“We’ve seen the economic power of rail firsthand in Gloucester. The newly developed Port of Paulsboro, which will create thousands of jobs in our region, would not be possible without access to the nationwide rail network. Rail makes it possible for our port to reach the entire country.”

Dave Mayer was first elected Mayor in November 2009 and then re-elected in 2013. He began his service as an elected in May of 2003 when he was elected to the Gloucester Township Council. Mayer was then elected to the State Assembly in 2003 and 2005, where he served on the Assembly Transportation and Education committees and sponsored many pieces of legislation including the New Jersey Stars program.

Mayer earned a B.A. from Rutgers-Camden, a Masters Degree in Public Policy and Administration also from Rutgers-Camden and a Law Degree from Rutgers-Camden School of Law. He has taught courses in political science, public administration and public policy at Camden County College, Rutgers-Camden and Rowan University.

“America’s freight railroads haul the goods that we need every day. Manufacturers, auto dealers, homebuilders, supermarkets, small businesses and everyone who does business with them rely on the nationwide rail network. Operations at the Port of New York and New Jersey, one of our region’s top economic engines impacting more than 300,000 jobs, are positively influenced by freight rail which helps to make the port more competitive.”

Chip Hallock has served as the CEO of Newark Regional Business Partnership where he has worked to connect business for a Greater Newark since 2000. Previously he was at the Paramus-based Commerce and Industry Association of New Jersey, including seven years as its president. Prior to CIANJ, he served as executive director of the Foundation for Free Enterprise. Hallock is a past member of the Board of Directors and Finance Committee for the Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives (ACCE), the national organization for chamber of commerce professionals, and is a past president of the New Jersey Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives.

Hallock graduated from Moravian College with a B.A. in social sciences. He is also a graduate of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Institute for Organization Management at the University of Delaware.

“As the business representative to the home of the American rail industry, the Greater Baltimore Committee always strives to improve the competitive environment for the Class I freight railroads that service the Port of Baltimore and its inland markets. The freight railroad industry is a vital cog in the economics of the Port of Baltimore – 127,600 jobs, $2.9 billion in personal wages, and $310 million in annual state and local taxes – all of which makes Baltimore a leader in American industry.”

Donald C. Fry has been the President and CEO of the Greater Baltimore Committee (GBC), the central Maryland region’s most prominent organization of business and civic leaders, since November 2002. Fry served as GBC Executive Vice President from 1999 to 2002. From 1980 to 1999 Fry was engaged in a private law practice in Harford County. During this time he also served in the Maryland General Assembly. He is one of only a handful of legislators to have served on each of the major budget committees of the General Assembly.

Fry is a 1979 graduate of the University of Baltimore School of Law. He earned a B.S. in political science from Frostburg State College.

“Freight rail in Connecticut greatly influences our local economy and is essential to the state and national economies as well. Whether people realize it or not, moving freight impacts almost every aspect of our daily lives, from commuting to work, to the clothes we wear, to the appliances in our homes.”

Rick Dunne is the Executive Director of the Naugatuck Valley Council of Governments where he oversees administration of Regional Transportation Policy & Planning, Brownfields Redevelopment and Shared Municipal Service provision. Dunne is also the Co-Director of the Greater Bridgeport/Valley Metropolitan Planning Organization. He previously served as the Chairman of the CT Association of Councils of Governments, the lead advocate for regional solutions to municipal issues.

Previously, Dunne spent a decade as the Director of Development & Administration for the City of Derby, CT, and Policy Director for the Connecticut General Assembly’s Connecticut Institute of Municipal Studies.

“Many people don’t realize that freight railroads pay their own way with little help from taxpayers. Their massive infrastructure investments in turn benefit Connecticut’s economy—making it more efficient and cost effective for our businesses to reach markets across the country and world.”

Michael McLachlan is serving his fourth term in the Connecticut State Senate representing the communities of Danbury, Bethel, New Fairfield and Sherman. A Deputy Minority Leader, McLachlan is ranking member on the General Assembly’s Government Administration and Elections Committee. He also serves on the Judiciary and the Finance, Revenue and Bonding Committees. He serves as ranking member of the Finance Committee’s General Bonding Subcommittee.

Prior to being elected to the Senate, McLachlan served as Chief of Staff for Danbury Mayor Mark Boughton and had a successful career in financial services including automotive fleet, mortgage banking and small business lending. A Danbury native, McLachlan is a commercial realtor with his own company, Hat City Real Estate, LLC.

“Served by BNSF Railway, Union Pacific, and the Great Western Railway, Weld County has attracted a number of major manufacturers and distributors because of our access to the nationwide rail network. Rail infrastructure investments support local Colorado jobs and help our businesses compete in the global economy.”

Sean Conway is currently serving in his second term as Weld County Commissioner At Large. He also serves on the executive committee for the North Front Range MPO, as Chair of the Colorado Counties Transportation & Telecommunications Steering Committee, and as the Vice Chair of the National Association of Counties Immigration Reform Task Force. Prior his role as commissioner, Conway worked as chief of staff for Colorado Senator Wayne Allard.

Conway is a third generation Coloradan who grew up on a ranch in the Rocky Mountains. Conway and his family have made Weld County their home for more than two decades.

“Freight railroads are committed to the safety of our communities. In addition to investing millions of private dollars in their Pennsylvania infrastructure each year, they have been active participants in local emergency response planning – serving on the state planning committee on emergency response and helping towns develop preparedness plans.”

Sen. Richard Alloway was elected to his first term in the Pennsylvania Senate in November 2008. He is currently serving his second term representing the 33rd District, which includes all of Adams County and portions of Cumberland, Franklin and York Counties. Alloway serves as a member of the Senate Republican leadership team as Majority Caucus Secretary.

Prior to serving in the Senate, Alloway served as a magisterial district judge for four years. He is a former member of the Franklin County Area Development Corporation and Downtown Chambersburg, Inc. A Franklin County native, Alloway earned a bachelor’s degree in Government from Shippensburg University and graduated from Widener Law School in 2002.

“Freight railroads are crucial transportation partners when it comes to attracting New York businesses and helping them expand – the primary goals of the Orange County Partnership. Locally, Norfolk Southern and the Middletown & New Jersey Railroad serve Orange County, connecting our businesses to U.S. and world markets.”

Maureen Halahan is responsible for maximizing corporate attraction and business expansion opportunities in Orange County, NY. She joined the Orange County Partnership in 2001 as Director of Business Attraction. In that position, her team brought over $89 million in new investment dollars and $75 million in projected wage creation and new job opportunity to Orange County. Halahan was promoted to President and CEO in September of 2002.

In 2011, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo named Halahan to the Mid-Hudson Regional Council Board to develop long-term strategic plans for economic growth in New York State. She is a member of CoreNet, an international site-selection industry association, the Warwick LDC and the New York State Economic Development Council.