DC Velocity - August 2015

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necting port, highway, and rail nodes within one year of the bill’s enactment. The network would be populated with multimodal facilities and corridors considered vital to the nation’s goods-moving system. Within three years of enactment, the DOT secretary would be required to complete a national freight strategic plan assessing the performance of the projects selected to be in the network and identifying shortcomings and bottlenecks in the system. The strategic plan would be reviewed every five years.

The bill calls for a $12.45 billion apportionment to freight projects over six years, with a 10-percent maximum allocation to multimodal initiatives; the bulk of the freight funding would go to highway-only projects. In addition, the bill funds multimodal under a program dubbed “Assistance for Major Projects.” Under the program, multimodal would receive a maximum of 20 percent of $2.4 billion in funding over six years. Funding for both programs would come from the Highway Trust Fund.

A third initiative, which came from a separate bill introduced by Sens. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Patty Murray (D-Wash.), and Edward Markey (D-Mass.) to establish a national multimodal policy, was incorporated in the McConnell-Boxer measure. It calls for $1.2 billion in funding over six years, but proceeds would need to be appropriated from the general treasury.

John N. Young, director of freight and surface transportation policy for the American Association of Port Authorities (AAPA), called the McConnell-Boxer bill “a step in the right direction” for multimodal interests. The freight-specific language reflects increasing visibility for freight both in policy and funding, Young said. The bill elevates freight’s stature within DOT, and the funding of freight programs through the trust fund demonstrates the growing importance that lawmakers place on multimodal connections, he said.

That represents a sharp break from the past. Multimodal projects have been virtually invisible on the radar screen of transportation reauthorization negotiations. Freight interests have never been especially proactive on Capitol Hill, and the adage that “freight doesn’t vote” still seems to guide lawmakers when setting transportation priorities. For example, the Coalition for America’s Gateways and Trade Corridors, a group of 60 public and private-sector organizations that lobbies for greater federal investment in intermodal infrastructure, has pushed for a minimum of $2 billion in annual spending on multimodal projects since it was formed in 2001. Funding has never attained that threshold, and 14 years later, the group is still seeking the same minimum levels, said Elaine Nessle, its executive director.

In addition, multimodal projects, and freight projects in general, seeking funds from DOT’s “Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery” (TIGER) competitive grant program have to vie with a large group of applicants. About $14.5 billion in funds were requested, roughly 29 times the $500 million in funds available.

—Mark Solomon

Robert Martichenko to receive CSCMP’s Distinguished Service Award

Robert Martichenko, chief executive officer of LeanCor Supply Chain Group, will receive the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals’ (CSCMP) 2015 Distinguished Service Award. He will be presented with the award during the opening general session at CSCMP’s Annual Conference in San Diego on Sept. 28.

CSCMP’s Distinguished Service Award is bestowed upon an individual for significant achievements in the logistics and supply chain management professions. Presented annually, the award was instituted in 1965 as a tribute to logistics pioneer John Drury Sheahan.

CSCMP said that Martichenko is well known for his contributions to the study and practice of lean logistics and lean supply chain operations. He has devoted his career to improving professional standards, educational opportunities, and operational thought leadership in supply chain management. He is also a longtime advocate of supply chain innovation, the organization said.

Early in his career, Martichenko recognized the need to integrate lean principles and techniques across the entire spectrum of the value chain, and founded LeanCor Supply Chain Group in 2005 with that in mind. The company offers a combination of training and education, consulting, and outsourced logistics services, with a focus on lean supply chain transformation.

Martichenko is a member of the executive education faculties at Georgia Tech’s Supply Chain and Logistics Institute and the Lean Enterprise Institute. He has held many roles at CSCMP, including past president of the organization’s Cincinnati roundtable, regional roundtable chair, member of its Education Strategies Committee, and annual conference track chair. He has written six books, two of which received The Shingo Prize for Operational Excellence for research and professional publications. He recently was named a “Rainmaker” by DC VELOCITY and a “Pro to Know” by Supply & Demand Chain Executive.