Power Point Presentation

Robert West, a consultant with more than 25 years experience specializing in trade, transportation and economic development in Latin America, is an authority on how expansion of the Panama Canal will relieve congestion of the western ports caused by heavy shipping from Asia.

The enlargement of the canal currently underway will allow bigger, wider ships to pass through the man-made gate between the Pacific and Atlantic oceans, doubling its capacity to handle sea traffic. Corpus Christi, the nation’s sixth largest port is poised to take advantage of this expansion through the construction of the proposed La Quinta Container Terminal.

Mr. West was the Managing Director, Maritime Services, at Global Insight, Inc. specializing in trade and transportation and matters of economic development.  He is now working with a similar company, Halcrow Inc. He focuses on business development in Latin America and also works extensively with ports and railways in the region. His consulting experience spans 25 years.  Mr. West has performed feasibility studies for new port facilities, developed financial models, and recommended financing options for various, large infrastructure development projects including ports and railways.   He is currently working on a master plan for multimodal corridors in Mexico.

His consulting experience in Central America is extensive, including a market analysis for a trans-Nicaragua rail land bridge between Corinto and Monkey Point.  He also has worked with the ACP in Panama forecasting transits, analyzing market potential, and estimating the effects of toll increases.  He has worked in Mexico, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Colombia, Peru, Chile, and Brazil.   As an expert in international trade and economics, he speaks frequently on economic and trade developments and their effects on future trade volumes between nations. 

Mr. West is a graduate of Harvard College (mathematics and music); he holds an MS in mathematics from Michigan University and an MBA in international business from Columbia University.