“Rail has been and continues to be an economic driver nationally and locally. Altoona, Pennsylvania has a rich history of railroading. To date, our local railroad still has repair operations in town that help support the local economy in many ways including purchasing from other local businesses.”

Mayor Matt Pacifico was first elected as Altoona’s Mayor in 2013. He was re-elected as the city’s full-time Mayor, a newly-created position under the city’s Home Rule Charter, in November 2015. Pacifico has been instrumental in initiating a number of strategies to improve the city’s financial outlook, attract new business, and to become the fastest city ever to exit PA’s Act 47 distressed municipality program. He works with state and federal representatives and officials to bring about positive change to the community.

Prior to his election, Pacifico played an integral role at Pacifico Bakery, serving as the Operations Manager for 10 years, overseeing all functions of the business from mixing to shipping. He and his wife, Kristal, have 2 sons, Ethan and Angelo.

“Freight railroads annually spend billions of dollars of their own funds, not taxpayer money, to build and maintain a rail network that is critically important to farmers and elevators in South Dakota. As our yields and output continue to increase, rail’s connection to the global marketplace is becoming ever more important.”

G. Mark Mickelson is the Speaker of the House of the South Dakota Legislature, where he has served since 2013. Mickelson founded Mickelson & Company, LLC, in 2005. He is a graduate of Harvard Law School and a member of the South Dakota Bar Association. He has served as the chair of the South Dakota Community Foundation. Mickelson and his wife, Cynthia Mickelson, have three sons and live in Sioux Falls. He enjoys hunting, fishing, golfing and watching his sons’ activities.

“The railroad is part of the city of Altoona. This is how Altoona came to existence. I take pride in being a railroader and I take pride in protecting, educating and teaching our community about the rail.”

Jesse James was elected to the Wisconsin State Assembly in 2018, representing the 68th Assembly District. He is a lifelong resident of the Chippewa Valley and a 20-year-plus veteran of law enforcement.

After his time serving in the U.S. Army and Reserves, James worked for several years in the private sector before attending Chippewa Valley Technical College where he earned a degree in Police Science in 2001. He worked as a police officer with the Spring Valley and Elmwood Police Departments, before earning a full-time opportunity with the Altoona Police Department in December, 2002. James was promoted to investigator in 2009 before becoming the acting chief of police in April 2011, and then finally being appointed police and fire chief in October 2013. He’s currently a part-time police officer for the Cadott Police Department.

James has also worked with staff to educate the community regarding the railroad traffic in the City of Altoona, including the creation of a city ordinance to address trespassing on the railroad. “The goal for me is to educate our community about the railroad. It truly is about public safety,” Rep. James states.

“At the Chamber, we know how vital it is for our local businesses to have efficient transportation options. Freight railroads stand out on this front because of their financial commitment to building and expanding the nationwide rail network, a stark contrast to our publicly funded roads and highways.”

Mike Miller has served as the President of the Greater Florence Chamber of Commerce since 2014. He has 40 years of media business experience, including having served as publisher of the Florence Morning News from 1999 through 2007.

In 2008, Miller left the Florence area to assume the position of president and publisher of the Winston-Salem Journal and the Piedmont Publishing Group in North Carolina. In 2012, he joined Jones Media Group in Tennessee where he was the publisher of the Athens Daily Post-Athenian and the Monroe County Advocate.

“Union Pacific and Oklahoma’s 17 other freight railroads are an economic powerhouse for our local and state economies. They not only connect local business and industry to the rest of the country and world, they are doing this with private dollars that continually improve efficiency, helping shippers’ bottom lines.”

Leslie Osborn was elected as Oklahoma’s twentieth Labor Commissioner in 2018 and is currently serving a four year term. Prior to being elected Labor Commissioner she served ten years in the Oklahoma House of Representatives representing District 47, which includes parts of Canadian and Grady counties. During her tenure she was appointed in 2013 by Speaker Shannon to chair the Judiciary committee, the first female in state history to do so.

