North Star Port

DULUTHPORT.COM | 13 Great Lakes shipping and transshipping capabilities; current and prospective cargo customers; trade allies around the world; and companies looking for industrial prop- erty with water, rail and highway access. It is a big job. "I work a lot on cargo development, whether that is conducting sales on behalf of Duluth Cargo Connect, meeting with our terminal operators, advocating for grain movements and cargo diversification, or trying to get a vacated elevator back into use," Ferguson said. "Sometimes my focus is iron ore and advocating or educating people on the iron ore trade and its importance on the Great Lakes—all of those issues sur- rounding commodities." The business development side of the job is equally important. Ferguson serves as the economic development contact and liaison for partnerships with agencies such as the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development and the region's economic development network. As part of the Port Authority's work in advocating for industry, she is a founding member of the Rice's Point Business Group, which is focused on supporting the industrial neigh- borhood and working waterfront of Rice's Point in Duluth. She also is the Port Author- ity's de facto transportation expert, so she was heavily involved in the Twin Ports Interchange project and will be point person for the upcoming Blatnik Bridge replacement. Becoming an expert in maritime transportation and logistics was not the goal when Ferguson entered UW-Superior in 2001. She started with a five-year plan to play college hockey and earn a computer science degree. Within a year, both were derailed as she switched her attention to soccer and a more business-focused pro- gram called computer information systems. On an advisor's recommendation, she also met with (now Professor Emeritus) Dr. Richard Stewart, then director of the Trans- portation and Logis- tics Research Center at UW-Superior. "We talked, and I thought his program sounded interesting," Ferguson said. "I took a class called transpor- tation economics, and I was like 'Hot damn, this is what I was meant to do!'" Ferguson graduated in 2006 with degrees in transportation and logistics management plus computer information systems. She also had more than a year of work experience as a paid intern with the Canadian National (CN)-Great Lakes Fleet, which segued into a job offer as a sales, marketing and traffic analyst. "As an intern, I was already helping with billing, customer con- tracts, sales calls and some of the marketing, plus I was allowed to dispatch the fleet by myself on the weekends, so it was a really easy transition into the analyst role," Ferguson said. During her nine years with CN, she earned a master's degree in business administration and was promoted to manager. In addition to working for the Great Lakes Fleet, she spent several months with CN Transload Services, gaining insights into rail and dock operations. "I learned a whole different side of maritime operations, which is important now because, of course, a port is only as good as its inland infrastructure," said Ferguson. "Here at the Port Author- ity, we have a terminal, we work with railroads, we handle all kinds of different commodities and we have a dock, so all of my experience at CN was really critical for my role here." Looking back at her career so far, Ferguson acknowledges that maritime trade and logistics remain male-dominated fields, but things are changing. "Women's roles in the maritime industry were much more limited when I first entered the field over 20 years ago," Ferguson said. "I occasionally encountered men who refused to look me in the eye or shake my hand, but that was definitely the exception. The industry realized it needed more women and most wel- comed and coached me. My approach may have helped, too. I always asked questions and wanted to learn everything I could about all sides of the business. I wasn't afraid to ask someone for help." The Port Authority itself has long valued and pro- moted women in leadership roles, respecting every- one for their capabilities. "We have a small staff, and we work cross-functionally together," Fergu- son said. "I'm just so fortunate to be a part of a team that trusts each other and moves forward together with a shared vision." After all, that's the goal! "Hot damn, this is what I was meant to do!" KATE FERGUSON WAS THE FIRST WOMAN TO SERVE AS PRESIDENT OF THE DULUTH-SUPERIOR MARITIME CLUB.

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