Dr. Walter Kemmsies is an Economist and Chief Strategist for Judge Realty
In this role, Walter executes initiatives for public and private sector clients who have interests in or properties proximate to seaports and airports throughout North America. He is also working to expand the U.S. Ports, Airports and Global Infrastructure Group’s expertise to the infrastructure sector and assist both public agencies and investors in underwriting, financing and evaluating new investment vehicles and opportunities.
Walter is widely viewed as one of the foremost experts on ports, rail and infrastructure in the U.S. His areas of expertise include, but are not limited to, demand forecasting, maritime and overall global trade regulatory issues, public/private port and infrastructure financing as well as long term strategic planning/capital investment.
Walter’s professional experience working in Europe, Latin America and Asia uniquely qualifies him as a global trade economist.
Experience
Walter dedicates a significant amount of effort working with the agricultural industry, by directing research at Rutgers University for the US Department of Agriculture, advising food production companies on international business strategy and participating in conferences for the Soybean Transportation Coalition, Agricultural Transportation Coalition (AgTC) and National Grain and Feed Association (NGFA).
He currently advises several major U.S. Port Authorities and is routinely asked to work on complex issues with various investment banks, private equity firms and public regulatory agencies. He provides substantial support to the freight movement industry via a monthly column in American Shipper, presentations at major international industry conferences, and advising the US Department of Commerce on supply chain competitiveness.
Walter recently testified to the US Senate Transportation and Commerce Subcommittee on issues affecting the freight industry. He has also published research in scholarly journals.
Prior to joining Judge Realty, Walter was the Chief Economist for Moffat & Nichol, a leading global infrastructure advisement firm. Preceding his experience working with Moffatt & Nichol, Walter was the Head of European Strategy at JP Morgan in London and, earlier, Head of Global Industry Strategy at UBS in Zurich and London.
Education
He holds a Doctorate degree in Economics from Texas A&M University, a Master of Arts in Economics from Florida Atlantic University, and a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Florida Atlantic University.
Affiliations
Walter is an advisor to the U.S. Department of Commerce Advisory Committee on Supply Chain Competitiveness and the Department of Transportation’s National Task Force on Transportation Infrastructure Valuation.
He is a member of the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals, National Association of Business Economists, and International Association of Energy Economists.