Episode: #444
Hosts: Andy Shiles & Lalo Solorzano
Guest: Kristi App, Chief Commercial Officer, Port of New Orleans
Published: February 2026
Length: ~35 minutes
Presented by: Global Training Center

🏗️ Episode Summary

This week, Andy and Lalo shift gears from tariff talk and policy debates to something just as critical — port infrastructure and cargo flow.

They sit down with Kristi App, newly appointed Chief Commercial Officer for the Port of New Orleans, to discuss her transition from a multi-generational family customs brokerage to one of the most important trade gateways in the United States.

From Mardi Gras humor to multimodal logistics strategy, this conversation dives into:

• The economic impact of the Mississippi River complex

• Why the Port of New Orleans is uniquely positioned with all six Class I rail connections

• The realities of competing with Brazil and Argentina in agricultural exports

• Panama Canal water levels and their impact on Gulf trade

• Infrastructure challenges (including bridge air draft restrictions)

• And the future $2 billion container terminal expansion in Violet, Louisiana

Kristi brings a rare perspective — someone who has worked export ops, import brokerage, business development, and trade advocacy — now sitting on the port side making strategic infrastructure decisions that shape supply chains.

If you work in logistics, brokerage, importing, exporting, or trade policy, this episode gives you a behind-the-scenes look at how ports think — and how that thinking impacts your freight.

🚢 Key Takeaways

• The Lower Mississippi River complex feeds, fuels, and powers the world — over 60% of U.S. grain exports flow through it.

• The Port of New Orleans is the only deep-draft U.S. port connected to all six Class I railroads.

• Freight always has a choice — ports must remain competitive and multimodal.

• Brazil and Argentina have become serious competitors in global ag exports.

• The Panama Canal’s stabilization benefits the entire Gulf ecosystem.

• The Crescent City Connection bridge creates air draft limitations for larger container vessels.

• A new $2 billion container terminal (2 million TEU capacity) is in final permitting stages — a generational infrastructure project.

• Retain, repatriate, and grow cargo: the port’s commercial strategy in three words.

🌎 Why This Matters to Trade Professionals

Kristi emphasizes something important:

Ports are the nexus of trade — but they only work if infrastructure investments match market demand.

For brokers and importers/exporters, that means:

• More routing options

• Multimodal flexibility (rail + river + interstate)

• Competitive Gulf Coast alternatives

• Future-ready capacity for larger vessels

This episode is a reminder that policy debates are one thing — but infrastructure is what actually moves goods.

📍 Industry Events Mentioned

• TPM Conference – Long Beach

• Journal of Commerce Breakbulk Conference – New Orleans (April 20–22)

🔗 Resources & Mentions

• Kristi App – LinkedIn

• Port of New Orleans

• National Customs Brokers & Forwarders Association of America (NCBFAA)

• Journal of Commerce

• U.S. Army Corps of Engineers – Mississippi River Channel Management

🎧 Credits

Hosts:
Andy Shiles
Lalo Solorzano

Guest:
Kristi App, Chief Commercial Officer, Port of New Orleans

Produced & Presented by:
Global Training Center

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