Speakers

Senior level executives from shippers, 3PLs, industrial real estate, ocean carriers and other organizations will be speaking and participating on panels at the Inland Port Logistics Conference. Already confirmed speakers include:

Opening Remarks

Curtis D. Spencer
President
IMS Worldwide, Inc.
Curtis D. Spencer is President of IMS Worldwide, Inc. (IMSW), headquartered in Houston, Texas. Spencer is a nationally regarded expert on matters of logistics and intermodal shipping trends, ports, inland ports and rail-served logistics centers, the development and utilization of FTZs for importers and exporters, and all aspects of customs issues, specifically those related to homeland security. He has been featured as a speaker at more than 50 national conferences and workshops each year, and has been published in The Journal of Commerce, Pacific Shipper, Inbound Logistics and other news magazines. Spencer has been the keynote or featured speaker at annual events sponsored by IWLA, RILA, JOC (TPM and Inland Port Logistics), ULI, NAIOP, SIOR, AAEI, NAFTZ, AAAE, IEDC, CSCMP (two-time track chair), WERC and ICSC. He recently completed his term on the 9th and 10th COAC Committee, with oversight responsibilities on Customs and the Department of Homeland Security. IMS Worldwide, under Spencer’s leadership, is now a leading consulting firm for developers and real estate trusts who seek his guidance as it relates to property value, port efficiencies and site selection differentiators.

Peter Tirschwell
Senior Vice President
The Journal of Commerce/UBM Global Trade
Peter Tirschwell is Senior Vice President for strategy for UBM Global Trade, parent company of The Journal of Commerce and PIERS Global Intelligence. A career maritime and transportation journalist, Tirschwell joined The Journal of Commerce in 1992, covering international trade out of the World Trade Center headquarters in New York. In 1994 he moved to San Francisco as the newspaper’s West Coast bureau chief. He returned to New York in 1997 as Assistant Managing Editor, and in March 1999 was appointed Editor-in-Chief. At the time The Journal of Commerce was the oldest business newspaper in the United States, founded in 1827 by telegraph inventor Samuel F.B. Morse. He oversaw the transformation of the JOC franchise from a daily to a weekly print format accompanied by a breaking news website, JOC Online, and a growing conference business. In 2004 Tirschwell was named Vice President and Editorial Director in charge of the magazine and conference business of Commonwealth Business Media, Inc. In that capacity, he was a member of the management team that sold Commonwealth, including the JOC and PIERS, to London-based United Business Media plc in July 2006. As Vice President, he had overall responsibility for nine print publications and their accompanying websites, including the JOC, four U.S. sailing schedule magazines, and Canadian Sailings, Traffic World, Air Cargo World and Oil Price Daily. He oversaw the rapid growth of JOC Events, which organizes executive-level events including Trans-Pacific Maritime (TPM) and TPM Asia.

Moderator
Michael P. Murphy
Chief Development Officer
CenterPoint Properties
Michael P. Murphy is Chief Development Officer of CenterPoint Properties, a Chicago-based company focused on investment in industrial property and related rail, road and port infrastructure. Murphy oversees all conventional and complex development activity and opportunities for CenterPoint’s portfolio. He joined the company in 2003 as Senior Vice President of Development and was promoted to Executive Vice President of Development in 2007. He has served in his current role as Chief Development Officer since 2010. Prior to joining CenterPoint, Murphy was a Partner in the Chicago regional office of Sacramento, California-based Panattoni Development Company, LLC. He has spent more than 25 years in Chicago commercial real estate, including 14 with AMLI Commercial Properties Trust. Murphy is a past President of the Chicago chapter and on the Board of Directors of the National Association of Industrial and Office Properties (NAIOP) as well as Lake County Partners. He is a member of the Association of Industrial Real Estate Brokers (AIRE) and an associate member of the Society of Industrial and Office Realtors (SIOR). Murphy received a bachelor’s degree in economics from Boston College and an MBA from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Business.

