“Mississippi’s businesses, including our large agriculture, chemical and paper sectors, have long enjoyed freight rail to move goods. Whether landlocked in Winona or near barges in Gulfport, railroads help companies bring goods to market.” 

Larry Byrd has been a member of the Mississippi legislature since 2008, representing District 104. He serves as the Chair of the County Affairs Committee. He is also a member of the Banking and Financial Services, Conservation and Water Resources, Management, Public Health and Human Services and Transportation committees.

Byrd is a member of the Petal Chamber of Commerce, Petal Masonic Lodge no. 516, Hattiesburg York Rite, K.Y.C.H. and a member of the Scottish Rite Knight Commander Court of Honor. He is a U.S. Army Veteran of the 82nd Airborne Division and a life member of V.F.W. Post 3036 in Hattiesburg, MS.

“Manufacturers like our very own Vertex Rail Technologies are supported by the billions freight rail spends on its network annually. Economic development goes hand in hand with freight railroads.”

Jonathan Barfield was first elected to the New Hanover County Commission Board in 2008 and currently serves as the Board’s Vice Chairman. Barfield’s professional organizations include the National Association of Counties (NACo) Transportation Steering Committee, North Carolina Association of County Commissioners (NCACC) General Government Steering Committee, NCACC Justice and Public Safety Steering Committee, and NCACC Tax and Finance Steering Committee.

Barfield is the owner of Barfield & Associates Realty, LLC and has been a licensed Realtor since 1997, having served as president of the Wilmington Regional Association of Realtors in 2007. His civic involvement also includes the Cape Fear Community College Board of Trustees, the Cape Fear Public Transportation Authority/Wave Transit, and the New Hanover County Tourism Development Authority.

“The benefits of private rail investments are very real for the average Minnesotan, who, according to a recent study, gains about $2,000 extra in their salary because of freight rail. Freight railroads support a quarter million jobs in our state, nearly 7 percent of Minnesota’s employment.”

Bentley Graves is the Director of Health Care and Transportation Policy at the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce. He joined the Chamber in October 2013. A native Iowan, Graves made his way to Minnesota and the Chamber by way of Washington, DC, working on Capitol Hill for Iowa Congressman Steve King. He began his time with Rep. King as an intern and throughout his tenure moved on to hold a number of positions in the Congressman’s office, including Legislative Assistant, Legislative Director, and Chief of Staff. Graves’ policy experience includes work on small business concerns, health care, transportation, taxes, education, foreign affairs, defense, and federal appropriations.

Graves graduated cum laude in 2005 from Hillsdale College in Michigan with a degree in political economy. He lives in Excelsior with his wife, who is a native Minnesotan, and their three young children.

“Lafayette rail-served companies like Subaru, Alcoa, and Tate & Lyle have brought thousands of jobs to our community in the last year. Demand has required a significant expansion of rail capacity and these upgraded freight rail lines will continue to drive economic development as our population expands to meet hiring demands.”

Tony Roswarski began his commitment to Lafayette when he joined the Lafayette Police Department, serving over 20 years and retiring at the rank of Captain. In 1999, he was elected to the Lafayette City Council, and then in 2003 was elected to the Office of Mayor where he is currently serving his 4th term.

Roswarski serves as Chief Elected Official for the 12-county Workforce Development Board. In addition, he serves on the Advisory Committee for the Indiana University School of Medicine at Purdue University, as President of the Wabash River Enhancement Corporation, as Co-President on the Greater Lafayette Honor Flight Executive Committee, and as President for the Indiana Association of Cities and Towns Medical Trust.

“The Port of Long Beach is the second busiest container port in the country, accounting for 28,000 jobs. The port and the city depend upon the investments by freight railroads to connect us to the country.”

Randy Gordon has led the Long Beach Area Chamber of Commerce, which represents over 1,000 area businesses, since 1994. Prior to his position at Long Beach, Gordon was the CEO of the Covina, California Chamber for 12 years. He is the Past President of Southern California Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives (SCACCE), Past Chairman of the Western Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives (WACE), a former board member of the Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives (ACCE) and served as Chairman of the Metro Cities Council for two years.

