HIMC 2024 Agenda

November 6 – 8, 2024 – Hilton Americas, Downtown Houston

Our comprehensive schedule of events features an exciting lineup of keynote speeches, panel discussions, and networking opportunities designed to inform and inspire attendees and to help them stay ahead of the latest trends and developments in the industry.

With a focus on the future of shipping, our conference is the perfect platform to learn from experts, network with peers, and explore innovative solutions to the maritime industry’s challenges.

Join the conversation with #HIMC24.

Contact [email protected] for 2025 sponsorship opportunities.

Wednesday, November 6, 2024

8:00 AM – 2:30 PM Golf Outing 
8:00 AM – Registration & Driving Range
9:00 AM – Shotgun Start
2:30 PM – Awards Presentation
5:00 PM – 6:30 PM Welcome Happy Hour Cocktail Reception

Bayou Heights Bier Garten

Thursday, November 7, 2024

7:00 AM Breakfast and Registration, 2nd Floor Outside Ballroom of the Americas, Hilton Americas Downtown
8:00 AM Opening Remarks

Charlie Jenkins, Chief Executive Officer, Post Houston
Conference Emcee: John Moseley, Chief Commercial Officer, Port Houston

8:10 AM Houston Ship Channel – Project 11 and Beyond: Port Houston’s Chief Channel Officer Lori Brownell will provide an update on the Houston Ship’s Channel’s most game-changing investment – Project 11. She will highlight how Project 11 is preparing the waterway to continue its leadership position as well as give a glimpse into future projects.

Speaker: Lori Brownell, Chief Channel Infrastructure Officer, Port Houston

8:20 AM Innovation and Safety on the Houston Ship Channel: This session will showcase Houston Ship’s Channel’s investment in innovation. Panelists will discuss the moves being made to demonstrate the commitment to ensuring the safety and security of the crews, cargo and infrastructure of the Houston Ship Channel.

Moderator:
J.J. Plunkett, Chief Operating Officer/Port Agent, Houston Pilots
Panelists:
Captain Keith Donohue, Sector Commander, US Coast Guard
John Landry, Assistant Port Director, US Customs and Border Protection

8:50AM Gateway to Growth: Leveraging Port Houston’s Cargo Base for Success: This session will delve into Port Houston’s significance as a major cargo hub and discuss how BCOs, industrial real estate professionals and economic developers can collectively leverage the port’s cargo base for success. Panelists will also highlight emerging trends in logistics, warehousing, distribution and economic development.

Moderator:
David Hudson, President of Industrial, The Hanover Company
Panelists:
Alex Buck, Group President of Supply Chain Solutions, Quantix
Justin Tunnell​​​​, SIOR, Principal, Lee & Associates
Vince Yokom, Executive Director, Waller County Economic Development Partnership

9:40 AM Networking Break
10:00 AM Port Houston – The Natural Export Gateway: Houston is the number one export port in the United States with a unique 50/50 split between imports and exports. The panel will discuss what factors make Port Houston the natural export gateway, including its ideal location and infrastructure. Further, panelists will explain why they choose to work with the Port – the export experts–to handle their cargo.

Moderator:
Donna Lemm, Chief Commercial Officer, IMC
Panelists:
Shenna Bennett, Global Logistics Director, Integrated Supply Chain, Dow Chemical
Terry Glass, Vice President – Polymers, Argus
Matthew Zahand, Senior Manager – Manufacturing Effectiveness, SABIC

10:50 AM State of the Economy

Speaker: Patrick Jankowski, Senior Vice President, Research and Chief Economist, Greater Houston Partnership

11:20 AM Diversifying Sourcing – Shifting to Emerging Markets: As the industry continues to diversify, more and more manufacturing is moving to emerging markets, creating opportunities for new trade lanes, new suppliers, new customers and new partnerships. Panelists will discuss the opportunities and challenges of implementing a diversified manufacturing strategy.

Moderator:
Shay Downing, Founder, JS&J Solutions
Panelists:
Philippe Beaujean, International Business Development, Port of Antwerp-Bruges
Cris Borzani, Manager-International Freight & Customs Compliance, Igloo Products Corp.
José Luis Vidal, Chairman of the Board, WV Logistics

12:10 PM Lunch – Sponsored by Port Houston & SESCO Terminals
1:20 PM Waterside Chat: FMC Commissioner Carl Bentzel discusses the industry’s hottest topics, offering insight about where he sees the opportunities and challenges in the future.

Speaker: Carl Bentzel, Commissioner, Federal Maritime Commission

1:50 PM Cold Chain is Hot in Houston: As the gateway to South America and Latin America, Port Houston is committed to becoming the Port of choice for produce importers. The panel will discuss the tremendous opportunity cold chain presents and how Port Houston’s location, network, infrastructure and innovation make it an ideal cold chain partner.

