As published in the September 1, 2006 Toledo Business Journal
photo by Mary Pencheff Photography
Doni Miller
Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority,
chairman of the board
China trade offers opportunities to the region
Toledo Business Journal recently interviewed Doni Miller, chairman of the board, Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority. She shared the following thoughts.
TBJ: You traveled to China with a group of area leaders this past spring. Can you discuss the background of why this trip was arranged?
DM: The primary catalyst for this trip was the University of Toledo. They have a very long and very strong history of developing educational opportunities in China. This is actually one of several trips that they have arranged. As I recall, during our trip, Tom Gutteridge attended a graduation of the first class of Chinese MBE students from a small college in one of the provinces of China. University of Toledo professors were involved in the teaching of classes at that University. Tom Palmer, the Port’s immediate past chairman of the board, was instrumental in organizing the strategy of the trip as well. The conversation relative to potential possibilities and opportunities was dynamic and so very productive!
The Port Authority participated in this trip because, at the foundation of this collaboration are opportunities for enhancing our efforts toward economic development. We spent time at port authorities, at hospitals, and with many significant dignitaries in China talking about the interest in and possibilities for developing a stronger relationship between Toledo and various Chinese provinces.
Great things actually happened. We left there with people being so terribly excited about what was going on. We have great minds in this town that are terrific at shaping and discussing. Where we sometimes fall short is between the “I have this dream” conversation and the action required for the actualization of “I’m going to make this dream live.”
The Port has appointed an ad hoc committee charged with helping to design the most appropriate manner of engagement for the Port in this opportunity. Obviously, the committee will perform its work in consultation and collaboration with the University [of Toledo] in this regard. We will explore such ideas as what projects and outcomes are reasonable and who should be involved in these discussions in order to maximize success. The Port, working in concert with the University and having the singular goal of determining how to develop this opportunity, is powerful. We have folks in China who are quite anxious to work with us on a variety of issues. They trust us to know the right people to include in these discussions and to move quickly forward.
China is amazing in terms of her ability and determination to make things happen. Now quite frankly, the [country’s] political structure allows her to get some things done rather quickly and without significant distraction from the goal. The protections that support our freedom as Americans also sometimes require that we move more slowly through these processes. However, regardless of the political structure, at the end of the day, moving stridently toward our goals is what’s important.
I was just amazed with what they’ve been able to do, and so excited and proud of the Port for being flexible enough and bright enough to say, “We have to take a look at how we get to be a part of this future.”
TBJ: Who were some of the other area professionals on this trip?
DM: The people on this trip were Port Authority representatives or representatives at the University. They included Dan and Elaine Johnson, Tom Gutteridge, dean of the College of Business, and Tom Switzer, the dean of the College of Education. [Bob] Cryan, [professor, University of Toledo] is the one who actually organizes these trips along with the amazing Dr. Guangzhong Chen, a professor at Owens who was also our interpreter. Paula and Bill Fall went. Bill Fall is on the board of trustees; Tom and Susan Palmer, Tom from the Port Authority and Susan from the University board of trustees; Jeri Milstead, who is the dean of the school of nursing at MUO and a member of the Port; Jim Hartung, Toledo Port Authority CEO and president; the amazing Tom and Betsy Brady, who run Plastics Technologies here in town; and me.
TBJ: Did opportunities surface from this trip that may result in job creation and other benefits for our region?
DM: I think that is absolutely true, but the caveat there is the timeline upon which those things are premised. Will there be jobs? I think there is potential for more than just jobs. I think there is potential for us to be engaged with China in a way that is actually a catalyst for revitalization. Now, is that going to happen this year? Probably not. Is it going to happen next year? It may be closer. But the point is that this is an opportunity that we need to pursue with all possible diligence.
The Chinese repeatedly told us that they just really wanted to learn from us. That is so smart and so very cool. I hope that we learn to have that attitude as well, because they are clearly doing something right over there.
TBJ: What actions do you see being taken to increase future opportunities for area organizations to benefit from growth in China?
