Brown Convenes Roundtable of Business Leaders, Port Officials to Discuss Regional Competitiveness
Senator Holds Roundtable at Port of Cleveland to Explore the Role Port Authorities Can Play in Job Creation and Economic Development
October 5, 2009
CLEVELAND, OH – U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) convened a roundtable today at the Port of Cleveland to explore the role it plays in regional economic competiveness issues. Participants discussed how ports can be utilized as engines of economic development and job growth.
“The Port should play an important role in our efforts to rebuild the region’s economy and strengthen it for the 21st century,” Brown said. “This roundtable is about determining how the Port fits into a long-term economic competiveness strategy that promotes Ohio exports and creates good-paying jobs.”
Brown was joined by Northeast Ohio businesses and leaders from the Cleveland-Cuyahoga County Port Authority, Coast Guard, Longshoremen’s Association, and Council of Development Finance Agencies.
The State of Ohio exports to more than 213 counties each year. The Port of Cleveland estimates that by 2020, demand will exceed the current capacity of many ports by as much as 200 percent.
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) includes new programs to assist ports and other transportation entities, including $1.5 billion for the Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) grant program. TIGER grant funding could help the Port of Cleveland establish a short-sea shipping pilot route from Cleveland to Montreal.
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