President and CEO of the Erie Innovation District, Karl Sanchack is in Los Angeles, ahead of the National League of Cities"City Summit" event and is taking advantage of an exclusive opportunity to witness one of the most innovative ports in the world first hand.
The Port of Los Angeles is comprised of 7,500 acres of land and water, 43 miles of waterfront and houses 26 automated terminals for both passenger and freight vessels. The most frequently imported items include furniture, auto parts and apparel while the most frequently exported items include paper, scrap metal and pet food products. In 2017, the Port of Los Angeles was responsible for approximately $284 billion in cargo value in total.
While there are numerous dynamically innovative features surrounding the automated cranes and cargo transportation vehicles used throughout the terminals, what is inherently unique about the facility is that it is home to AltaSea, an innovation campus that is focused on accelerating ocean focused scientific collaboration, with hopes to create a more sustainable ocean environment.
The results of the initiatives driven by AltaSea have produced approximately 4,200 temporary jobs, 1,350 permanent jobs and over $290 million in annual economic activity.
Needless to say, the Port of Los Angeles has successfully integrated innovative solutions into their campus, which in turn has yielded substantial economic benefits. This result begs the question, however, as we begin to ask ourselves how we can learn from these successes on the shores of Southern California and replicate some of these successes on the shores of Erie, Pennsylvania.
For updates pertaining to Karl's experience throughout the week, follow the official Erie Innovation District twitter at https://twitter.com/Innovate_Erie