Ingram Barge CEO Craig Philip to Give Patterson Lecture April 14

EVANSTON, Ill. --- Craig E. Philip, Chief Executive Officer of Ingram Barge Company, will discuss one of the U.S. freight network’s most significant but often invisible components, domestic marine transport. Philip will share his views about the freight network’s present state and how future policy may shape its future when he delivers the 29th Annual William A. Patterson Transportation Lecture Wednesday, April 14, at Northwestern University.

Philip’s lecture, “The Future of River Transport in the United States – Safest…Sustainable… Subsidized…A Bargain? And What it Might Mean for Freight Policy,” will take place at 7:30 p.m. in the Tribune Auditorium, James L. Allen Center, 2169 Campus Drive, on Northwestern’s Evanston campus. Sponsored by the University’s Transportation Center, the lecture is free and open to the public.

Hani Mahmassani, director of the Northwestern Transportation Center, explains, “Through innovation and intelligent management, Craig’s leadership has helped Ingram navigate through challenging economic times, and has set a model not only for inland waterway transportation but also for the entire freight carrier industry. We are delighted he has accepted to deliver this year’s Patterson lecture and share his unique insight with the Northwestern transportation community.”

Philip, whose barge company is one of the largest in the U.S., will explain how river transport is safe, sustainable, subsidized and cost-effective, and what this might mean for the future freight policy. He will also examine how the use of waterways in the international community is encouraged by government policy and action, yet U.S. polices are conflicted and inconsistent.

Philip has more than 20 years of experience at Ingram Barge Company. He also has worked at Conrail and Southern Pacific Railroad. Philip is a member of the Business Advisory Committee at the Transportation Center at Northwestern. He also has served in leadership positions with the American Waterways Operators, the National Waterways Conference and the Marine Board. He is presently chairman of the National Waterways Foundation.

The Patterson Transportation Lecture is an annual event supported by the Patterson Transportation Endowment, which was established at Northwestern in 1979 honoring the late William A. Patterson, founder and chief executive officer of United Airlines.

The Transportation Center is an interdisciplinary education and research institution at Northwestern’s McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science, dedicated to the long-term improvement of global transportation and supply chain systems.

For further information, call Diana Marek at (847) 491-2280 or visit the Transportation Center’s Web site at http://www.transportation.northwestern.edu.