May 27, 2015

St. Louis Region Selects Executive Director of New Freight District

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John Nations, President and CEO of Bi-State Development Agency; Mary C. Lamie, Executive Director of the Regional Freight District; and Ed Hillhouse, Executive Director of the East-West Gateway Council of Governments

Mary C. Lamie from Millstadt, Ill., was selected to lead the St. Louis region’s new freight district. The formal announcement came today during the East-West Gateway Council of Governments regular Board meeting.

Lamie, currently vice president at EFK Moen LLC, in St. Louis County, will become the district’s first Executive Director on July 1. She brings more than 25 years of experience in transportation, engineering and management to the position, including 22 years with the Illinois Department of Transportation.

Her initial responsibilities will be to evaluate the freight needs of the bi-state region and the freight network’s current operational status. She will develop public-private partnerships and create the foundation for planning, marketing and advocacy of the bi-state region as a national freight hub.

“We are very pleased Mary Lamie has accepted the position of Executive Director, and we believe she is the perfect person to lead this initiative to ensure we maximize the region’s potential as a prime location to attract investment in freight capacity and associated job growth,” said John Nations, President and CEO of Bi-State Development Agency. “Her experience with public and private projects in Missouri and Illinois, combined with her technical expertise and proven track record of regional collaboration, make her uniquely qualified to manage the coordination of the roads, rails, rivers, airports and pipelines that are some of our region’s most important assets.”

Newcastle_(California),_freight_trains_at_Main_Street_crossing“Mary has earned the respect of leaders on both sides of the Mississippi River, and her recent experience with the High Speed Rail Corridor project and the Stan Musial Veterans Memorial Bridge are just two examples of how she’s been able to get private, public, federal, state and local entities to successfully work together,” said Ed Hillhouse, Executive Director of the East-West Gateway Council of Governments. “Quite simply, she has the vision, leadership and commitment necessary to put the St. Louis region on the global stage as a premier multi-modal freight center and a competitor in international markets.”

The freight district was created as a public-private partnership to optimize the region’s freight transportation network. It is the newest business enterprise of Bi-State Development Agency, and was established in response to recommendations made in the 2013 Saint Louis Regional Freight Study commissioned by East-West Gateway.

“Our region has the capacity, infrastructure and a strategic location in the heart of the country to become a major freight gateway and distribution center,” said Lamie. “This is an exciting opportunity, and I look forward to working with all of our partners to grow this sector of our economy and position the St. Louis region as a comprehensive solution for moving cargo and goods to all corners of the country.”

Lamie’s career spans a quarter of a century in transportation and engineering. Prior to her current position at EFK Moen, LLC, Lamie spent 22 years with the Illinois Department of Transportation, with the last seven years as Deputy Director of Highways Region 5 Engineer, where she was responsible for more than 800 employees, 3,300 miles of state highways and 1,700 bridges. She has a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from the University of Missouri – Columbia, a master’s degree in civil engineering from Missouri University of Science and Technology (formerly University of Missouri – Rolla), and is a registered professional engineer in both Illinois and Missouri.

Categories:
Economic Development

2 thoughts on “St. Louis Region Selects Executive Director of New Freight District”

  1. J.A. says:

    Provide an incentive for companies to locate to the Freight District such as free or rebated utilities, high speed internet, moving cost for office and commercial equipment. Don’t just limit it to logistics but include pharmaceutical, light engineering, and aerospace. Airbus, Boeing’s competitor has a facility in Alabama. St.Louis would be great place for transit to their
    production facility. Furthermore, have more Maintenance, Rebuild, and Overall facilities for the transportation equipment as a way of diversifying employment opportunities.

    Something to consider.

    1. Matthew Hibbard says:

      J.A., these are all excellent ideas. I’ll make sure our Executive Director of the Regional Freight District receives your feedback.

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