2021 Annual Conference: Wednesday afternoon Speakers
Anthony Fletcher, Consolidated Grain and Barge
Anthony Fletcher
Director of Transportation & Cash Trading
Consolidated Grain and Barge Co.
Anthony is responsible for CGB’s day to day rail, barge, container, and feed ingredient trading groups. He is also responsible for the day to day cash grain risk positions. Prior to this role, he served as the Manager of Southbound Barge Freight Group where he oversaw the trading and logistics for CGB’s 40+ grain facilities.
Anthony joined CGB in 2007 as a Grain Merchandiser at CGB’s Soybean Processing Plant in Mt. Vernon, IN. Since that time Anthony has served in several management and trading positions while working in numerous regions across CGB’s footprint in the Midwest. He also spent two years trading for Zen-Noh Grain’s Export Group in Mandeville, LA.
Anthony graduated from University of Illinois with a degree in Agriculture Economic & Environmental Sciences.
Joe Pickard, Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries, Inc. (ISRI)
Joe serves as the Chief Economist and Director of Commodities at the Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries, Inc. (ISRI). Since 2010, Pickard has directed ISRI’s research and analysis on recycled commodity markets and the key economic role recycling plays in the United States and globally. He also serves as an advisor to the U.S. Trade Representative and U.S. Commerce Department on trade issues related to nonferrous metals and building materials as a member of ITAC No. 5. Previously, Pickard served as the economist for the International Copper Study Group in Lisbon, Portugal. Pickard holds an M.A. in Economics from Virginia Tech and a B.A. from Loyola University Maryland.
Dr. Walter Kemmsies, Trade, Logistics and Infrastructure Strategist, The Kemmsies Group
Dr. Walter Kemmsies is the managing partner of The Kemmsies Group, where he executes initiatives for public and private sector clients who have interests in or properties proximate to sea, river and inland rail ports throughout North America. His expertise extends to the infrastructure sector where he assists both public agencies and investors in underwriting, financing, and evaluating new investment vehicles and opportunities.
Walter is widely viewed as one of the foremost experts on ports, rail and infrastructure in the U.S. His areas of expertise include, but are not limited to, demand forecasting, maritime and overall global trade regulatory issues, public/private port and infrastructure financing as well as long term strategic planning/capital investment. Walter’s professional experience working and living in Europe, Latin America and Asia uniquely qualifies him as a global trade economist.
He currently advises several major U.S. Port Authorities and is routinely asked to work on complex issues with various investment banks, private equity firms and public regulatory agencies. He provides substantial support to the freight movement industry via presentations at major international industry conferences and advising the US Department of Commerce on supply chain competitiveness. Walter recently testified to the US Senate Transportation and Commerce Subcommittee on issues affecting the freight industry. He has also published research in scholarly journals and provided expert testimony to the US Senate Transportation and Commerce Subcommittee.
Walter previously led JLL’s Ports Airports and Global Infrastructure practice. Before that he was the Chief Economist for Moffatt & Nichol, a leading global maritime infrastructure advisement firm. Preceding his experience working with Moffatt & Nichol, Walter was the Head of European Strategy at JP Morgan in London and, earlier, Head of Global Industry Strategy at UBS in Zurich and London.
Walter is an advisor to the U.S. Department of Commerce Advisory Committee on Supply Chain Competitiveness. He was a member of the Department of Transportation’s National Task Force on Transportation Infrastructure Valuation. From 2012 to 2018.
He holds a Doctorate degree in Economics from Texas A&M University, a Master of Arts in Economics from Florida Atlantic University, and a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Florida Atlantic University.
Dr. Cassia Bomer Galvao
Dr. Galvao holds a Ph.D. in Social Sciences from the Catholic University of Sao Paulo. Her research focuses on themes of port development and maritime logistics. While developing her academic career, she has worked for the private sector and has 10+ years of experience in the Marketing & Sales Division of multiple international container liners and freight forwarders. She is a Fulbright Alumni and serves as a member of the Port and Channels committee of the Marine Group at TRB/NAS (Transportation Research Board). She is also part of the IAME (International Association of Maritime Economists) Executive board. She is currently a tenure-track faculty member at the Department of Maritime Business Administration of Texas A&M University at Galveston. Her research covers applied research in niche topics in international maritime shipping and issues in port governance, regulation, and policy. Presently she is working on research projects involving the port-city relationship, maritime education, and sustainability in the context of Blue Economy.