DM: I think the format that is being developed now is actually a good one. I would suggest that we first determine what we want and who we are in such ventures as these – we can’t be everything for everybody. We have a lot of needs, but there’s not one entity in town that can address all of those needs. We need to know what we are trying to do. What piece of this pie are we trying to make work relative to the port and the University? Once we know these things, we can better identify our partners, optimize the use of our resources, and develop a streamlined approach to our goals. A well-run process is one that not only maximizes the opportunity for the inclusion of others but also facilitates and encourages that inclusion; success is best spread that way. So, in terms of your question as to how do we get other people involved in this process – it really depends on the shape of the vision. This is an extraordinary opportunity and I think there is room out there for a lot of people to become engaged in this process on a lot of different levels. Interaction between the Port, the University, and China is not the only gateway to being involved in this opportunity – but it is a solid pathway. Toledoans are going over every day, establishing offices in China. There is a huge American business presence in China already.
In many ways, this is really a movement that’s working low to the ground, and it shouldn’t be. Interaction of this nature is not only smart, but essential. If anyone doesn’t know just how flat the world is becoming, they aren’t paying attention.
TBJ: Along the same lines, there are significant amounts of goods moving into the US from the east and certainly China. Do you see potential opportunities that our area may serve a key transportation / logistics role in the movement of those goods?
DM: Absolutely, I think that one of the unsung prizes that this city has is the complexity and the scope of its transportation modalities. You get on I-75, and you can go anywhere across the country. We’ve got this amazing port, I-280, a north / south / east / west access by highway, and our airport. What business could ask for more in terms of intermodal access?
TBJ: Separately, as a member of the Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority board of directors, do you see opportunities to increase the number of projects financed through the agency?
DM: We have this incredible financing program that Jerry Arkebauer runs. We are able, through that program, to finance projects all over the state. Our Special Projects Fund allows us to support projects that are financially less sophisticated and more “grass roots”. The special projects fund is $350,000 that’s open to community agencies for proposal submission to use toward project startup or predesign work. It’s not a large fund, but it’s a start.
TBJ: The agency lost the financing of the Brush Wellman project to the Cleveland Port Authority and approximately $400,000 in revenues from interest payments and fees. Do you see ways to avoid this in the future?
DM: Our board is in a continuous struggle of “right versus right”. Despite what people have read or choose to believe, our board is well occupied by strong personalities, independent thinkers and those who always “just want to do the right thing.” The directors of the Port Authority who had concerns with the Brush Wellman deal were really looking at whether that deal was best for this community, primarily in terms of the physical health of the community. Make no mistake, everyone on our board wants this community to thrive, and we more than welcome new business to join our community. Some of our directors have taken the position however, that its not just businesses that we need, but businesses that are good for this community. They see these discussions as ones that directly reflect on the integrity of the Port and its processes; others disagree. Our challenge is to get to the right decision while acknowledging and giving credibility to all those opinions. There is some misperception that our board is sometime a bit out of control. The passion we bring to our discussion might sometimes resemble a lack of control, but trust me – we are very much in control of our processes. We just want to do the right thing, the right way. Diversity of thought is absolutely necessary to the development of good policy and also by its very nature can result in spirited conversation. But, I swear to you, at the end of the day, what we are trying to do is the right thing. And once you figure that out, those meetings get to be a lot more interesting, a lot easier to manage, and frankly, kind of fun.
What we know is that we need to not only protect the interest of the community, but also that of the port. After Brush Wellman’s decision to leave, we didn’t discuss what we should have done differently or what our decision actually meant. But, I guarantee you, everybody at that Port board is thinking about how we could do this differently next time.
The beauty of our process is that we struggle as a team, we hash it out as a team, and we make decisions that most of us can live with.
TBJ: Are there any other issues that you would like to address?
DM: I would like people to know that, despite whatever information they’ve used to shape their opinion about the port board, it is an incredible resource for this community. At the end of the day, the Port Authority is not about the members who sit on that board. It is about the resources in both talent and assets that it brings to this community. Believe it or not, we have one of the most complex and most productive Ports in the country. We continue to require support from this community however. Each time we choose to use the Detroit Airport instead of Toledo Express, we hurt the continued viability of Toledo Express. It is imperative that we take a moment to understand the value of the Port to this community so that we can better understand what its absence would mean. Our conversations about the port don’t just happen in Toledo. They happen on a national level as well. Jim Hartung has a national reputation for knowledge of his craft and professionalism that is incredible. His presentations in China were informative, concise and superbly well done. He made us proud. There are a lot of talented and really smart people in this town. If you don’t believe me, just ask those people in China who can’t wait to work with us.