New Opportunities in Inland Point Distribution

Moderator
Peter Tirschwell
Senior Vice President
The Journal of Commerce/UBM Global Trade
Peter Tirschwell is Senior Vice President for strategy for UBM Global Trade, parent company of The Journal of Commerce and PIERS Global Intelligence. A career maritime and transportation journalist, Tirschwell joined The Journal of Commerce in 1992, covering international trade out of the World Trade Center headquarters in New York. In 1994 he moved to San Francisco as the newspaper’s West Coast bureau chief. He returned to New York in 1997 as Assistant Managing Editor, and in March 1999 was appointed Editor-in-Chief. At the time The Journal of Commerce was the oldest business newspaper in the United States, founded in 1827 by telegraph inventor Samuel F.B. Morse. He oversaw the transformation of the JOC franchise from a daily to a weekly print format accompanied by a breaking news website, JOC Online, and a growing conference business. In 2004 Tirschwell was named Vice President and Editorial Director in charge of the magazine and conference business of Commonwealth Business Media, Inc. In that capacity, he was a member of the management team that sold Commonwealth, including the JOC and PIERS, to London-based United Business Media plc in July 2006. As Vice President, he had overall responsibility for nine print publications and their accompanying websites, including the JOC, four U.S. sailing schedule magazines, and Canadian Sailings, Traffic World, Air Cargo World and Oil Price Daily. He oversaw the rapid growth of JOC Events, which organizes executive-level events including Trans-Pacific Maritime (TPM) and TPM Asia.

Pat Kinne
General Director of International Intermodal Marketing
BNSF Railway
Patrick Kinne assumed his current position of General Director of International Marketing in July 2000 after serving BNSF in multiple transportation and marketing areas. He began his career with the Burlington Northern Railroad in 1977 in the engineering department. In 1980, he started in the management training program and held supervisory positions within the engineering department. In 1986, he moved into the operations department, holding various trainmaster positions in Nebraska. In 1991 he was promoted to Superintendent in the Network Operating Center for BN. He joined the marketing team in 1993 with responsibility for the United Parcel Service account, the largest intermodal account for the Burlington Northern Railroad. In 1996, he joined the BNSF International Marketing Team as Account Director, with additional responsibilities in July 2000 when he was promoted to his current position. Kinne earned a Bachelor of Science in construction engineering from Bradley University and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Nebraska. He and his wife, Kathryn, have three children and reside in Keller, Texas.

New Opportunities in Inland Point Distribution — LTL Shipping and Transloading Using Intermodal

Brian E. McKiernan
Vice President, Development
CenterPoint Properties
Brian E. McKiernan is Vice President of Development for CenterPoint Properties, a company focused on the development, ownership and intensive management of industrial real estate and related rail, road and port infrastructure. McKiernan is responsible for managing several aspects of the development process, including the construction schedule and budget, and the associated engineering and legal teams. He is also responsible for working with local, state and federal agencies to negotiate zoning and fee issues, and acts as quality control to ensure that the design and structural integrity of a facility meets established specifications. Prior to joining CenterPoint in 2006, McKiernan served as a Captain in the United States Air Force from March 2001 until he was honorably discharged in March 2006. He most recently served as Business Advisor to the United States Central Air Force, Middle East Division, where he managed the deployment and budget for 25 offices in 18 countries and advised senior leadership on business operations for 200 acquisitions and construction projects valued in excess of $250M. In June 1999 McKiernan graduated from the U.S. Air Force Academy with a BS in management.

Drew Glassman
Assistant Vice President, Intermodal Marketing
CSX Transportation, Inc.
Drew Glassman joined CSX’s sales and marketing organization as Assistant Vice President of Intermodal Marketing in March 2011. In this capacity, he is responsible for CSX’s intermodal marketing, yield management and customer service, as well as CSX’s intermodal interline rail relations and strategic infrastructure planning. Since joining CSX in 2004, Glassman has held various positions in the finance department, including Assistant Vice President of Financial Planning and Analysis, and Assistant Vice President of Intermodal Finance. He has also served on CSX’s capital planning and strategy development teams. Prior to joining CSX, Glassman worked in various financial and business planning roles in the telecommunications industry and also as a certified public accountant for one of the national big-four audit firms. He currently serves on the board of directors of Four Rivers Transportation, Inc. and on the advisory board of the CSX Good Government Fund. He is an at-large member of the Intermodal Association of North America and a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants. Glassman is a native of Glastonbury, Connecticut, and graduated with a Bachelor of Science in business administration from the University of Connecticut. In 1999, he received an MBA from the University of Colorado. Glassman and his wife, Jennifer, have two children and reside in Jacksonville, Florida.

