Greening Last Mile Freight: From Blue Highways to Microhubs

Greening Last Mile Freight: From Blue Highways to Microhubs

Webinar

In a post-pandemic world, urban residents expect to have goods delivered quickly and directly. With higher-than-ever demand for at-home delivery, New York City is rethinking how to bridge the last mile. Please join the APA-NYM Transportation Committee for an engaging panel discussion to learn more about the future of freight with a discussion of Blue Highways and Microhubs, two innovative freight mobility programs that promise to transform curb access, transportation planning, and mobility in NYC.

The Transportation Committee is excited to host:

• Diniece Mendes, Director, Office of Freight Mobility, NYCDOT
• Andrew Genn, Senior Vice President of the Ports & Transportation Department, NYCEDC 
• Paul Lipson, Principal, Baretto Bay Strategies
• Martin Rahmani, CRO & Co-Founder, The Hub Bicycles
• Moderator: Stephanie Finch, Assistant Vice President + Lead Freight Planner, WSP

When: Wednesday, November 15, 12:00 – 1:30 PM EST (Lunchtime)

Where: Virtual (Zoom link will be provided prior to event)

1.5 CM Credits pending

To register to receive the zoom link, please sign up at:  https://forms.gle/majdMgokFe81oP7u6 

About our panelists and moderator:

Diniece Mendes, EIT A.M ASCE, Director, Office of Freight Mobility, NYCDOT

Diniece Mendes, EIT A.M. ASCE  is an experienced Civil Engineer and transportation professional with nearly a decade of progressive public sector experience. She currently serves as Director for Freight Mobility at NYCDOT, managing a complex portfolio of transformative freight mobility programs in Greater New York City, ensuring individuals, businesses, and affected communities have equitable access to the goods they need without compromising livability.

Andrew Genn, Senior Vice President of the Ports & Transportation Department, NYCEDC 

Andrew Genn is Senior Vice President of the Ports & Transportation Department at NYC Economic Development Corporation. In his role, Andrew supervises planning and policy initiatives related to waterborne freight and passenger transportation, air cargo facility planning, rail passenger and freight transportation. Andrew has worked at NYCEDC since 1997, and has been involved in projects that have reactivated and modernized port and rail infrastructure in Staten Island and Brooklyn, launched citywide ferry service, and improved waterfront assets throughout the city.

Paul Lipson, President, Baretto Bay Strategies

Paul Lipson has over three decades of experience, and is currently the President of Baretto Bay Strategies, a leading urban solutions consulting firm in the areas of renewable energy and clean transportation. Paul previously served as Chief of Staff to Congressman Jose E. Serrano (NY-16) for seven years, playing a pivotal role in crafting the bipartisan American Electric Vehicle Manufacturing Act (HR 4399) to boost the domestic electric truck industry. Earlier in his career, he founded The Point Community Development Corporation, initiating sustainable projects and brownfield redevelopment in Hunts Point, The Bronx and leading consensus-building efforts for the successful Rebuild By Design application, addressing coastal vulnerabilities in the Hunts Point Food Distribution Center.

Martin Rahmani, CRO & Co-Founder, The Hub Bicycles

Martin Rahmani is a seasoned professional with an impressive track record spanning 12 years in micromobility operations, 10 years in enterprise business development and sales, and a distinguished career in venture and startup advisory. He is the co-founder and chief revenue officer of The Hub Bicycles, a Covid era start-up that rents and sells e-bikes and e-trikes to both delivery services and consumers from its original Queens, New York dealership. In 2022, the company opened a Colorado outlet after it won a contract from the Denver Climate Action, Sustainability and Resiliency office to bring its e-bike delivery services to the city. 

Stephanie Finch, AICP, Assistant Vice President + Lead Freight Planner, WSP

Stephanie Finch, AICP, is a highly experienced urban planner with over a decade of expertise in freight management and logistics, currently serving as the Assistant Vice President and Lead Freight Planner for WSP, one of the world’s leading professional services consulting firms. Prior to her time at WSP, Stephanie worked for the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey, where she managed the Goods Movement Action Program, a formal bi-state partnership between NY & NJ to advance regional freight planning initiatives.