I’ve been a member of the Transportation Club of Tacoma since 2013. Almost every single month excluding July and August we have an excellent program about shipping, transportation, and quite often sharing information about local efforts helping our neighbors. Each year, an excellent magazine/membership directory is published.
Some of our members work for the Port of Tacoma. Some have their own businesses that extend from Tacoma to Puyallup and Lakewood. Also the Port of Tacoma is led by five commissioners who are elected to four-year terms by the voters of Pierce County. These members often come and visit our meetings and enjoy our speakers.
The commission hires the executive director, sets policy and strategic direction, and approves all major expenditures. The Port is an independent municipal corporation that operates under Title 53 of the Revised Code of Washington and is classified as a special purpose district.
Among the largest container ports in the U.S., the Port of Tacoma is a naturally deepwater port located on Commencement Bay in south Puget Sound. A diverse array of maritime and industrial-related businesses and facilities are located across 2,500 acres of Port-owned property, including several major container terminals, managed by The Northwest Seaport Alliance, where some of the world’s largest container shipping lines call home.
TCT’s MISSION: Promoting professional growth within the global transportation and logistics industries through networking, education and community involvement. Since 1926, the Transportation Club of Tacoma centers on building bridges within the transportation industry while at the same time serving Tacoma and Pierce County communities through our charitable work.
Currently marking over 350 members strong, TCT is made up of professionals in the transportation industry. They include those who regularly use transportation services for their livelihood, as well as people who have an interest in local and global transportation and logistics. Membership includes diverse companies large and small including: railroads; steamship lines; trucking companies; warehousing and distribution; cold storage; terminal managers; coffee roasters; paper manufacturers; confectioners; freight forwarders; commercial real estate; banking; consulting; education – and the list keeps growing.
I recently attended a morning coffee gathering in Sumner, WA about transportation and the port. Commissioners John McCarthy and Kristin Ang headed the gathering. There were some great discussions about shipping. I’ve lived in the Tacoma & Lakewood areas since I was two years old and have always been interested in the port, our cities and towns, and the Pacific Northwest. I have visited the Seattle Transporation Club as well as the Tacoma one. The Tacoma Club is Larger than the Seattle one, but the food is better at the Seattle Club. Both have excellent meetings and subjects of discussion.