David Pfaff
Director, Logistics Operations
Sony Computer Entertainment America
David Pfaff is Director of Logistics Operations for Sony Computer Entertainment America LLC (SCEA) in Foster City, California, and is responsible for the physical flow of Playstation goods and materials in North and South America. Pfaff has been with SCEA for over 15 years, successfully managing the launch of the Playstation 2 in 2000, Playstation Portable in 2005, Playstation 3 in 2006 and Playstation Vita in 2012. Over this period of time he has identified and led a number of strategic initiatives, including extended use of BNSF domestic intermodal, which have allowed SCEA’s supply chain to keep up with the dynamic changes in the video game industry. Pfaff has been in the distribution and logistics industry since 1988. He served six years in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve and is a veteran of Operation Desert Shield and Desert Storm, where he commanded a M60A1 tank.

Joe Albelo
Director of Sales
Con-way Freight
Joe Albelo is Director of Sales for Con-way Freight, the largest of Con-way Inc.’s three primary operating companies. In the role, he oversees sales operations in the Sacramento, California, region and serves as the sales leader for the company’s Ocean Guaranteed product, a joint service with APL Logistics providing expedited, time-definite ocean/LTL service for shipments from Asia into the U.S., Canada and Mexico. Prior to his current appointment, Albelo was Vice President of Sales for regional trucking company R+L Carriers. Previously, he was Con-way Freight’s international sales manager for Asia, Alaska and Hawaii and served as regional sales manager for the San Bernardino, California, territory. Albelo began his career with Con-way as an account executive in 2004. He has a bachelor’s degree in business and marketing from the University of Phoenix and is a veteran of the United States Marine Corps, where he attained the rank of Sergeant.

3PLs’ Growing Role in Inland Ports

Moderator
Tim Feemster
Senior Managing Director
Newmark Grubb
Over 40 years of experience have provided Tim Feemster, Senior Managing Director, Newmark Grubb, with a variety of problem-solving situations in real estate, transportation, logistics and distribution. Feemster is quoted frequently in the industry press and makes over 20 presentations a year to professional organizations.

Before joining Newmark Grubb, Feemster was a senior manager in three manufacturing companies, a general manager, a consultant, an executive in two third-party logistics providers, and a Practice Group leader. He has been responsible for transportation and warehouse operations, real estate site selection, economic development strategy consulting, strategic planning and lean quality management. Feemster holds an MBA in marketing from the Ross School of Business, University of Michigan in Ann Arbor and a BA in mathematics from DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana. He is an active member in the Warehouse Education and Research Council (WERC.org), where he is past President; Council Supply Chain Management Professionals (CSCMP.org); Industrial Asset Management Council (IAMC); Intermodal Association of North America (IANA.org); International Association of Refrigerated Warehouses (IARW); Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA); and the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC.org). He is also a member of the Board of Directors for the Trade Data Exchange (TDE) Corporation.

Bob Shaunnessey
Principal
Partners Warehouse Group, LLC
Bob Shaunnessey currently is one of the owners of the Partners Warehouse Group based in Elwood, Illinois. He previously had served for five years as Executive Director of the Warehousing Education and Research Council (WERC). In that role, he directed the programs and services of the 4,000-member association of warehousing and distribution professionals. Shaunnessey has many years’ experience in the logistics arena. He began his career at National Supermarkets, holding various positions from grocery buyer and merchandiser to project coordinator for construction of a $20 million DC to warehouse supervisor and the DC’s transportation manager. He was recruited into DSC Logistics as controller and was then eventually named Executive Vice President, Finance and Administration, where he was responsible for all real estate development, information technology, human resources and several of the operating divisions. His next position was President for Mid-West Distribution at ITEL-GATX, where he helped grow a business unit by 15 percent and brought it from losing $100K per month to break-even status in a period of 15 months. When the company was sold to GATX, he continued the role there. He was consequently President and CEO of Records Management Services, a commercial record storage business, where he achieved a series of acquisitions and new client operations that made the company one of five truly national providers in the industry. Following the sale of RMS, he joined Sterling Logistics Corporation, a third-party, facility-based logistics company, where he was a founder and partner. Shaunnessey holds a BS in economics and physics from the University of Illinois at Chicago and an MBA in finance and economics from the University of Chicago.

