BY JEFF CHUDZINSKINorth Country This Week

MASSENA -- Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway Development Corp. (GLS) Administrator Adam Tindall-Schlicht is in the final weeks of his run in his role with the GLS but that isn't stopping him from pressing forward in his work.

Following a farewell ceremony for the Robinson Bay tug boat, which will soon find its way to Michigan as a training vessel for the Maritime Academy, Tindall-Schlicht took time to speak with local media about what the future may hold for him.

Appointed by President Joe Biden as the 11th GLS administrator on Nov. 6, 2022, Tindall-Schlicht has overseen a resurgence with the seaway as shipping rebounded following the COVID pandemic.

"I am preparing for the transition and I hope to serve as long as possible in the role," he said.

In just two years, Tindall-Schlicht has accomplished a wide range of tasks, including finding a new home for the Robinson Bay, opening a new visitor center in Massena, maximizing the days of service for the Seaway, securing the highest budget in GLS history through bipartisan action in Congress and securing a new collective bargaining agreement with the American Federation of Government Employees for the next four years.

Tindall-Schlicht said he was "incredibly proud" of the work he and his staff have completed in just over two years, saying it's a true testament to the hard work of the "incredible staff we have been fortunate enough to work with."

Speaking of the new visitors center at the Eisenhower Lock, Tindall-Schlicht said he was thrilled to hear that over 35,000 people from all 50 states and over 20 countries were coming to enjoy the site.

He said the new center is exceeding expectations, due in large part to Director Amy Stark and her hardworking staff that has succeeded in developing deep ties to the community.

"We have seen such tremendous enthusiasm for the visitor center. School groups, community organizations using the conference room. It’s been a gathering place. It’s been a storytelling location. It’s been a place where the Seaway history can be shared and honored. We look forward to its successful operation for many more decades ahead in such a beautiful state," he said.

But that success would have never happened without bipartisan support in Congress, he said.

Tindall-Schlicht praised Senator Chuck Schumer for being the first official to call for the renewal of the visitor center, calling on other officials to support the building of the new center.

He also credited then-Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao and Congresswoman Elise Stefanik who celebrated the announcement of funding for the visitor center replacement.

In attendance for the ground breaking of the center were Secretary Pete Buttigieg and Deputy Secretary Polly Trottenberg.

Tindall-Schlicht also spoke to the resurgence in numbers on the Seaway, in particular the volume of agricultural exports and steel imports that have steadily risen in recent years.

In particular, he said new trade development Memorandum of Cooperation Partners (MOC) like Italy, Germany and Spain have played a big role in that success.

“Over the last 18 months, we’ve been able to sign new Memorandums of Cooperation with ports in Italy, Spain and Germany that we think are opening new chapters for trade and handling of freight via the St. Lawrence Seaway to U.S. and Canadian Great Lakes ports,” he said.

Tindall-Schlicht said he was also proud to play a role in the Seaway being designated one of the world's first "green shipping corridor network," which came about during the  27th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.

He said that effort seeks to fully decarbonize the maritime supply chain through the St. Lawrence Seaway, which has been a hallmark of his approach in his role as administrator.

"I really believe that the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Seaway and the shipping that occurs through these locks is the best in practice globally for how approaching maritime and the handling of freight is both an economic success story, but doing so through the lens of sustainability, decarbonization, and protection of these freshwater assets like the St. Lawrence River and the Great Lakes themselves,” he said.

Tindall-Schlicht said the work being done by the GLS is now laying the groundwork for future success with the Seaway.

He said every day "was an opportunity to make a difference for the people who have long lived and worked in the north country, for the GLS."

Tindall-Schlicht praised both President Biden and Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg for asking him to come back to the GLS to serve as the administrator two years ago.

"It's been a privilege and an honor every day," he said.