piers and terminals in the port and is a leader in bringing the Delaware River Channel Deepening Project to fruition. Several new projects are in the works to expand its operations along the Delaware River to meet growing cargo business, including the Southport expansion. That proposal will significantly enlarge the capacity of the port while at the same time accepting Pennsylvania's fair share of the dredged material resulting from the deepening project.
www.philaport.com

Joseph Balzano, Executive Director and CEO of the South Jersey Port Corporation, has been a lifelong advocate of the Port of Camden. The port specializes in handling breakbulk and bulk cargo and also has several projects underway to expand their capabilities, including possible utilization of the former British Petroleum (BP) site in Paulsboro, Gloucester County, NJ.
www.southjerseyport.com

Finally, Charles Isdell, Director of Aviation for the Philadelphia International Airport, described the rise in passenger service over the years and the welcome addition of Southwest Airlines to the airport. John Lindo, Area Marketing Manager for Southwest, also presented at the event. In fact, two Southwest tickets were raffled off at the event.
www.phl.org

With commercial ships and barges moving up river in the background, Joanna Savvides thanked the audience for attending this unique and informative event.

The World Trade Center of Greater Philadelphia provides a world-class portfolio of services that enhances international trade growth and leads the Greater Philadelphia region to economic prosperity.