Robert T. Pericht
Senior Vice President, Warehouse Operations
Saddle Creek Logistics Services
Saddle Creek Logistics Services is a privately owned 3PL operating over 14 million square feet of distribution space in 23 markets with over 2,000 employees. Robert Pericht joined Saddle Creek in October 2006, bringing 30 years of warehousing, distribution, and supply-chain management experience. Prior to joining Saddle Creek, he spent over 17 years with Kuehne & Nagel (formerly USCO) where his last role was Vice President, Logistics Management, with KN LeadLogistics. He had global responsibility for managing KN’s largest customer, as well as led a core group of logistics managers, analysts and engineers. Pericht was also responsible for USCO’s public warehouse operations in Kansas City and one of the IBM Contract operations in Chicago. Prior to K&N, he spent eight years in various warehouse management positions with Certified Grocers in Chicago, where he grew up. Pericht earned his production management degree from Governor’s State University after serving four years in the United States Air Force. He lives in Peachtree City, Georgia, with his wife of 30 years, Susan.

Matching Import and Export Containers at Inland Locations: Uncovering Cost Saving Opportunities and Finding Capacity

Moderator
Bill Mongelluzzo
Associate Editor
The Journal of Commerce
Bill Mongelluzzo is an associate editor of The Journal of Commerce. Mongelluzzo joined The Journal of Commerce in 1980 as a New Orleans correspondent. He moved to Long Beach in 1985 and opened the Los Angeles – Long Beach bureau. He served as maritime editor of The Journal of Commerce in New York in 1992 – 1993 and returned to Southern California in August 1993. Mongelluzzo began his journalism career in 1972 as a reporter with the Times-Picayune in New Orleans. He is a native of Chicago and has a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Missouri and a master’s degree in history from the University of New Orleans.

Gene Seroka
President, Americas
APL Ltd.
Gene Seroka was appointed President, Americas, in April 2010 and leads NOL Group’s businesses and operations in the U.S., Canada and Latin America. Before that, he was Vice President, Middle East, for APL. Seroka joined APL in 1988 and has over 23 years’ experience in container shipping and logistics. He has held a range of management positions within the company, including Vice President of APL Logistics for Asia and the Middle East, Managing Director for APL and APL Logistics businesses in Indonesia, Director of Sales and Marketing in China, and sales management and marketing roles in the U.S. Seroka holds a Bachelor of Science in marketing and an MBA from the University of New Orleans. He is based in Phoenix, Arizona.

John Anfinson
Senior Manager, International Transportation
Target Corporation
John Anfinson is Senior Manager of International Transportation for Target Corporation. His responsibilities include managing all international transportation activities supporting Target’s global sourcing strategies: air and ocean service provider sourcing, contract negotiations, business partner management, and supply-chain service delivery for Target Stores, Target Canada, Target.com and Target Commercial Interiors. In his 16 years with Target, Anfinson has held positions in merchandising and domestic transportation. Before joining Target, he was Intermodal Manager for a national truckload carrier. Anfinson earned a Bachelor of Science in business from the University of Minnesota’s Carlson School of Management in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and a Master of Business Administration in management from the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota. He also participates on the Transpacific Stabilization Agreement Shipper Advisory Board.

Greg Tuthill
Senior Vice President, Sales and Marketing
NYK Line (North America), Inc.
Gregory Tuthill is Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing for NYK Line (North America) and is responsible for the Transpacific, Transatlantic and North-South trades and North America sales and marketing activities. He also serves on the NYK North America Board of Directors. Prior to assuming his current role, Tuthill held various positions at NYK Line in operations, trade management, pricing, sales and marketing. Prior to joining NYK Line in 1997, he worked for American President Lines for nine years and held positions in logistics, systems management, liner sales and cargo consolidation sales. Tuthill served in the United States Naval Reserve as a commissioned officer for over eight years and holds a U.S. Coast Guard third mate’s license. He obtained a Bachelor of Science in computer science from New York State Maritime Academy and a Master of Financial Economics from Fairleigh Dickinson University.

