The University of Houston – C.T. Bauer College of Business recently gathered together industry leaders, students and Port Houston members at the Bauer Supply Chain Fall 2016 Symposium.
This year’s symposium, centered around the theme “Port of Houston: Preparing for the New Panama Canal,” provided a discussion forum for the local Houston community on important industry topics.
The symposium was also attended by select Bauer students who were given the opportunity for professional networking during the event.
The event was kicked off by Port Houston Trade Development Manager Ricardo Arias, who discussed the recent expansion of the Panama Canal and how it has affected the port. By allowing larger vessels to move through the canal on their way to Houston, the port has become more of an option for international businesses.
Other Port Houston leadership, like Senior Trade Development Manager Will Whitehouse, discussed the advantages of the ports location in one of the most dynamic cities in the U.S. “The city did a great job after the 1980’s diversifying the businesses here,” Whitehouse said. “Even though we are still very much heavily oil and gas reliant, we have finance, we have IT, we have medical. So our economy stays strong even if one of those sectors dips down.”
Ryan Mariacher, Bayport Container Terminal Director, used the symposium to discuss how Houston’s hardworking industries make it a reliable stop for international business. “One o the biggest things that we can sell is stability, consistency and efficiency … We don’t have work slow downs, we don’t have work stoppages and we run at high productivity all the time.”