Building the Inland Waterways Workforce Starts with Awareness
FreightWeekSTL panel highlights innovative partnerships and real-world career pathways

[ST. LOUIS, MO/June 12, 2026] Expanding awareness of maritime careers, strengthening industry partnerships and increasing access to hands-on experiences are critical to building the next-generation workforce for America’s inland waterways, according to panelists at FreightWeekSTL 2026. The session explored how industry leaders, workforce initiatives and emerging professionals are working together to connect students and job seekers with meaningful career opportunities across the river system. The discussion featured Errin Howard, Executive Director of We Work the Waterways; Dawn Lopez, Vice President of Marketing and Public Relations for Associated Terminals and Turn Services; and Anthony Fleming, a diesel mechanic with Wepfer Marine. The panel was moderated by Mary Lamie, Executive Vice President of Multimodal Enterprises for Bi-State Development and head of the St. Louis Regional Freightway …

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