5th Annual Houston Port Region Coffee Symposium Impact of Panama Canal Expansion...

5th Annual Houston Port Region Coffee Symposium Impact of Panama Canal Expansion
On Asian Coffee and Tea Trade

HOUSTON, Oct. 15, 2009 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The 5th Annual Houston Port Region
Coffee Symposium returns to the Hilton Americas-Houston Hotel, 1600 Lamar
Street, on Monday, October 19. Themed "Panama Canal Opening to Asian Coffee and
Tea," it is sponsored by the Port of Houston Authority, the Greater Houston
Coffee Association and the Economic Alliance Houston Port Region. The symposium
delivers a stellar lineup of national and international coffee industry experts.
Speakers and panelists include: Rodolfo Sabonge, vice president of Market
Research and Analysis, Panama Canal Authority, Doan Trieu Nhan, representative,
Thai Hoa Group Joint Stock Company; Joseph Simrany, president, Tea Association
of the USA, and Leecia Manning, director of membership, Marketing & Events,
National Coffee Association. The NCA membership represents 90 percent of the
coffee sold in the United States.

The day-long symposium will focus on the impact of the Panama Canal on Asian
coffee and tea trade in Houston and local business start-up opportunities. Local
entrepreneurs can network with the leaders and businesses that connect the
coffee trade from east to west. Scott McClelland, president, H-E-B, will deliver
the luncheon keynote address.

"The Coffee Symposium is brewing again, and this year it's about the impact of
the Panama Canal expansion opening up more Asian coffee and tea trade to the
Houston region," said Port of Houston Authority Chairman Jim Edmonds. "We are
pleased to support the industry through this annual event that highlights
Houston's role in the global coffee and tea trade."

Other featured symposium speakers include: Jimmy Burke, port commissioner, Port
of Houston Authority; Sam Chbeir, roaster, San Antonio Coffee Roasters-Specialty
Coffee; Edmonds, Judge Ed Emmett, Harris County; Texas Senator Mario Gallegos,
Jr., District 6; U.S. Representative Gene Green, Texas, District 29; and Monica
Walker, Marketing Director, Walker Coffee Trading L.P.

The symposium will culminate with an evening dinner as The Economic Alliance
Houston Port Region hosts symposium guests and local business leaders at its
annual Membership & Awards Dinner, which will also be held at the Hilton
Americas-Houston Hotel. For more information about the symposium registration,
dinner and sponsorship opportunities, please visit www.javahouston.com or call
281-867-1112, ext. 13.

NOTE TO EDITORS: Media interested in coverage should contact Lisa
Ashley-Whitlock at 713-670-2644.

The Port of Houston Authority owns and operates the public facilities located
along the Port of Houston, the 25-mile-long complex of diversified public and
private facilities designed for handling general cargo, containers, grain and
other dry bulk materials, project and heavy lift cargo, and other types of
cargo. Each year, there are more than 8,000 vessel calls at the port, which
ranks first in the U.S. in foreign waterborne tonnage and second in overall
total tonnage. The port authority plays a vital role in ensuring navigational
safety along the Houston Ship Channel, which has been instrumental in Houston's
development as a center of international trade. The Barbours Cut Container
Terminal and Central Maintenance Facility are the first of any U.S. port
facilities to develop and implement an innovative Environmental Management
System that meets the rigorous standards of ISO 14001. The second
recertification of those facilities in 2009 included an extension for the
state-of-the-art Bayport Container Terminal. PHA is the first port authority in
the world to receive ISO 28000:2007 certification for Port Police and the
perimeter security operations at both the Barbours Cut and Bayport Terminals.
Additionally, the port is an approved delivery point for Coffee "C" futures
contracts traded on the New York Board of Trade's Coffee, Sugar & Cocoa
Exchange. For more information, please visit www.portofhouston.com

To access the port's Web site photo gallery, please visit
http://www.portofhouston.com/publicrelations/publicrelations.html and click the
link for PHA Photo Gallery.

The Port of Houston Authority logo is available at
http://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=720

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CONTACT: The Port of Houston Authority
Lisa Ashley-Whitlock, Communications Manager
(713) 670-2644
Cell: (832) 247-8179
lwhitlock@poha.com
Argentina M. James, Director of Public Affairs
(713) 670-2568
Cell: (713) 306-6822
ajames@poha.com