SLSDC 01-02
Thursday, April 11, 2002
Contact: Timothy D. Downey
Tel.: (202)-366-0091
Great Lakes Seaway Ports Earn “Robert J. Lewis Seaway Pacesetter” Awards
Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation (SLSDC)
Administrator Albert S. Jacquez today announced that six Great Lakes ports and
terminals have qualified to receive the prestigious Robert J. Lewis Pacesetter
Award.
“The six ports and terminal that have qualified for this year’s Pacesetter Award showed that excellence in management and operations do reap positive results, and their record international tonnage is a direct reflection of such excellence,” said Administrator Jacquez. “The three ports of Milwaukee, Burns Harbor and Ogdensburg, and three terminals -- Midwest Energy Resources Co., Federal Marine Terminal and Lake Superior Warehousing Co.--all showed improvements, and their impressive performance merit the respect and attention of the entire maritime community.”
The Robert J. Lewis Seaway Pacesetter Award is presented annually to the U.S. Great Lakes Seaway’s ports and port terminals that register increases in international overseas cargo tonnage shipped through the Seaway during the navigation season. Originally known simply as the Pacesetter Award, the name change honors long-time Seaway trade analyst Bob Lewis who passed away in 1999.
During a ceremony today at the Port of Milwaukee, SLSDC Deputy Administrator Craig H. Middlebrook presented the first of the 2001 awards to Milwaukee port leadership and Mayor John Norquist. Milwaukee port officials noted increased grain shipments resulted in 421,974 metric tons of international cargo, a 28 percent increase over last year. The Port of Milwaukee is a five-time winner of the Pacesetter Award.
"Everyone at the Port of Milwaukee is very pleased with the strong growth in Seaway tonnage that we saw last year, especially since the Saint Lawrence Seaway is our major link to international markets," said Milwaukee's municipal port director Ken Szallai.
A recent economic impact analysis conducted by Martin Associates of Lancaster, PA, noted that maritime commerce on the St. Lawrence Seaway System annually generates more than 150,000 U.S. jobs, $4.3 billion in personal income, $3.4 billion in transportation-related business revenue, and $1.3 billion in federal, state, and local taxes.
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