She currently also serves as the chair of the Oklahoma Occupational Licensing Advisory Commission and the Department of Commerce’s Automotive Steering Committee, which is actively working on recruitment of diversified manufacturing businesses to the state of Oklahoma. In addition, she serves on the advisory board of Oklahoma Small Business Development Centers and the Oklahoma Academy. She also serves on the foundation board for the Canadian Valley Technology Center. She is a member of Oklahoma First Ladies and a lifetime member of the OSU Alumni association. She graduated from the Leadership Oklahoma Class 27 and served as the state director of the national group Women in Government.

“My position as Vice Chair of the Oklahoma House’s Transportation Committee has given me a favorable view of private freight rail companies, like BNSF in our region, that invest vast sums into our communities by way of infrastructure. Their spending, which comes at no expense to taxpayers, is crucial to the transportation network that moves our economy.”

Casey Murdock was elected to his first term in the Oklahoma House of Representatives in 2014 and currently serves as the Vice Chair of the House Transportation Committee. He represents the 61st House district that covers the panhandle of Oklahoma.

Murdock grew up in western Oklahoma and he is an alumnus of Oklahoma Panhandle State University. Since graduating, he has farmed and ranched near his hometown while also serving as Farm Manager for New Mexico State University’s Clayton Livestock Research Center where he focused on feedyard management and livestock research. Murdock also previously served on the Felt School District board. He is married and a father of three.

 

 

“Freight railroads crisscross South Carolina, moving efficiently day in, day out to haul raw materials originating here, like lumber and paper, as well as finished products to the rest of the country and beyond. Rail is the connector that helps to power the local and national economies—and railroads are continually investing in the network that makes this possible.”

D. Paul Sommerville is the Chairman of the Beaufort County Council. He represents District 2 (MCAS/Beaufort/Lady’s Island/Fripp Island). Sommerville’s background is in labor relations, where he is a management consultant.

Sommerville is a graduate of Duke University and a veteran of the U.S. Army. A Beaufort native, he is married with two daughters.

 

“Emerging export markets around the globe are providing tremendous opportunity for North Dakota’s economy. Rail is the vital and irreplaceable economic multiplier for our farmers and energy producers to maximize the results of their hard work and innovation.”

Steven Bakken is the Business Development Director for Larsen Engineering, which provides bridge management, construction management, engineering, design, planning and commissioning work to the railroad industry. Larsen has 12 locations in 10 states across the country.

Bakken also has more than 35 years of broadcast and media experience. He was formerly the host of several regional talk radio shows, including “Energy Matters” and “What’s On Your Mind” based out of KFYR 550 in Bismarck, ND and various affiliates. These programs afforded Bakken access to all levels of government, business, associations and industry executives on state, federal and international platforms in the energy industry as well as agriculture and private business.

“The economic impact when freight railroads invest in their network reverberates across America and in cities like St. Joseph. As the home to Herzog, a rail supplier that employs hundreds in our community, our city sees the real benefits of the private dollars that go into rail infrastructure, from direct jobs to a more efficient freight network for our businesses.”

Representative Bill Falkner represents part of Buchanan County (District 10) in the Missouri House of Representatives. He was elected to his first two-year term in November 2018.

In addition to his legislative duties, Falkner is a plumbing consultant. Previously, he owned and operated Falkner Plumbing for more than 30 years. He served as the mayor of St. Joseph for 8 years from 2010 – 2018, and also served as a councilman on the St. Joseph City Council. Falkner has served on the Missouri Municipal League Board of Directors.

“Having worked in-depth on many infrastructure and economic development projects throughout Denton County, I know firsthand that a strong freight rail system strengthens our economy. The private investments into North Texas freight rail access and the network’s capacity are connecting employers in the region to destinations and markets across the nation, and through our seaports, to the world.”

Commissioner Andy Eads, a native Texan and fifth generation resident of Denton County, has served on the Denton County Commissioners Court since 2007. He also serves as Denton County’s representative to the Regional Transportation Council, president of Denton County Housing Finance Corporation, and chairman emeritus of the Flower Mound Chamber of Commerce.

Andy began his public service career at the Town of Addison, where he researched and authored the history book Addison, Texas: A Pictorial History. Andy lives in Flower Mound with his wife and their children.