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The Port of Baltimore
■
May/June 2014
Soundings
NEWSMAKERS
Greco Tapped to Direct New Intermodal/
Trade Development Division for MPA
I
ncreasing trade through the
Port of Baltimore while also
providing comprehensive logistical
advantages for intermodal cargo
movement are key goals of a new
division created by the Maryland
Port Administration (MPA).
Heading the new division is
Joseph M. Greco, Sr., who started
at the MPA as a sales and market-
ing administrator in 2009 and was
promoted to Deputy Director of
Marketing in 2010. Greco said that
the new division will concentrate on
the development of short- and long-range intermodal capabilities and,
at the same time, pay close attention to cargo shipped directly from
beneficial cargo owners (BCOs). These are importers who take control
of their cargo at the point of entry without utilizing a third-party
source, such as a freight forwarder.
“Rail has always been part of the fabric of Baltimore, and the
new position provides the opportunity to fully explore where new
opportunities for Port-related rail business lie,” Greco said. “It also
increases the amount of attention we are able to provide to BCOs.
The new department works directly with BCOs to help identify
logistical advantages for moving cargo through Baltimore.”
Greco came to the MPA with 16 years of maritime experience in
the Baltimore area working for Columbia Coastal Transport and the
Steamship Trade Association. He has represented the Port on foreign
trade missions and has worked closely with the Governor’s Office on
offshore wind energy efforts.
“This is a position that I feel Joe is perfectly qualified for and
one in which I believe, with his very capable abilities and contacts,
will greatly benefit the MPA,” noted MPA Executive Director James
J. White.
Greco said that the new division will “create more specific supply
chain models clearly indicating that the Port has cost and efficiency
advantages that funnel cargo to us.”
Since the shipping industry and supply chain management are
always very dynamic, “we will need to be keyed in on market trends
and react quickly,” Greco said. “Being able to adapt to change
will be an important aspect of the Intermodal/Trade Development
Department.”
He added, “With the infrastructure capabilities that we have
developed with our strategic partners, I feel we will be able to provide
value and contribute to our goal of additional cargo growth.”
NEWSMAKERS
VP of Safety recognized as
MMTA Person of the Year
S
afety really does come first.
Craig Talbott
,
a Baltimore native who has devoted his
professional life to ensuring the well-
being of others, was honored in April with the
Maryland Motor Truck Association (MMTA)
“2014 Person of the Year” award.
Talbott joined the MMTA in 2000 and
currently serves as Vice President of Safety.
He has acted as an industry liaison to the law
enforcement community, offered Department of
Transportation compliance expertise, conducted
safety seminars and training programs, and
managed key safety events. He is also a long-
time organizer of the annual Maryland State
Truck Driving Championships and Maryland
Drivers of the Month/Driver of the Year awards.
Talbott previously worked as a Maryland
State Police trooper, becoming one of the first
members of the newly formed Commercial
Vehicle Enforcement Division (CVED). After
retiring from the force, he worked as a private
safety consultant and then as Director and Risk
Manager for various trucking companies. He was
named to the MMTA Safety Council and received
the MMTA Safety Supervisor of the Year Award.
In the U.S. Navy prior to becoming a state
trooper, Talbott served on the aircraft carrier
U.S.S.
John F. Kennedy
, supervising the flight
deck photography group. He also developed
many of the aerial pictures of the 1967 Israel/
Egypt war.
The MMTA, a trade association founded
in 1935 to serve the needs of every segment
of the trucking industry through a wide range
of informational, educational, regulatory and
legislative initiatives, is one of the largest
trucking associations in the country, with nearly
1,000 member companies.
