The St. Louis Regional Freightway announced registration is now open for the 7th annual FreightWeekSTL, set for May 13-17, 2024. The week-long freight and logistics expo features an engaging lineup of virtual and in-person events, a riverboat tour through the Ag Coast of America and more.
The St. Louis Regional Freightway
The event highlights the latest innovations and trends impacting freight movement and the unique role the St. Louis region plays in advancing major infrastructure projects and supporting the global supply chain.
“We are excited to once again be hosting FreightWeekSTL and delivering content related to the latest challenges, trends, innovations and investments impacting the global supply chain. It is our pleasure to highlight the role the St. Louis region plays in supporting freight movement and strengthening the logistics and manufacturing sectors of our economy,” said Mary Lamie, executive vice president of multimodal enterprises for Bi-State Development.
The St. Louis Regional Freightway hosts the annual freight event while Bi-State Development operates the St. Louis Regional Freightway.
Events
A majority of the conference offerings are in a virtual format, but there are three opportunities for in-person connections. May 14 will feature a riverboat tour on the Mississippi River, showcasing critical elements of the region’s multimodal freight network.
The Freight Summit Luncheon May 15 will feature a keynote discussion on infrastructure investment as an economic driver. Shayne Gill, program director for multimodal transportation at the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, is the featured speaker. The 2025 Priority Projects List will be released during the Freight Summit. The list, which is updated annually, is a valuable tool used to advocate for support and funding for critical infrastructure improvements.
May 15 at FreightWeekSTL will wrap up with a Tailgate Happy Hour prior to St. Louis City SC’s MLS soccer game against the Los Angeles Football Club. A limited number of tickets to the game are available for purchase.
The main content for FreightWeekSTL is generated through a full lineup of virtual panel sessions:
Trends Impacting Agriculture and the Barge Industry features Ken Eriksen, managing member and strategic advisor at Polaris Analytics & Consulting. Eriksen takes a look at agriculture and barge industry trends and how crop production, water levels, global supply chain challenges and infrastructure investment could impact ag freight movement in the region.
Securing Global Supply Chains gathers special insight from Panos Kouvelis, Emerson Distinguished professor of supply chain, operations, and technology at the Olin Business School at Washington University in St. Louis and director of the Boeing Center for Supply Chain Innovation. He will address how recent ongoing conflict in the Red Sea area, Somali pirates in the Indian Ocean, cyberattacks in supply chains, low water levels in the Panama Canal, rising trade tensions with China, and other geopolitical incidents of the last two years are resulting in global supply chains facing unprecedented challenges. Attendees will learn about the greatest risks impacting American companies' ability to access suppliers and manage the logistics of matching supply with demand.
Elevating Supply Chain Visibility features Rob Cook, CTO at St. Louis-based Sheer Logistics. Cook will talk about technology the company has developed to enhance supply chain visibility and efficiency nationwide. He will also discuss Sheer Logistics’ 4PL/managed transportation services and how mid-market shippers are using the company’s award-winning tech-enabled logistics solutions to analyze CO2 emissions, manage freight costs and track freight all in one place, allowing them to generate meaningful and actionable business reporting and intelligence.
“We anticipate another great turnout for FreightWeekSTL 2024 and encourage anyone who is interested to join us, whether it be in-person, virtually or both,” Lamie said.
