Page 63: of Maritime Logistics Professional Magazine (Q1 2015)

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PORT LOGISTICS

Robert Jumonville, Don Allee, recently retired Port of New Orleans Port of New Orleans’ new

Cruise and Tourism Director. cruise and tourism director.

the port’s tourism tenants--Hilton Riverside Towers, Audubon

HEIGHTENED PACE CALLS FOR NEW FACES

Underscoring the importance of the port and the new surge Aquarium of the Americas, Woldenburg Park, Blaine Kern’s in cruise business, New Orleans continues to attract top talent Mardi Gras World, The Outlet Collection at Riverwalk, and to the waterfront. And, because of retirements, the port has the Creole Queen and Natchez excursion boats. That move some new faces. Don Allee began there in November after and the new infrastructure, are combining to pay dividends.

serving as CEO of the Mississippi State Port Authority from Looking ahead, the recent news that President Barak Obama 2002 to 2012 and then as a port expert at PLG Consulting. wants to ease trade and travel restrictions with Cuba is music

He’s also a former director of the Port of Beaumont in Texas. to the ears of Allee. “Someday cruise ships will sail between

Allee replaced Robert Jumonville, who retired in January af- the United States and Cuba, but it’s too soon for that now,” ter 25 years at the Port of New Orleans. Jumonville oversaw Allee said. For now, U.S. food and humanitarian aid can be the cruise-terminal expansions, and based on his accomplish- shipped to Cuba, and Americans who are close relatives of ments, won a 2015 American Association of Port Authorities Cubans, or academics, or on cultural and educational “peo-

Cruise Award in early February in Fort Lauderdale. Under ple-to-people programs” can visit. At one time, though, New

Jumonville’s watch, the Port saw a 1,200-percent rise in pas- Orleans was a major gateway to Cuba for freight. The port is senger throughput and revenues produced by the Cruise and watching those developments closely.

Tourism Division increased more than 500 percent. Gary LaGrange explains the port’s formula simply. “We sell

Separately, former Port of San Diego vice president Brandy New Orleans as two vacations in one. Come for our music,

Christian was named chief operating of