WTC Mississippi River Alliance signs partnership

NEW ORLEANS, LA, USA - The World Trade Center Mississippi River Alliance, led by World Trade Center New Orleans CEO, Dominik Knoll, announced a new, national partnership with 18 community foundations serving communities along the river.

The announcement came as part of a two-day annual meeting of the Mississippi River Cities and Towns Initiative (MRCTI), a mayor-led effort comprised of 65 river mayors committed to creating a coordinated voice for the Mississippi River. This year, New Orleans’ Mayor Mitch Landrieu hosted the meeting.

At the press conference, chairman of the World Trade Center Mississippi River Alliance, Dominik Knoll, and Don Hickman, chairman of the Mississippi River Partnership of Community Foundations, signed an agreement to work together toward sustainable river projects.

The partnership aims at building investments around river-centric projects at the local level and the collaboration helps connect community foundations with their local world trade centers that can assist with these critical Mississippi River initiatives.
The Mississippi River, according to the MRCTI, remains America’s most critical natural asset. The river is responsible for creating $200 billion worth of U.S. GDP, and transports 62-percent of the nation’s agricultural output.

“Sitting at the mouth of the Mississippi, we in Louisiana understand the crucial impact that this river has on our livelihood as well our local and national economy,” Knoll said. “This partnership will, for the first time, unite key stake-holders along the river to create measurable investment opportunities that build the economy of our regions and create long-lasting returns.”

World Trade Center Mississippi River Alliance member and WTC Arkansas President and CEO, Dan Hendrix was also represented at the meeting, and remarked that “The vision to have river-centric community development projects that will positively impact economic development, is why we feel strongly about this new partnership".

In announcing this exciting partnership, Knoll stressed the significant contributions that Alliance members provide to the nation’s economy. In 2013, exports from Alliance states totaled more than $232 billion, or roughly 15% of total U.S. exports. These exports, he added, also supported over several million jobs.

Additionally, the Alliance represents some of the nation’s largest exporters and export-related businesses, from banks to car manufacturers to oil and gas companies. Such companies represented by Alliance members include Toyota, Tyson Foods, Kinder Morgan, Freeport McMoran, JP Morgan Chase, ADM Grain, R.J. Corman Railroad, GE Healthcare, Johnson Controls and many others.

PHOTO (L-R) - Dominik Knoll,CEO, World Trade Center New Orleans and Chairman, World Trade Center Mississippi River Alliance; Don Hickman, Chairman, Mississippi River Partnership of Community Foundations;
Mayor Roy D. Buol, City of Dubuque, Iowa;
Dan Hendrix, President & CEO, World Trade Center Arkansas and Member of the World Trade Center Mississippi River Alliance