Matthew Hancock
Manager, Global Consolidation/Deconsolidation Solutions
Caterpillar Logistics, Inc.
Matthew Hancock is Manager of Global Ocean Container Consolidation and Deconsolidation Solutions at Caterpillar Logistics, Inc. In his current role, Hancock has responsibility for designing and implementing a global hub-and-spoke network to support Caterpillar’s global footprint. This initiative will optimize Caterpillar’s global ocean network of more than 200,000 TEUs annually by driving network-wide cost reductions, increasing supply-chain predictability and reducing Caterpillar’s carbon footprint. In 2010 Hancock lead the implementation of Caterpillar’s first ocean container cross dock in Carol Stream, Illinois, dedicated to the consolidation of Caterpillar export material, as well as the deconsolidation of Caterpillar import material terminating in Chicago area ports. This facility has since been instrumental in decreasing Caterpillar freight spend, decreasing in-transit inventory and removing more than 5,000 metric tons of CO2 from Caterpillar’s carbon footprint. Among previous positions at Caterpillar Logistics, Inc., Hancock has served in a variety of roles within the organization including Freight Audit and Payment Manager, Transportation Project Manager and Logistics Facility Manager. Prior to joining Caterpillar Logistics, Inc., he held positions in sales and operations planning and supply chain finance at Whirlpool Corporation and McCain Foods respectively. Hancock is an APICS-certified supply-chain professional. He holds a Bachelor of Science from Brigham Young University and a Master of Business Administration from Texas A&M University.

Matching Import and Export Containers at Inland Locations: Uncovering Cost Saving Opportunities and Finding Capacity

Joseph Bonney
Senior Editor
The Journal of Commerce
Joseph Bonney is senior editor, finance and economics, at The Journal of Commerce. He has been with the JOC for 17 years, serving in posts including senior editor, columnist, managing editor, and editor-in-chief. During his journalism career he also has been managing editor of American Shipper, newsman with the Associated Press, and reporter and business editor at The Clarion-Ledger in Jackson, Mississippi. He is co-author of “The Box That Changed the World,” a history of containerized shipping published in 2006.

Profiting from a Joint Logistics/Real Estate Approach to DC Site Selection

Jeff Starecheski
Vice President, Logistics Services
Sears Holdings Corporation
Jeff Starecheski is Vice President of Logistics Services at Sears Holdings Corporation and President of Sears Logistics Services, Inc. He is responsible for supply-chain design and modeling, product flow optimization, business integration and planning, services marketing, reverse logistics, dot.com fulfillment operations, information technology solutions, DC and transportation support and analytics. Prior to this role he held positions of increasing responsibility within Sears, including transportation, inventory planning and placement, supply-chain strategy and retail operations. Before joining Sears, Starecheski served for seven years as an officer in the U.S. Navy. He holds an M.S. in transportation and a B.A. in integrated science from Northwestern University.

Adam Roth
Executive Vice President
NAI Hiffman
Adam D. Roth, CCIM, SIOR, is Executive Vice President at NAI Hiffman and specializes in industrial real estate including land assemblage and development, building sales and tenant representation. Additionally, as Director of NAI Global Logistics, Roth’s focus is providing real estate and supply-chain solutions to distribution and warehouse companies throughout the world for corporate relocation, site search analysis, build-to-suit alternatives, acquisition, disposition and leasing services. He has assisted clients such as Walmart, North Avenue Logistics, Envirotest, Woodland Windows, USAA Realty, Mirvac Industrial Trust, Metal Express, Devicor Medical, Quality Express, Astro Tool, G-3 Enterprises, Prologis, RREEF, ORIX Real Estate Capital, Keating Resources, Northern Builders, TCB Development, TA Associates Realty, TIAA-CREF and CenterPoint Properties. Prior to joining the firm, Roth worked in the logistics industry for nearly 10 years. His tenure included six years with Roadway Express, Inc. at several facilities throughout the Midwest. Most recently, he was responsible for Midwest business development at Transplace, a supply-chain solutions provider. He also serves as a board member of the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals (CSCMP) and the Warehouse Education and Research Council (WERC), and is actively involved with the Association of Industrial Real Estate Brokers (AIRE). He has been published in real estate periodicals concerning hours of service, foreign trade zones, port capacity and North American transportation capacity. He has also been engaged as an expert witness for an intermodal development in the State of Illinois and is involved with the Ray Graham Association, a charitable organization for people with disabilities.

