I. Economist presents Alaska economic update

Alaska is weathering the current economy fairly well, due largely to the state’s heavy involvement in oil and government employment, said Alaska economist Neal Fried at a recent Tacoma Transportation Club meeting. Some sectors, such as the cruise industry, are experiencing downturns this year and last, but anticipate an upturn next year when a passenger tax will be reduced. Given the federal moratorium on offshore drilling and BP’s difficulties in the Gulf of Mexico, Fried predicts growth in employment is likely to slow down. For details, see Fried’s presentation online at http://issuu.com/portoftacoma/docs/alaska_economy_2010 .

II. Tacoma’s trade stats: international containers down, domestic up

The Port’s year-to-date trade stats through May show intermodal lifts up slightly, while international container volumes remain down. Domestic container volumes are up about 5 percent. Export logs, once a major cargo for the Port, are seeing a resurgence. Nearly 23,000 tons of logs have been exported from the Port’s log-handling facility on the Hylebos Waterway during the first five months of 2010. See more trade stats online at http://portoftacoma.com/Page.aspx?nid=155.

III. AAPA workshop includes focus on TIGER II grant writing

There is still time to register for the Maritime Economic Development Workshop “Attracting Funds for Port-Related Infrastructure” presented by the American Association of Port Authorities (AAPA). The workshop is July 13 to 14 at the Hotel Murano in Tacoma. It includes a grant writing workshop focused on TIGER II grants, conducted by officials from the U.S. Department of Transportation. For more information, contact Ed O’Connell with AAPA at (703) 706-4709 or eoconnell@aapa-ports.org .

IV. An explosive July event revisited

On July 2, 2006, an historic landmark was removed from the Tacoma Tideflats when explosives were used to topple the huge smokestack at the former Kaiser aluminum facility. Hundreds of people watched the event in person, and hundreds more watched the live TV news coverage. A video of the event is online at http://portoftacoma.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?publish_id=19

IV. WWL wins top award from John Deere

Wallenius Wilhelmsen Logistics (WWL) has been named Supplier of the Year in the John Deere Achieving Excellence Program. WWL is a supplier of ocean transportation and logistics services to John Deere’s Worldwide Logistics Group. Participating suppliers were evaluated in several key performance areas. Learn more about WWL.

VI. Port wins two AAPA communications awards

The Port of Tacoma earned two awards in the annual American Association of Port Authorities (AAPA) communications competition. The Port won an Award of Excellence for its Web streaming project, which makes videos and agenda information on commission meetings, Port developments and events easily accessible to customers, the community and media. All commission meetings are available for live viewing on the Web, and are also archived for later access through a searchable database. In addition, the Port’s 2009 annual breakfast event earned an Award of Merit.