President’s Message

FROM THE PRESIDENT’S DESK: Revolutionary Ideas Shaping the Future of Ports By Kurt J. Nagle As I reached out to Siri the other day for directions to a meeting, I was stunned by how quickly “she” knew what I was asking and spit out the directions. After I arrived without incident to my destination, I was struck by how much ...

After more than 34 years of service to the port industry, long-time president and CEO of AAPA, Kurt J. Nagle, is retiring. * By Shani Calvo * After more than 34 years of service to the port industry, long-time president and CEO of AAPA, Kurt Nagle, is retiring. Kurt began his work at AAPA in 1985 as the membership services ...

s issue of Seaports magazine is devoted to looking at the various aspects of workforce development including professional development.

There is no shortage of challenges, uncertainties and unknowns on the horizon; however, there is one thing I do know. AAPA’s core mission of connecting and informing seaports is unchanged.

FROM THE PRESIDENT’S DESK: Ports Behind the Scenes *  By Kurt J. Nagle, President & CEO, American Association of Port Authorities * As public port authorities, AAPA’s members are highly visible organizations. First, they are government agencies, which means they operate in the full sunlight of open meetings, live webcasts, public hearings and other opportunities for members of the public to ...

FROM THE PRESIDENT’S DESK: A Pause in Peak Season Right now, AAPA’s members are in the midst of what has traditionally been “peak season” for ports. While consumers everywhere lament the arrival of retail holiday decorations at earlier and earlier dates each year, what they don’t realize is that the holiday season begins at ports while summer is still on ...

FROM THE PRESIDENT’S DESK: Excellence Is a Journey, Not a Destination * By Kurt J. Nagle, President & CEO, American Association of Port Authorities * In the last issue of Seaports magazine, AAPA reported on the phenomenal cargo growth underway at Western Hemisphere ports, with new records being set for many member ports on a regular basis. One of the ...

FROM THE PRESIDENT’S DESK: The Thrill of Shattering Records We are seeing a lot of exciting superlatives at AAPA headquarters as our members’ cargo and cruise levels return to or far exceed pre-recession levels. In many cases, ports are announcing that they are setting records for the organization in its history. Business these days is booming. By Kurt J. Nagle, ...

FROM THE PRESIDENT’S DESK: About Those Eggs in That Basket … Eggs in baskets call to mind spring instead of winter, but the metaphor for diversification is one everyone knows – regardless of the season. The idiom “don’t put all your eggs in one basket” typically calls to mind the importance of protecting from risk. It is generally seen as a ...

FROM THE PRESIDENT’S DESK: Ports Focus on the Future — To be at a port is to witness motion. Vehicles and equipment, people and cargo, ocean waves and coastal animals…there is always something or someone moving at a port. While ports themselves remain fixed in place, many for hundreds of years and often despite weather events that can damage facilities, ...