Brent Lindstrom
Director of Sales for the Americas
Caterpillar Logistics Services, LLC
Brent Lindstrom has 25 years of experience helping more than a hundred companies to launch, reposition and grow. More than half of his career has been with Caterpillar Logistics Services, LLC serving internal Caterpillar customers as well as external 3PL Clients. Cat Logistics Services LLC, along with parent Caterpillar, has an 80-year heritage of providing world-class global manufacturing expertise, superior product and service parts distribution and industry-leading after-sales service support. Cat Logistics excels at strategic supply-chain design, analysis and solution implementation through utilization of state-of-the-art network modeling tools, inventory and transportation simulation methods. Lindstrom’s experience spans from inbound flows to manufacturing through after-market parts supply direct to customers or via a dealer network. His other prior roles include Vice President at Creative Logic, Inc., a strategic branding and marketing firm, and Manager of Strategic Accounts at AKOYA Inc., a supply-chain management solution provider. His experiences have taken him all over the world working with companies in over 15 different countries. Lindstrom is a native of Lansing, Michigan, and a graduate of Michigan State University. He and his wife, Patty, have two children and reside in Naperville, Illinois.

How the E-commerce Revolution is Changing Inland Distribution Strategy

Moderator
Curtis D. Spencer
President
IMS Worldwide, Inc.
Curtis D. Spencer is President of IMS Worldwide, Inc. (IMSW), headquartered in Houston, Texas. Spencer is a nationally regarded expert on matters of logistics and intermodal shipping trends, ports, inland ports and rail-served logistics centers, the development and utilization of FTZs for importers and exporters, and all aspects of customs issues, specifically those related to homeland security. He has been featured as a speaker at more than 50 national conferences and workshops each year, and has been published in The Journal of Commerce, Pacific Shipper, Inbound Logistics and other news magazines. Spencer has been the keynote or featured speaker at annual events sponsored by IWLA, RILA, JOC (TPM and Inland Port Logistics), ULI, NAIOP, SIOR, AAEI, NAFTZ, AAAE, IEDC, CSCMP (two-time track chair), WERC and ICSC. He recently completed his term on the 9th and 10th COAC Committee, with oversight responsibilities on Customs and the Department of Homeland Security. IMS Worldwide, under Spencer’s leadership, is now a leading consulting firm for developers and real estate trusts who seek his guidance as it relates to property value, port efficiencies and site selection differentiators.

Blaine Kelley
Senior Vice President
CBRE, Inc.
Blaine Kelley is Senior Vice President of CBRE’s Global Supply Chain Practice in Atlanta, Georgia, as well as a member of CBRE’s E-Commerce Group. Over the past 17 years, Kelley has represented over 300 shippers, manufacturers and logistics companies with their real estate strategy and implementation. He applies an integrated approach that combines site selection, labor analysis, logistical consulting and incentive negotiation with exceptional market savvy and insight. Kelley has expertise in all aspects of corporate real estate, lease negotiation and restructuring, strategic planning, port expertise, build-to-suit oversight and site selection consulting. Over the years, he has become recognized as one of Atlanta’s most successful industrial brokers, completing leasing and sales transactions of more than 25 million square feet, totaling over $550 million in transaction value. His value-add approach capitalizes on his unique combination of industrial real estate expertise, economic development experience and unmatched market knowledge. Kelley regularly provides broker insight for CBRE’s Atlanta’s quarterly reports, as well as market trends for local and national publications on an annual basis. Most recently, he was invited to ULI’s regional conference in Charlotte to present “Post Panamax Possibilities,” which was based on his trip to the Panama Canal.

Jim Theusch
Business Development Consultant
Ryan Companies US, Inc.
Jim Theusch is President of SoLu & Associates, LLC, and a provider of real estate development consultant services. Prior to founding SoLu & Associates, Theusch was Senior Corporate Real Estate Manager for Target Corporation. During his tenure with Target, Theusch was involved in the selection, site planning, entitlements, incentive negotiations, acquisitions and development of large retail facilities and distribution centers. He has assisted the Minnesota Foreign Trade Zone Commission in identifying and promoting the benefits of a foreign trade zone to companies and organizations that are actively involved in the import/export business. He currently is consulting to the Ryan Companies US, Inc., a Minnesota-based design-builder, real estate developer and property management company.