Hapag-Lloyd AG’s Hardy Pearson is the latest speaker confirmed to join the Transportation Go! agenda. Transportation Go! will be held March 13-14 at the Renaissance Downtown Hotel in Toledo, Ohio.

Pearson, who serves as Hapag-Lloyd America’s senior vice president North America commercial, joined the organization in 2006 and has more than 30 years of container shipping experience in all commercial functions. He currently oversees all regional commercial projects and strategy-related topics.

“Having one of the world’s largest shippers of ag products represented at Transportation Go! is extremely important,” said Bob Sinner, chair of Specialty Soya and Grains Alliance (SSGA), the host of Transportation Go! “We look forward to hearing about Hapag’s continual plans to serve our industry and what the shipping landscape looks like for 2024.”

Hapag-Lloyd is a leading global liner shipping company, with a transport capacity of 2 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) and container capacity of 2.9 million TEUs. The global company also has stakes in 20 terminals in Europe, Latin America, U.S. India and North Africa.

Pearson will be joined by Max Vekich of the Federal Maritime Commission, Michelle Schultz from the Surface Transportation Board and other ag transportation leaders and experts for in-depth discussions about the global supply chain. Other speakers include Bahar Gokce of Olympia International, Mark Stewart of Agriculture Future of America and a panel of Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway port administrators. Kranti Mulik from the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service and Scott Grenerth of Truck Specialized Information Services will discuss issues in trucking, including drayage and heavyweight corridors. A reception at the National Museum of the Great Lakes and tours of the Port of Toledo and Port of Monroe are also being planned. View the entire agenda and more details, including registration, at www.transportationgo.com.

SSGA’s annual meeting and 5-year celebration will be held in the same location on March 12. The annual meeting will reflect on the successes from the past year and look ahead to the future. Board of Directors elections will be held, and the annual SSGA Alliance Honors will be presented at the meeting. The annual meeting is free for members, but pre-registration is requested. Non-members can register for $55.

The Ohio Soybean Council, the Wisconsin Soybean Marketing Board, Minnesota Soybean Research & Promotion Council, North Dakota Soybean Council, Illinois Soybean Association, South Dakota Soybean Research & Promotion Council, Port of Toledo, U.S. Identity Preserved and Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation are sponsoring the event. SSGA is also grateful to Destination Toledo for its enthusiasm and assistance in hosting Transportation Go!