Gordon is very involved in his community, serving on numerous boards including the Board President of the Long Beach Ronald McDonald House, YMCA, the California Conference for Equality and Justice, Board of Trustees for St. Mary Medical Center, the Long Beach City College Foundation Board of Governors, California State University of Long Beach Advisory Board for the School of Engineering, the Long Beach Grand Prix Board and Past-Chairman of the Miller Children’s Hospital Advisory Board.

“Manufacturers like our very own Vertex Rail Technologies are supported by the billions freight rail spends on its network annually. Economic development goes hand in hand with freight railroads.”

Bill Saffo has served on the Wilmington City Council since 2003 and has served as mayor since 2006. He serves on many boards and commissions including the Wilmington Regional Film Commission. Saffo is also a board member of the New Hanover Tourism Development Authority Board and an ex-officio board member of the Greater Wilmington Chamber of Commerce.

A native of Wilmington, Saffo graduated from Hoggard High School and went on to receive a B.A. from UNC-Wilmington. He loves to spend time with friends and family and finds it very satisfying to serve as mayor of his hometown. He feels that one of the great things we can do in our lives is to give back through public service.

“In my extensive research on transportation, workforce development and safety, I have observed freight railroads’ commitment to innovative safety programs. These efforts have reduced employee injuries while also enhancing safety and performance across the network.”

Patrick Sherry is a professor with a specialization in human factors, safety, intermodal transportation and occupational psychology at the University of Denver. He has served since 2002 as the Director of the National Center for Intermodal Transportation and as a member of the Board of Directors of the Transportation Institute at the University of Denver. In addition to scientific research, Sherry has consulted extensively with Fortune 500 transportation companies throughout the U.S. and Canada in the areas of safety, intermodal workforce development in transportation, and leadership training.

Most recently, Sherry has been involved in supervising research in the areas of intermodal container tracking and security, identifying appropriate work schedules that limit or reduce fatigue and increase performance, identification of workers with high risk safety profiles, and training and development of executives in intermodal and logistics transportation. He led several pioneering efforts with U.S. railroads designed to implement behaviorally based safety and peer feedback programs that resulted in significant reductions in reported injuries.

“Infrastructure is the keystone of economic development and freight rail delivers for California. Railroads connect our ports to national markets, support farmers in the Central Valley and deliver manufactured goods across North America – in the most environmentally friendly way possible over land.”

Gurbax Sahota is an experienced association professional who convenes and leads multiple economic development support organizations aligned with the goal of helping businesses thrive in California. She holds senior positions with the California Association for Local Economic Development (CALED), the California Academy for Economic Development, and the California Enterprise Development Authority.

As President & CEO of CALED, Sahota focuses on creating strategic partnerships to promote the value of economic development and create a stronger voice for economic developers at the state and local level. She also helped create a strong foundation for CALED and its affiliate organizations by both raising funds and implementing sustainable financial practices so it can continue to provide services and benefits to economic developers, helping them to make a difference growing local economies across the state.

“Rail has long been the driving force of the Fox River Valley’s economy. Because of the rail renaissance of the last 30 years and record private investment back into rail infrastructure, Oshkosh is better placed than ever to benefit from rail’s efficiency and ability to connect far-off markets with our high-value producers.”

John Casper, as President and CEO of the Oshkosh Chamber of Commerce, works with the Chairman of the Board and Board of Directors to formulate policy aimed at advancing the area business climate. He is responsible for the Chamber’s role in legislative and governmental affairs, transportation and aviation issues, workforce development, and small business development. Casper also oversees Chamber operations and management.

“With 27,000 square miles and California’s fastest growing population, we are truly building an empire. Railroads have helped catalyze this growth and will continue to foster it as they invest substantially in the rail network that connects Inland Empire to the world.”

Paul Granillo became President & CEO of Inland Empire Economic Partnership in 2010. He serves as board member of the California Stewardship Network and as the immediate past chair of the California Economic Summit as well as past chair and board member of Mobility 21, a coalition that brings together public, business and community stakeholders to pursue regional solutions to the transportation challenges facing Imperial, Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego and Ventura counties. Granillo is also a sitting member of the Regional Economic Alliance Leaders of California.

A native of the Inland Empire, Granillo was born and raised in Redlands. He received a B.A. from California State University San Bernardino, a Master of Divinity from St. John’s Seminary in Camarillo and a Licentiate in Canon Law from the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C.