Ports of Indiana has hired Kent Ebbing to lead a Foreign-Trade Zone (FTZ) initiative supporting the growth of global trade in Indiana. Ebbing joins Ports of Indiana as Foreign-Trade Zone Director, following a 27-year tenure as General Manager of the Greater Indianapolis Foreign-Trade Zone—also known as INzone—where he led one of the nation’s top-performing FTZ programs.
Ports of Indiana is the statewide grantee for FTZs and operates FTZs at its three ports while managing Alternative Site Framework (ASF) designations throughout the state. Ebbing joins Dexter Salenda, Director of Foreign Trade and Economic Development, in Ports of Indiana’s new foreign trade department, which supports Indiana companies involved in global trade through developing new FTZs and container shipping services.
Created as federal programs to encourage domestic commerce, FTZs are secure areas that allow businesses to store or process goods and defer or reduce tariff payments until the products leave the zone. Ebbing previously helped grow INzone’s FTZ business by over 400% and partnered with Ports of Indiana to develop Indiana’s fast-track FTZ approval process for companies located anywhere in the state.
“I am delighted to join the Ports of Indiana team at this exciting time as they launch new global trade initiatives,” Ebbing said. “The level of interest in FTZs is at an all-time high, and I am eager to help Hoosier businesses throughout the state leverage the benefits of FTZs and better compete in global markets. Ports of Indiana offers a unique set of tools that support Indiana companies, and combining FTZs with the development of new container shipments creates tremendous economic potential.”
According to the U.S. Foreign-Trade Zones Board’s 2024 annual report to Congress, Indiana ranks seventh in the nation for FTZ impacts. Indiana is also the only large state to offer the ASF designation for fast-track FTZ approvals in all counties, which significantly reduces the time it takes to activate an FTZ.
A graduate of Indiana State University, Ebbing also held several key leadership roles at the Indianapolis Airport Authority – including Tenant Relations Manager and Business Manager of Reliever Airports – and was instrumental in developing Cargolux airfreight shipments to Indianapolis.
