Mid-America Port Commission elects new officers

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By DAVID CAMPHOUSE

The Mid-America Port Commission elected new officers at its July 14 meeting in Canton, Mo.

Douglas Aeilts, CEO and General Manager of the Northeast Missouri Electric Power Cooperative was elected Chairman. The cooperative supplies the power for rural electric cooperatives in Northeast Missouri and Southeast Iowa. Mr. Aeilts most recently served as vice-chairman of the Mid-America Port Commission Board of Directors and active in local, state and national organizations.

Mike Norris from Iowa was elected Vice-Chairman. He is the immediate past secretary. Mr. Norris is Executive Director of the Southeast Iowa Regional Planning Commission, serves on the Iowa DOT Advisory Board, is Executive Director of the Southeast Iowa Regional Economic and Port Authority and has been active in other regional organizations.

Karen Voss of Illinois was elected Secretary-Treasurer. Voss serves as the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) at Ursa Farmers Cooperative Company, where she has dedicated 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.

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. The 26 MAPC counties include six Iowa counties, nine counties in Missouri, and eleven counties in Illinois.

MAPC was formed to advocate for and facilitate improving freight transportation infrastructure to enable regional businesses to have the most cost effective and competitive shipping methods. Developing the infrastructure to transload between truck, rail and barge has been a major focus. Sites for port development were identified in all three states on the Mississippi and Illinois rivers.

There are three commissioners from each state. One is appointed by the governor and the other two by county commissioners/boards of their respective states.