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12 MN November 2010 discharges, and working with our partners at Waterways Council, Inc., to improve the reliability and ensure need- ed funding to modernize and maintain our inland water- ways infrastructure – we develop and execute issue-specif- ic gameplans. But, as important as it to plan, it’s also essential to be nim- ble. Six months ago, none of us knew that we were on the verge of mounting perhaps the most intense advocacy campaign in AWO history, to beat back damaging legisla- tion in the wake of the Deepwater Horizon disaster that would have a devastating effect on AWO members, even outside the oil transportation industry. It was totally unplanned, absolutely critical, and a dramatic reminder of why it’s so important to focus on building capacity . . . you never know when you’re going to have to draw on every advocacy resource available to you. We’ve been successful to date in stopping bad legislation that would hurt our industry, but we’re not out of the woods yet. The challenge will continue in the lame-duck session of Congress and into the 112th Congress. What are the obstacles to better political and public awareness of the industry? Why is the industry not better known? I think there are a couple of key reasons. First, the aver- age American doesn’t take a barge to a business meeting or sit in traffic behind a tow on the way to work in the morn- ing. Unless they live in a port or river city – and, frankly, even if they do – most people don’t have the same day-to- day contact with barges and towing vessels that they do with airplanes, trucks, and even trains. That means that we, as industry advocates, need to make an extra effort to tell our industry’s story – a story of incredible economic, environmental, security, and quality of life benefits for American citizens. But, a second reason is that, historically, our industry has- n’t been very comfortable doing that. We’ve tended to define “success” as being quietly excellent – moving cargo safely, reducing highway congestion, and keeping prices low for shippers and consumers. We still have to do those things, but we can’t be quiet about them anymore. We have to tell our industry’s story in ways that make it rele- vant to people in Washington, D.C., and around the country. What do you think are the best ways to improve the public’s awareness of waterborne commerce in this country? We need to start by leveraging our strengths. Those strengths include the knowledgeable, passionate men and women who make their livelihoods in this industry and can tell its story with an authenticity that no one else can; our industry’s customers – shippers who depend on the safe, low-cost, efficient transportation of their products and who have resources and relationships that we do not; and opinion leaders in communities across the country where the importance of barge transportation is clear. We need to bring all of these resources together to tell the story of our industry in a way that is creative, assertive, and relevant to the issues that Americans are concerned about today. I’m very excited about a new “Public Affairs Leadership Council” that we’re just getting underway to help us get our arms around this challenge. The Council is the brainchild of AWO’s Chairman of the INSIGHTS Start with what you know best: your company, your community, your industry. Recognize that your employees are a tremendous base of grassroots advocacy support and terrific ambassadors for our industry. Give them the information they need to communicate with their Members of Congress on industry issues, and make sure they know what AWO is doing to try to make their industry stronger.
