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5th Annual Houston Port Region Coffee Symposium Impact of Panama Canal Expansion On Asian Coffee and Tea TradeIndustry Experts Invite Business Leaders and Entrepreneurs to Gain First-Hand Knowledge About OpportunitiesHOUSTON, Oct. 15, 2009 -- The 5th Annual Houston Port Region Coffee Symposium returns to the Hilton Americas-Houston Hotel, 1600 Lamar Street, on Monday, October 19. Themed "Panama Canal Opening to Asian Coffee and Tea," it is sponsored by the Port of Houston Authority, the Greater Houston Coffee Association and the Economic Alliance Houston Port Region. The symposium delivers a stellar lineup of national and international coffee industry experts. Speakers and panelists include: Rodolfo Sabonge, vice president of Market Research and Analysis, Panama Canal Authority, Doan Trieu Nhan, representative, Thai Hoa Group Joint Stock Company; Joseph Simrany, president, Tea Association of the USA, and Leecia Manning, director of membership, Marketing & Events, National Coffee Association. The NCA membership represents 90 percent of the coffee sold in the United States. The day-long symposium will focus on the impact of the Panama Canal on Asian coffee and tea trade in Houston and local business start-up opportunities. Local entrepreneurs can network with the leaders and businesses that connect the coffee trade from east to west. Scott McClelland, president, H-E-B, will deliver the luncheon keynote address. "The Coffee Symposium is brewing again, and this year it's about the impact of the Panama Canal expansion opening up more Asian coffee and tea trade to the Houston region," said Port of Houston Authority Chairman Jim Edmonds. "We are pleased to support the industry through this annual event that highlights Houston's role in the global coffee and tea trade." Other featured symposium speakers include: Jimmy Burke, port commissioner, Port of Houston Authority; Sam Chbeir, roaster, San Antonio Coffee Roasters-Specialty Coffee; Edmonds, Judge Ed Emmett, Harris County; Texas Senator Mario Gallegos, Jr., District 6; U.S. Representative Gene Green, Texas, District 29; and Monica Walker, Marketing Director, Walker Coffee Trading L.P. The symposium will culminate with an evening dinner as The Economic Alliance Houston Port Region hosts symposium guests and local business leaders at its annual Membership & Awards Dinner, which will also be held at the Hilton Americas-Houston Hotel. For more information about the symposium registration, dinner and sponsorship opportunities, please visit www.javahouston.com or call 281-867-1112, ext. 13. NOTE TO EDITORS: Media interested in coverage should contact Lisa Ashley-Whitlock at 713-670-2644. The Port of Houston Authority owns and operates the public facilities located along the Port of Houston, the 25-mile-long complex of diversified public and private facilities designed for handling general cargo, containers, grain and other dry bulk materials, project and heavy lift cargo, and other types of cargo. Each year, there are more than 8,000 vessel calls at the port, which ranks first in the U.S. in foreign waterborne tonnage and second in overall total tonnage. The port authority plays a vital role in ensuring navigational safety along the Houston Ship Channel, which has been instrumental in Houston's development as a center of international trade. The Barbours Cut Container Terminal and Central Maintenance Facility are the first of any U.S. port facilities to develop and implement an innovative Environmental Management System that meets the rigorous standards of ISO 14001. The second recertification of those facilities in 2009 included an extension for the state-of-the-art Bayport Container Terminal. PHA is the first port authority in the world to receive ISO 28000:2007 certification for Port Police and the perimeter security operations at both the Barbours Cut and Bayport Terminals. Additionally, the port is an approved delivery point for Coffee "C" futures contracts traded on the New York Board of Trade's Coffee, Sugar & Cocoa Exchange. For more information, please visit www.portofhouston.com To access the port's Web site photo gallery, please visit http://www.portofhouston.com/publicrelations/publicrelations.html and click the link for PHA Photo Gallery. The Port of Houston Authority logo is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=720
CONTACT: The Port of Houston Authority
Lisa Ashley-Whitlock, Communications Manager
(713) 670-2644
Cell: (832) 247-8179
lwhitlock@poha.com
Argentina M. James, Director of Public Affairs
(713) 670-2568
Cell: (713) 306-6822
ajames@poha.com
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