Moderator:
Adrián González, President / Licensed Customs Broker, Global Alliance Solutions LLC.
Panelist:
Faith C. Dennison, Vice President – Head of Lead Logistics, Maersk
Jacob McDowell, Supervisory Agriculture Specialist, US Customs and Border Protection
Annabell Vidal, President, dVida

2:40 PM Looking at Trends, Solutions and Services that Ensure the Smooth Flow of Project Cargo and Breakbulk: Port Houston owns, manages and operates the 8 public terminals in the Houston Ship Channel, including the area’s largest breakbulk and project cargo port complex in North America. In this panel you’ll get to hear industry experts on how bulk and project cargo are growing, and how this industry is building efficiencies to ensure continued fluidity.

Moderator:
John Hark, Director of Chartering, Bertling Logistics, Inc., and Adjunct Professor, Texas A&M University
Panelist:
Peter M. Svensson, Senior Vice President, Clipper Americas, Inc.
Cyril Varghese, Global Logistics Director, Fluor

3:10 PM Networking Break
3:30 PM The Houston Ship Channel, America’s Largest Port Complex and Its Most Significant Economic Engine: The Houston Ship Channel’s impact to the nation is astounding. It supports $906 billion in annual economic value and 3.37 million jobs nationwide. This fireside chat will bring together leaders from the waterway’s three largest stakeholders: the port authority, the energy sector, and the pilot association. Hear them share their perspectives on the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead for this vital economic engine.

Moderator:
Charlie Jenkins, Chief Executive Officer, Port Houston
Panelists:
Vince DiCosimo, Senior Vice President, Government Affairs, Targa Resources
Captain Clint Winegar, Presiding Officer, Houston Pilots

4:00 PM Landside Fluidity – Solutions for Keeping the Cargo Moving from Dock to Door: Although cargo spends more time at sea, the landside of the supply chain is where the process becomes far more complex. This panel will look at successful shifts to improve fluidity, where the opportunities lie, and what we need to focus on for the future.

Moderator:
Shaun Leone, President/CEO, Sunburst Truck Lines, Inc.
Panelists:
Eloy Cortez, International Vice President and South Atlantic and Gulf Coast District Representative, ILA
Robert E. Marshall, General Manager, Houston Terminal, LLC
Brett Mears, President, Palmer Logistics
Mike Shaffner, Director, Container Operations, Port Houston

4:50 PM Port Houston Presents its Second Annual Lone Star Award: Recognizing partnership excellence, the Lone Star Award is given to organizations that demonstrate a commitment to providing outstanding service to the region’s maritime supply chain. Lone Star Award recipient to be revealed soon.
5:00 PM Closing Remarks
5:00 PM – 7:00 PM Evening Reception

2nd Floor Outside Ballroom of the Americas, Hilton Americas Downtown

Friday, November 8, 2024

7:15 AM Breakfast, 2nd Floor Outside Ballroom of the Americas, Hilton Americas Downtown
8:00 AM Welcome Speaker Sponsored by: MRS-CMC
Hall of Fame Basketball Legend Clyde Drexler – A conversation with legendary Houston broadcaster Bill Worrell
8:40 AM Going Green: Sustainability Solutions for the Future of Shipping: This panel will look at how the industry must work together to reach sustainability targets, providing a transparent view of the challenges and the costs, as well as where we have seen significant strides in the right direction.

Moderator:
Rich Byrnes, Chief Port Infrastructure Officer, Port Houston
Panelists:
Claudio Abbate, Group Vice President Maritime Policy and Government Affairs, MSC
Taylor Dickerson, VP, Project Management Office & ESG Leader, Kirby Corp
Zeina El-Azzi, Founder & CEO, Gage Zero
Richard Heath, President & CEO USA, TALKE USA, Inc.
Kate Jostworth, Head of First Mile Growth Enablement, Maersk

9:30 AM Networking Break
9:50 AM Keynote Speaker

Dr. Ricaurte Vásquez Morales, Administrator, Panama Canal Authority

10:40 AM Import Expert Analyst

Daniel Hackett, Partner, Hackett Associates

10:50 AM Importer Insight – Reinventing Business as Global Economy Continues to Grow: This panel will look at market forces and trends driving growth and ways importers are capitalizing on the flourishing global economy.

Moderator:
Jonathan Gold, VP, Supply Chain & Customs Policy, National Retail Federation
Panelists:
Darryl Cline, Senior Manager, International Logistics and Warehouse, FBD Partnership
Kenneth Sine, Head of Global Procurement, Wayfair
Craig Starnes​​​​, Vice President of Logistics, Four Hands

11:40 AM Voice of the Ocean Carrier: The session will speak with ocean carrier leadership on how they are approaching business as the marketplace evolves. They will share their insight on the overall market including: evolution of alliances, capacity outlook, market dynamics driving growth, and BCO/Carrier relations.

Moderator:
Ryan Mariacher, Chief Port Operations Officer, Port Houston
Panelists:
Michael Britton, Head of North America Ocean Products, Maersk
Nick Fafoutis, Chief Commercial Officer, CMA CGM
Jonathan Gold, VP, Supply Chain & Customs Policy, National Retail Federation

12:30 PM Closing