Pratt Summers, vice president of Savannah’s Colonial Terminals, had the honor of interviewing former President George W. Bush at the International Liquid Terminals Association’s 2024 annual conference and trade show held May 6 through 8 in Houston. Summers carried out the interview as part of his duties as ILTA’s chairman of the board.

“This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to meet and interview our 43rd president,” Summers said. “It only cemented my respect for Mr. Bush.”

During the wide-ranging 90-minute interview, the former president discussed his calling to enter politics, American energy policy, contemporary world leaders, and a variety of other topics. He also shared his inspiration for honoring those wounded under his command in his book of portraiture entitled “Portraits of Courage: A Commander in Chief’s Tribute to America’s Warriors.”

ILTA is an advocate and key resource for the liquid terminal industry. The lobbying group is headquartered in the Washington, DC, area, where it advocates on behalf of the liquid terminal industry in Congress and at various federal agencies. ILTA also maintains close working relationships with other organizations that interact with the tank storage industry.

Summers is currently serving a one-year term as chair of the ILTA’s board. He has been the Vice President of Colonial Terminals, a subsidiary of the Savannah-based Colonial Group, for approximately 15 years. Colonial Group is a privately held, family-owned company specializing in energy, distribution, storage, and logistics. Summers has been with the company for 27 years, having assumed the role of Vice President in 2009.