26 American Journal of Transportation American Journal of Transportation ajot.com in Q4 of 2020 via our acquisitions of three tempera- ture-controlled warehouses in Suffolk, Virginia. Those assets, along with the associated logistics and transpor- tation assets, would become AgCold. Since acquiring Hampton Roads Crane & Rigging, 1850 Investments has more than 50 teammates working in the market every day,” Singh said. “Why does (the GIP) matter for our business? When the economy grows, the need for infrastructure grows with it. Roads get widened, bridges get built, and the power grid gets expanded. The Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel expansion is one of the largest highway projects in Virginia history. Dominion Energy has raised its five-year capital plan to accommodate more power, not only for AI and data centers, but because the population is growing. All of that work needs reliable, safe lifting and rigging, and that is what the fleets and the teams at HRCR and Bass Crane do every day.... That kind of capability is what brings cargo owners, end users, and manufacturers to the region, and as they grow, so does their need for what Bass and HRCR do. HVAC units get installed, precast concrete gets set, machinery gets moved. All of it has to be done safely and on schedule.” Ed O’Callaghan has been the owner and presi- dent of Audax Transportation Inc. /Century Express Virginia since 2007. They are a Norfolk-based truck- ing company servicing a 13-state region in and out of the Ports of Vir- ginia. He said collaboration among Port of Virginia users is paramount. “...Just a couple of years ago, before the channels were widened and deepened to 55 feet, it was strictly one ship at a time. Today, that non-stop two-way traffic keeps cargo moving faster and drives real cost savings for everyone across the supply chain. On the terminal side, collaboration is everything,” he said. “The Virginia Port Author- ity, Virginia International Terminals (the ports’ operating arm), and the motor carrier community keep up a steady, open dialogue so everyone’s voice is heard. The Inter- national Longshoremen’s Association is right there at the table with us, serving as a critical partner in keeping our harbor running smoothly. Virginia’s major investment in the Gateway Project is truly paying off—not just for our local maritime commu- nity, but for supply chains and consumers across the entire country.” “Our local university, Old Dominion University, established the School of Supply Chain, Logistics, and Maritime Operations to help meet our future workforce needs. Across our marine terminals, ship- building and repair, ocean carriers, logistics provid- ers, and offshore wind projects, our future workforce outlook is much brighter now,” O’Callaghan said. For Mike Coleman, Chief Executive Officer of CV International and Capes Shipping Agencies, a family-owned global logistics and vessel agency service provider, the Port of Vir- ginia is more efficient, in part, because of its ownership structure. “...The port owns and operates its own container terminals, which sets it apart from landlord ports with a dozen different operators, and that structure lets Virginia execute a long-term capital plan without the usual coordination headaches,” Coleman said. “The completion and opening of the deepest commercial channel on the East Coast this year is one marker of that. But the real story is consistency: this port has kept investing through every cycle, and that’s exactly what companies planning their East Coast strategy need to consider... predictability is worth more to our clients than almost anything else. It’s the difference between a ship- ment that’s a non-event and one that blows up a production schedule. The infrastructure story and the service story are really the same story.” Coleman serves on several maritime-related boards, including the Virginia Port Authority, the Vir- ginia Maritime Association, and the Board for Branch Pilots. “Every port is navigating a tough environment right now. Cargo volumes are harder to predict given tariff and trade policy shifts. Competition among East Coast ports means staying ahead requires continuing to invest, not just having invested once. And federal infrastructure funding is less certain than it’s been in a while. None of these challenges are unique to Virginia. It’s just the envi- ronment we’re all planning around, and none of it changes my confidence in the Port’s direction,” Coleman said, adding that investing in tools and people is key. “We are continuing to build out our CVInsight (a cloud-based visibility and intelligence platform) technology stack, so our customers keep getting better visibility tools as their needs grow,” he said. “...At a port like Virginia, where vessel turns are getting faster and berth windows tighter, that visi- bility isn’t optional anymore. It’s what lets us tell a client’s warehouse exactly when a container hits the ground, so they can plan around it instead of reacting to it. Tech- nology doesn’t replace the human side of this business in any seg- ment of the supply chain. It frees our people to solve the problems that actually require judgment and relationships, not chasing and or validating status updates.” David White, executive direc- tor of the Virginia Maritime Asso- ciation, said he expects 2026 to end with nice growth over 2025. White said the logistics industry in general needs a stable trade policy. “The industry broadly has been enduring a period of tariffs, inconsis- tent trade policy, and geopolitical instability. A more stable trade environment would create more certainty for businesses that might be in positions to increase their imports, exports, and capital investments that would generate more cargo activity. We have the capacity and efficiency of operations to handle those greater volumes,” White said. “(The Port of Virgin- ia’s advantage is) customer service, efficiency of operations, and speed from sea buoy to the wharf, across the marine terminal, to the rail and truck gates and the docks of the BCO’s; all facilitated through a collaborative approach across industry partners.” On October 13-15, VMA will host the VMA26 International Trade Symposium in Norfolk, VA. Now in its 23rd year, it is one of the East Coast’s premier conferences for shipping, ports, logistics, and trade. The theme this year is “Anchored,” focusing on the unsettled waters of global shipping, trade, and logis- tics as supply chains remain exposed to geopolitical disruption, shifting trade policies, evolving carrier dynamics, and ongoing pressure to balance cost, service, resilience, and sustainability. The event is expected to draw more than 1,500 attendees. Ed O’Callaghan, owner and president of Audax Transportation Inc./ Century Express Virginia Mike Coleman, CEO, CV International and Capes Shipping Agencies (DIVIDENDS – continued from page 24)
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