The US Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation (SLSDC) today announced that six US ports in the Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway System received the agency’s Robert J. Lewis Pacesetter Award for registering increases in international cargo tonnage shipped through their ports during the 2016 navigation season.
Established in 1992, the SLSDC Pacesetter Award annually recognizes the economic development achievements of those US Great Lakes Seaway System ports that increase international tonnage shipped through the St. Lawrence Seaway in comparison to the previous year. Since the award was first issued 25 years ago, the SLSDC has distributed more than 125 Pacesetter Awards to 14 different US Great Lakes Seaway ports.
US Transportation Secretary Elaine L. Chao said, “US Great Lakes Seaway System ports play a vital role in supporting trade and economic growth for the United States. The strong performance of these ports means greater movement of goods, generating thousands of jobs and billions of dollars in economic activity.”
The six recipients of the Pacesetter Award for increased international trade in 2016 are: Port of Green Bay (Wis.); Port of Duluth (Minn.)-Superior (Wis.); Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority (Ohio); Port of Milwaukee (Wis.); Port of Buffalo (N.Y.); and Ogdensburg Bridge and Port Authority (N.Y.).
“On this 25th anniversary of the SLSDC Pacesetter Awards, the SLSDC congratulates the six Great Lakes ports for being recognized as Pacesetter Award recipients for their achievements during the 2016 Seaway navigation season,” said SLSDC’s Deputy Administrator Craig H. Middlebrook. “Earning the Pacesetter Award does not happen by luck – it is achieved because of the hard work, dedication, and vision of the committed teams of professionals at these ports.”
Maritime commerce on the Great Lakes Seaway System annually sustains 227,000 jobs, $35 billion in business revenues, and $14 billion in wages and salaries.