The Mississippi River / David Ryan
THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER, Waterborne Commerce, and the Winds of Change
T By David Ryan, Vice President of Sales and Marketing, Associated Terminals
26 | COAL TRANSPORTER
he winds of change are seemingly the only constant in the course of history. It is true of people and it is true in business. However, it is the remarkable ability of humans to change course and adapt ourselves and our businesses to personal and professional needs that has allowed us to prosper in this ever-changing world. Sometimes change is slow and methodical, giving us time to respond at our own pace. Yet other times it happens immediately, requiring us to fire all of our synapses at once, compensate on the fly, and then look for ways to tweak our decisions as we progress.
Regardless of our desire for change, or lack thereof, it is inevitable. In business, knowing this requires that we build teams to devise new thoughts, ideas, methods— even a brand-new path altogether different to the status quo—and make it work. So while coal remains the most stable, reliable, easily transported form of energy in the United States, the inevitable winds of change have made their mark, and as a result we have gone from consuming nearly 1 billion tons per year domestically to utilizing just over one-third of that total. This huge swing has happened in just over 10 years. Of course, this radical reduction has already caused changes in
