Port officials meet to plan for the future of Illinois & Mississippi River transport

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By DAVID CAMPHOUSE

The Mid-America Port Commission (MAPC) and the Corn Belt Ports hosted its annual meeting in Burlington, IA, on March 18th, followed by the Upper Mississippi, Illinois & Missouri Rivers Association (UMIMRA) Annual Meeting on March 19th.

Scott County is located within the footprint of the MAPC, which was established by a three-state compact between Illinois, Iowa, and Missouri in 1999. Twenty-six counties were included in the compact, and the purpose of MAPC is to improve logistics for domestic and global freight to help regional businesses compete internationally.

MAPC is one of several regional ports that make up the larger Corn Belt Ports. Corn Belt Ports extend from Minneapolis-St. Paul to St. Louis.

UMIMRA began as an organization to improve agricultural levees, and it now serves as a broad based grassroots organization dedicated to rural and urban prosperity and environmental stewardship through wise development of river resources in the Upper Mississippi Valley.

According to Bob Sinkler, Executive Director of the Corn Belt Ports, the Corn Belt Ports system was set up to not only improve transportation and logistics within the region, but also to attract investment in the region’s river-adjacent communities.

“When we started there were no ports on the map between St. Louis and St. Paul,” Sinkler said. “We wanted to put ourselves on the map.”

“Ports equal investment, and you can’t invest in a port that doesn’t exist.”

Sinkler said that the concept behind Corn Belt Ports was first established along the Ohio River.

“Rural regional ports started along the Ohio River in places like Pittsburgh and Cincinnati,” Sinkler said. “They’ve been doing that for years, and were able to effectively raise the profile of their ports. We wanted to do the same thing.”

The March 18-19 event provided an opportunity for stakeholders to receive updates pertaining to regional initiatives and funding opportunities and to increase their collective awareness of economic development opportunities involving the Corn Belt Ports multimodal ports.   

Dozens of elected officials and economic development professionals from across the Midwest attended the event to hear presentations focused on flood control, inland ports, navigation, and environmental protection for the future of the Upper Mississippi and Illinois River Valleys.

“Maintaining and improving the inland ports, navigation and flood control of the Upper Mississippi River Basin is important to America’s long-term economic growth and our national security,” Sinkler said. “The Annual Meeting gives attendees an opportunity to network and learn from others to find solutions that will improve multi-modal transportation infrastructure, navigation, reduce flood damages, protect property, and support local economies and communities.”

The Upper Mississippi River levee systems are a critical infrastructure system protecting some of the most productive farmland in the world, along with people’s homes, multi-generational businesses, transportation infrastructure such as highways, railroads, the Corn Belt Ports, and the navigation channel of the Mississippi River itself. Upper Mississippi Valley levee systems also protect dozens of conservation areas, protected wetlands, and wildlife all of which are significantly negatively impacted if flooded.

“Proper flood control for the Upper Mississippi River has long been ignored to the detriment of the Midwest and country,” said Mike Klingner, UMIMRA Chairman prior to the meeting. “Flooding in the Upper Mississippi River Valley has been a repeated occurrence for many years. At a time when the Upper Mississippi is dealing with more runoff and more flooding probabilities, government bureaucratic red tape is limiting the ability of people to protect their families, homes, livelihoods, and businesses. We will be discussing this looming disaster at our annual meeting.”

Highlights from the March 18-19 meeting included:

Tuesday, March 18

ν “Unlocking Port Investment” – Corn Belt Ports/Mid-America Port Commission

Wednesday, March 19

ν “Improving Flood Control” – UMIMRA educational sessions on current topics and issues

ν Keynote speaker – Bob Maltsbarger, Senior Research Economist from the University of Missouri Food & Agricultural Policy Research Institute/Water Center, will be discussing their groups work on “Measuring Crop Losses and the Potential Benefits of Flood Mitigation Projects”

 

 

Mid-America Port Commission Announces New Commissioners

Karen Voss and Brian Munzlinger will be seated as Mid-America Port Commission (MAPC) commissioners at its April 14 meeting at Culver-Stockton College in Canton, Missouri.

Karen Voss was elected to serve as a MAPC commissioner by the Mid-America Intermodal Authority Port District (MAIAPD) board at their March 4 meeting. She serves as the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) at Ursa Farmers Cooperative Company, where she has dedicated nearly 25 years of her career. She has played a crucial role in managing the company’s river assets, successfully navigating challenges such as enduring floods, optimizing barge transportation, and collaborating with the Small Business Administration, the Corps of Engineers, and the National Flood Insurance Programs. Voss earned her Certified Public Accountant (CPA) certification in 1997 and graduated from Quincy University with a bachelor’s degree in accounting. Additionally, she spent seven years in higher education administration at John Wood Community College. Voss grew up on a farm in Adams County Illinois.

Brian Munzlinger, of Williamstown, was appointed by Missouri Governor Mike Keogh on March 13, 2025. He is a lifelong farmer and former state legislator with extensive experience in agriculture, trade, and infrastructure policy. He served as a Missouri State Senator from 2011 to 2019 and a State Representative from 2003 to 2010, where he chaired the Agriculture, Food Production, and Outdoor Resources Committee. Munzlinger also served on the Missouri Board of Probation and Parole from 2019 to 2024. He is an active member of several agricultural and rural policy-based organizations including the Missouri Farm Bureau, Missouri Soybean Association, Missouri Corn Growers Association and the NEMO Grain Processors Co-op board. He earned his Bachelor of Science in General Agriculture from the University of Missouri in Columbia.

Voss replaces Mike McLaughlin who fulfilled two six-year terms, the legal terms limit, where he served in all offices. He continues to serve as chairman of the Mid-America Intermodal Authority Port District based in Quincy, IL. The MAIAPD serves 11 Illinois counties and is an integral part of MAPC. MAPC commissioners from Illinois must serve on be elected by the MAIAP board.

The Mid-America Port Commission, located in the Upper Mississippi and Illinois River basins, exists to increase economic development in rural and underserved areas in Iowa, Illinois, and Missouri through improved river infrastructure and increased use of the inland waterways.

MAPC has 9 commissioners with three each from the states of Illinois, Iowa, and Missouri. The three state’s governors each appoint a commissioner while the others are appointed locally.

MAPC commissioners include Blake E. Roderick, Chairman (IL); Douglas Aeilts, Vice Chairman (MO); Mike Norris, Secretary/Treasurer (IA); H.O. Brownback, and Karen Voss (IL); Emily Benjamin and Rachel Lindeen (IA); and Norris Hinton and Brian Munzlinger (MO). Commissioners Brownback, Norris, and Munzlinger are governor appointees. The other six commissioners are appointed by county boards or commissions in their respective states.