The first quarter of 2017 was a busy one for the Port of South Louisiana. Total throughput increased by 21 percent in the first quarter of 2017 as compared to that of 2016, with over 84 million short tons of cargo moved via 1,279 vessels and 20,697 barges.

This amount of cargo movement makes it even more imperative that we secure funding for the Mississippi River Shipping Channel Dredging Project. We need cargo to keep moving swiftly and expeditiously.

I am proud to say that for our part in those efforts, the Port of South Louisiana was recognized by the Global Infrastructure Leadership Forum in Montreal, Canada, as the recipient of the infrastructure “Job Creation of the Year Award.” Dredging (or the lack thereof) not only affects commerce but also the preservation and creation of good-paying jobs across the nation.

Until the Mississippi River is properly deepened and maintained, I will continue to do my part in raising awareness for this national problem and will speak about it to whomever will listen. As a matter of fact, in mid-May, I took the opportunity to speak about dredging at the AAPA Commissioners Seminar in Indianapolis, Indiana. I want to extend my appreciation to our Louisiana delegation in Washington, D.C., particularly to 2017’s “AAPA Port Person of the Year” Congressman Steve Scalise, for their continued support on this matter.

Recap of recent events:

On May 6, the Port of South Louisiana and the Port of South Louisiana Executive Regional Airport had the pleasure of hosting the first St. John the Baptist Parish Aviation Awareness Day. The event, organized and sponsored by Paul Green and Guys Achieving Goals, was planned with the goal of introducing the youth of the region to flying and the field of aviation, which offers a spectrum of academic disciplines and career paths, such as engineering and mathematics.

Open to the general public, those interested were treated to airplane rides while others perused the display of specialty vehicles. Not only did the event have a good turnout but it provided itself as a great opportunity to educate the community about the existence of the Port of South Louisiana Executive Regional Airport.

During the second week in May, the Port of South Louisiana joined forces with St. John the Baptist Parish to promote National Economic Development Week, an event created and coordinated by the International Economic Development Council to increase awareness for local programs that create jobs, advance career development opportunities, spur economic growth and increase the quality of life.

The Port also hosted a breakfast at Port of South Louisiana Executive Regional Airport, where officials touted the region’s economic development activity and promote the economic impact of resident industry on the community.

On May 23, the Port of South Louisiana held a ribbon cutting that marked the official opening of the expansion to warehouse No. 19 at Globalplex Intermodal Terminal. The construction of the 77,520 square-foot annex, designed to improve functionality and increase storage of the original 35,000 square-foot warehouse, retained 19 jobs and created 22 new jobs. BARTON International, a tenant of Globalplex since 2006, will use the larger structure for its garnet abrasive operation.

In closing, I would like to thank Iowa Public Television’s “Market to Market” for reaching out and including the Port of South Louisiana in their late April report about coastal restoration efforts in Southeast Louisiana.

As presented in the report, dredging to deepen and maintain the Mississippi is actually symbiotic to coastal restoration: dredging allows for commerce to remain stable, reliable and competitive while the material removed from the bottom of the channel can replenish the marshes and wetlands of coastal Louisiana. It’s a win-win for our state and the nation.

Paul Aucoin is executive director of the Port of South Louisiana. For more information, call 985-652-9278. Sean Duffy, executive director of the Big River Coalition, contributed to this column.