How much does the Port of Tacoma spend on travel? Commissioner spending up this year

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This year commissioners with the Port of Tacoma spent more than $70,000 on domestic and international travel, including trips to Portugal, Denmark, South Korea, Canada and the Philippines, according to public records obtained by The News Tribune. Costs included flights and transportation fees, hotels, booking fees, conference fees, visas, meals, parking and coffee.

How does this year’s expenditures compare to a typical year and why is this kind of travel necessary? The News Tribune reached out to the Port to get some answers.

The Port of Tacoma is one the largest container ports in the United States, spanning 2,500 acres on the Tacoma Tideflats. The Port has five major container terminals, managed by the Northwest Seaport Alliance, and shipping operations support more than 42,100 jobs and nearly $3 billion in economic activity, according to its website.

The Port is an independent municipal corporation overseen by five elected commissioners, who serve four-year terms and set policy and strategic direction for the port, in addition to authorizing all major expenditures. Every year commissioners travel to conferences and trade missions domestically and abroad, travel the port says is essential to build and maintain trade relationships and promote economic development. After travel dropped off in 2020 and 2021, commissioners have been jetting off again in recent years, although not spending as much as they had in 2019.

Commissioners approved $70,322 in trips this year as of mid-August, including $51,209 for international travel, according to public records and receipts. Funding for commissioner travel comes out of the Port of Tacoma’s general fund, which is supported by revenues the port collects from dockage, rent payment, container lifts and more, said Alisa Praskovich, the port’s chief of Special Projects and Commission Relations.

Commissioner and president of the board Kristin Ang went on all of the commission’s international trips this year, including a trip to the Philippines in October. Ang spent $38,148 on international travel, commissioner Deanna Keller spent $6,613 and commissioner John McCarthy spent $6,448, according to port records. Ang has served on the board since January, Keller was first elected to the commission in 2019 and McCarthy was elected in 2022.

The international trips commissioners took this year included a five-day trip to Portugal for the World Ocean Summit, an eight-day mission trip to Denmark and Sweden, a seven-day trade mission to South Korea, a five-day trade mission to Canada and a nine-day trade and cultural mission to the Philippines.

On these trips commissioners networked with world industry leaders on issues like maritime trade, environmental sustainability, technology, port alliances, economics, aerospace, agriculture and clean energy, according to the Port of Tacoma.

Domestic travel included trips to conferences in Long Beach, San Francisco and Washington D.C., according to public records.

Last year commissioners spent $65,960 on travel, which included flights to Europe, Boston, Washington D.C., Detroit, Atlanta, Alaska, Tucson, Panama, Los Angeles and Vancouver. Commissioners approved $20,038 of travel expenses in 2022, $9,590 of travel expenses in 2021, $9,939 in 2020, $116,409 in 2019, $57,007 in 2018 and $30,815 in 2017, according to public records.

Travel seen as ‘essential’ to international relationships

In a virtual interview with The News Tribune on Dec. 10, Ang said 2024 was probably one of the busiest years the port has seen. The Port of Tacoma has continued to transport a record-breaking volume of breakbulk cargo this year, she said. Breakbulk shipping involves transporting goods individually on ships, as opposed to using standard shipping containers.

As president Ang said she represents the port at customer meetings with shippers, various associations, trade partners, longshore workers and the Coast Guard. She also helps set agendas for the Port of Tacoma Commission and the Northwest Seaport Alliance, discusses port issues with the executive team and does speaking engagements with universities and local organizations.

As one of the top maritime gateways in the United States, Ang said travel is vital to the Port of Tacoma.

“I believe that proactive engagement on the global stage is crucial for the success and growth of our port and region, and international travel is an essential part of my role and our executive team to build strategic partnerships, promote economic development and stay at the forefront of maritime and logistics innovation and even decarbonization,” Ang said. “If you’re not at the table, you’re not in the game. And my travel efforts, along with our past commissioners and executive team, have directly contributed to new business opportunities, record breaking volumes and job creation for our region.”

In the past five years, the port has been focused on building relationships with Vietnam, which is the port’s third-largest trading partner, Ang said. As a result of travels there, “We now have a direct route between Vietnam and our gateway,” she said.

South Korea is the port’s fourth-largest trading partner, and through relationships the port has been able to consolidate the Hyundai Kia business in Tacoma, “making the Port of Tacoma a top-five auto importer,” in addition to contributing to the local job market, Ang said. This year Ang visited Seoul, Busan and Daejeon along with other port commissions and government officials, executives and investors to visit the Hyundai corporation and explore how to reduce carbon emissions when shipping.

This year’s trip to the Philippines was part of an effort to focus on emerging markets and diversify trade partners so the port isn’t as reliant on China, Ang said.

“Since [the U.S. and China launched retaliatory tariffs for select goods in] 2018, trade with China has decreased between 30% to 40% depending on the metrics that you are using,” she said.

Ang said some of her international trips this year were back-to-back and exhausting. But those kinds of trips are important, she said, because as president of the commission Ang said she wants to accomplish as much as possible for the ports in the Puget Sound region while she’s there.

“I recall going to three Asian countries in less than seven days. It’s an eight-hour straight flight there, and then it’s eight hours or four hours in between those countries. And the day is jam-packed with customers and shippers meetings. So basically, just shuttled around, and then even doing my emails and meetings [back in the U.S.],” Ang said. “I know people think like, ‘Oh, it could be luxurious,’ but would you really spend your time meeting with government officials, chambers or trading partners and customers on a trip? It’s not what people think.”

Although virtual meetings have their benefits, Ang said relationships are better built in person.

“In very hierarchical culture and structures in Asia, which value rank, when we show up as commissioners it shows respect, commitment to that business, long term commitment. And they appreciate that, it’s the level of effort that we are showing,” Ang said. “When we do virtual, it doesn’t give that importance. And you can’t really have those side conversations or in-person discussions that you would. You can feel each other out, … It does send a message, and it does bring more weight and importance to these conversations.”