Port of San Diego Executive Director Wayne Darbeau and Port of
Los Angeles Deputy Executive Director for External Affairs Cynthia Ruiz have been
named to a new supply chain advisory committee formed by the US Commerce Dept.
The Advisory Committee on Supply Chain Competitiveness, headed
by Acting US Secretary of Commerce Rebecca Blank, is comprised of 40 senior-level
representatives of multiple industries and supply chain experts, will advise the
Secretary, the U.S. Department of Transportation and other U.S. agencies on issues
that affect the international competitiveness of US businesses.
The committee, according to Blank, “will provide crucial input
on issues related to national freight infrastructure and policies so that we can
best support millions of US businesses, export goods, compete domestically and globally
and support American jobs.”
Others named to the committee include Dean Wise, vice president
of network strategy for BNSF Railway; W. Scott Brotemarkle, director of transportation
policy and program development Organization for the American Association of Port
Authorities; and Leslie Blakey, president and executive director of the Coalition
for America’s Gateways and Trade Corridors.
The committee is intended to act as a liaison between industry
and government, and is a step toward ensuring regular contact with the supply chain
industries, including manufacturers, distributors and exporters. It’s scheduled
to hold its first meeting Oct. 19 at the US Department of Commerce headquarters
in Washington DC.
The group’s advice will be considered in the development of a
national freight policy and in executing Pres. Obama’s National Export Initiative,
which aims to double US exports by the end of 2014.
