NEW ORLEANS – At its regular board meeting on July 24, the Board of Commissioners of the Port of New Orleans (Port NOLA) approved a resolution authorizing a significant new step in regional collaboration among Louisiana’s ports. The resolution authorizes Port NOLA President and CEO Beth Branch to enter into a Cooperative Endeavor Agreement (CEA)
NEW ORLEANS – At its regular board meeting on July 24, the Board of Commissioners of the Port of New Orleans (Port NOLA) approved a resolution authorizing a significant new step in regional collaboration among Louisiana’s ports. The resolution authorizes Port NOLA President and CEO Beth Branch to enter into a Cooperative Endeavor Agreement (CEA) among the five Lower Mississippi River ports to jointly develop a collaborative marketing strategy and, on behalf of the five ports, to enter into a professional services agreement with Polaris Analytics & Consulting, L.L.C., to assist in the creation of that strategic plan.
Former Port of New Orleans Board Chairman Joseph Toomy, a longtime proponent of greater coordination among Louisiana’s ports, praised the board’s action as a milestone in a vision he has long championed.
“For years, I’ve believed that the true strength of Louisiana’s maritime industry lies in our ability to work together,” said Toomy. “This agreement represents more than a strategy; it’s a turning point that recognizes the power of unity. By aligning our efforts, the Lower Mississippi River ports can create a future where the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.”
He noted that Louisiana’s five deep-water ports on the Lower Mississippi River — the Port of Greater Baton Rouge, Port of South Louisiana, Port of New Orleans, St. Bernard Port, and Plaquemines Parish Port — collectively comprise one of the largest and most diverse port complexes in the world. “Each of our ports has its own primary business focus which demonstrates their combined diversity, such as petroleum in Baton Rouge, bulk (grain) in South Louisiana, containers and cruise in New Orleans, breakbulk in St. Bernard, and LNG in Plaquemines Parish,” he said. “Few port complexes have such a broad spectrum of cargo. Many of the statistics on other port complexes are based primarily on container count.”
Toomy said the significance of this collective strength has often gone unrecognized because the ports have traditionally operated entirely independent of one another. In recent years, however, business and political leaders have increasingly stressed the need for Louisiana’s ports to coordinate efforts. “The Louisiana Legislative leadership and our Congressional delegation clearly recognized that coordination of efforts by the ports is critical in order to better position Louisiana in the face of growing out-of-state competition,” he said.
That recognition led to increased state interest in port oversight. “In 2023, we saw a seldom seen Legislative interest and action regarding ports initiated by Senators Connick and McMath and Representative Wright to increase state oversight of ports and accountability of state funding to ports,” Toomy said. “This initiative led to the creation of the LA Ports and Waterways Investment Commission (LPWIC) in 2024.”
In the fall of 2023, Toomy convened the executive directors and board chairs of the five Lower Mississippi River ports to address the need for increased cooperation. “I felt that such a dialogue would benefit all five ports individually and enhance their collective posture in global markets,” he said.
The ports continued participating in those meetings, advancing to a “somewhat historic” joint undertaking: contracting with Martin Associates, a nationally recognized maritime consultant, to conduct a comprehensive regional commodities analysis. “The commodities analysis was to address challenges and opportunities in our region and, most importantly, to provide pathways to expand trade in specific commodities,” Toomy said. “Personally, I hoped that this initial study undertaken by the five ports would set the stage for further collaborative efforts to expand international trade in our region.”
In April on this year, the Chair of LPWIC appointed Toomy to lead a special committee of the commission to build upon the commodities analysis by engaging a consultant to develop a single comprehensive marketing strategy for the five ports consistent with Louisiana Economic Development’s strategic plan. “The marketing strategy should highlight the strengths of the five ports and identify capital projects consistent with the statewide strategic plan,” he said.
After reviewing multiple proposals and interviewing firms with extensive port experience, the committee selected Polaris Analytics & Consulting of Memphis. “The Cooperative Endeavor Agreement between the five ports commits that they each endorse the project and will share in its cost and acknowledges that the Port of New Orleans will handle contract administration on their behalf,” Toomy said. “The special committee, which I chair, will oversee the consultant and development of the marketing strategy. The special committee includes representatives of the five ports, LPWIC, LED, Governor’s Office, and other international trade partners. The marketing strategy developed and capital projects recommended will be submitted to LPWIC to ascertain that they are consistent with LED’s Strategic Plan.”
Toomy emphasized that development of the Louisiana International Terminal is a critical piece of this broader vision. “More and more cargo is shipped in containers and the ships continue to get larger resulting in fewer being able to transit under the Crescent City Connection,” he said. “Working together as a port complex in collaboration with the state should help to expand economic activity statewide and increase cargo movements in our region.”
He added that a unified marketing strategy could deliver broader economic impacts. “If the unified marketing strategy is successful in expanding international trade to and from Louisiana ports, it will ripple through to ancillary businesses and related job creation,” Toomy said. “It will also provide LED with a stronger messaging to attract new industry to Louisiana.”
“For years the need for coordinated efforts by the five ports has been talked about by me and others,” Toomy said. “But now, finally the time has come that the Governor’s Office, the Legislative leadership, LED, the newly formed LPWIC, and the ports have a single focus, and realize it can only be achieved by working together.”
On a personal note, Toomy reflected on his own service. “I am the first person to complete two terms as a member of the Board of Commissioners for the Port of New Orleans,” he said. “And the first commissioner to serve as board chair three times. This extended service allowed me the opportunity to develop a personal relationship with the leadership of the five ports even prior to convening the first meeting in 2023. I truly believe that this latest project will be good for our ports individually and collectively while benefiting our region and our state.”
About Joseph F. Toomy
Joseph F. Toomy graduated with a B.A. in Economics from Tulane University in 1971 and a Masters of Business Administration from Tulane University in 1973. He represented District 85 in the Louisiana State Legislature from 1984 until 2008. During that time, he was a senior college administrator at Delgado Community College and later an insurance broker. He served on the Board of Commissioners overseeing the Port of New Orleans from 2009 to 2014 and again from 2019 to 2024, appointed Chairman by Governor Landry in July, 2024.
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