Who is Mayor Coles-City of Oak Hill-Nashville

W.R. Coles and Associates

After working for two large international companies, Ron Coles founded WRCA in 1990 to focus on port and economic development projects. Coles' understanding comes from 40 years of experience, completion of 163 port projects around the country for a variety of clients, and leadership positions in national and regional waterways transportation and trade organizations, including:

• Board of Directors, Past-president; Inland Rivers Ports and Terminals (IRPT)
• Executive Committee; National Waterways Conference, Inc. (NWC)
• President; Tennessee River Valley Association (TRVA)
• Board of Directors (Governor appointee); Tenn-Tom Waterway Development Authority
• Member; TRB AW020 Inland Waterway Committee
• Alternate US Representative (appointed by General Don Riley); international PIANC Inland Navigation Committee

Ron Coles is representing the U.S. on an international working group charged with writing a manual on developing port master plans. In April 2012, Robert Engler, President of PIANC USA, appointed Ron to be the Principal U.S. Representative to the World Association for Waterborne Transport Infrastructure (PIANC) Maritime Navigation Commission Working Group 158 “Masterplans for the Development of Existing Ports.” In addition to the U.S., other countries represented on the working group include the UK, South Africa, the Netherlands, Belgium, France, Spain, Italy and Germany.

WRCA clients have included:

• Local public port authorities and private sector port owners/operators
• State port authorities and state DOTs
• Wood products, chemical, steel, minerals, power and cement companies
• Barge lines and railroads
• The US Army Corps of Engineers, USDOT, and other federal agencies

After fifteen years of successful operations, WRCA merged for three years (2005-2008) with a larger firm. At the end of 2008, the two firms separated, and WRCA once again operates as an independent entity, providing specialized services for port, multimodal transportation and economic development projects. During the past four years (2009-2012), WRCA has provided services for 36 port projects, including private industry barge terminals, intermodal cargo transfer facilities, port feasibility and operations analyses, public transportation policy studies, river port permitting, engineering design and construction management for new river ports and expansions of existing river terminal facilities.