^{_{Source: @PortofTacoma | Twitter}}

Looking out over the waterway at the Port of Tacoma, it is hard not to be impressed by this marvel of modern engineering. Giant cranes command attention as they tower over the massive container ships below. Neatly stacked containers, buzzing trucks, slow-moving trains, and the crisp Pacific Northwest summer sunshine complete the picture.

Nearly everything you own today came from somewhere else in the world and it probably reached you by ship from one of these ports. Besides being an important link for global commerce, a strong working port is vital for local economic health. Ports create thousands of jobs and billions of dollars in business revenues and taxes.

While container volumes at many U.S. ports are at record highs, there are some dark clouds on the horizon that will significantly shake up the sector in the coming years. These changes will affect supply chains for many West Coast businesses that rely on ports for their imports or exports. Read the rest of the article on LinkedIn Pulse.