Page 18: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (February 16, 2026)

INTERVIEW

Aimee Andres, IRPT

By Greg Trauthwein

Built on the Rivers

Aimee Andres and the

Expanding Role of

America’s Inland Ports

For Aimee Andres, the nation’s inland rivers are not an abstract transportation network or a policy talking point. They are personal. Growing up, she spent her formative years around ports, terminals and railroads, watching ? rsthand how freight moved and how quietly essential inland infrastructure is to the country’s economic engine. That upbringing ultimately led her to a role she has now held for more than a decade: Executive Director of

Inland Rivers, Ports & Terminals (IRPT). Over the past 13 years, Andres has helped transform IRPT from a relatively small, inland-focused association into a national advocate for freight mobility, infrastructure investment and supply chain resilience.

y dad was a terminal operator, then a port engi-

IRPT Today neer, then a port director,” Andres said. “Trans-

From its headquarters in St. Louis, IRPT now operates with “M portation literally runs through my blood.” a small but geographically distributed team. Its membership

That early exposure made a lasting impression. As an adult, has grown to roughly 500 organizations spanning the freight when it came time to choose a career path, Andres knew ports ecosystem: public ports, private terminals, barge lines, rail- and terminals were where she wanted to be. When she stepped roads, trucking companies, shippers, state agencies and ser- into the executive director role at IRPT, she quickly recog- vice providers.

nized a core challenge shared by many inland ports: extremely

The association organizes its members across 11 river basins, small staffs carrying enormous responsibility.

re