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Arik Spencer, President & CEO, GNDC
Arik Spencer is the President & CEO of the Greater North Dakota Chamber (GNDC), the largest statewide business advocacy group in North Dakota representing businesses of every size and in every sector throughout North Dakota. Spencer has more than two decades of experience in government relations and public policy advocacy, non-profit management, operational planning, project management, event planning, coalition building, organizational strategy, and membership services. He serves on the Upper Great Plains Transportation Institute Advisory Board, the North Dakota Workforce Safety and Insurance Coordinating Committee, is the Chair of North Dakota’s Transportation Coalition and is Chair of the Business and Labor Subcommittee for the recently announced Census 2020 Complete Count Task Force. Spencer has a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Management from the University of Mary.
Understanding How Business Innovation and DC Dysfunction Are Setting Up the Next Wave of Transportation and Supply Chain Opportunities
John Drake, Vice President, Transportation, Infrastructure, and Supply Chain Policy, U.S. Chamber of Commerce
John Drake is vice president for transportation, infrastructure, supply chain policy at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the world’s largest business advocacy organization. In his role, Drake is responsible for representing the business community on transportation, infrastructure, and supply chain issues before Congress, the administration, the media, the business community, and other stakeholders. Drake is also a member of the Commercial Customs Operations Advisory Committee, which advises the U.S. Customs and Border Protection on improvements to U.S. trade. Drake comes to the Chamber from Amazon, where he was a senior manager for public policy. He coordinated segments of Amazon’s business with regulators at the Department of Transportation, the Environmental Protection Agency, and Congress. [Full bio here]
Conversation on Federal Permitting Reform
Russ Hanson, Executive Vice President of the Associated General Contractors of North Dakota
Russ Hanson serves as the Executive Vice President of the Associated General Contractors of North Dakota (AGC of ND). He is the chief executive officer of the largest construction trade association in North Dakota – a position he has held since July of 2005. The AGC of ND has approximately 500 contractor members consisting of businesses involved in all facets of commercial construction including: commercial buildings, highway/bridge construction, water projects, heavy/civil construction, and businesses supplying construction equipment and materials. Russ’s career in Association Management and government involvement began over 34 years ago when he was hired as a page and bill clerk for the 1989 Legislative Assembly.
Brady Pelton, Vice President and General Counsel, ND Petroleum Council
Brady Pelton has been with the North Dakota Petroleum Council (NDPC) since September 2017 and currently serves as the organization’s Vice President and General Counsel. In this role, he advises on legal matters and advocates for NDPC membership on key issues and their impacts on the oil and gas industry at the federal, state, county, local, and tribal levels. Hailing from a farm and ranch near Killdeer, ND, Pelton is no stranger to the oil and gas industry. Apart from his personal experience living amidst oil and gas activity, he also served as the deputy executive director of the North Dakota Association of Oil and Gas Producing Counties (today the Western Dakota Energy Association) for three years.
Chris Marohl, Senior Policy Advisor, Office of U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer
Chris Marohl serves as a Senior Policy Advisor to U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer covering energy, environment, transportation, and water issues since 2019. Prior to that he supported then Congressman Kevin Cramer on these and other issues beginning as a Legislative Assistant in 2013, and later as Legislative Director. He began his professional career as a Public Utility Analyst with the North Dakota Public Service Commission in 2010. Chris has a Bachelor of Science degree in Finance with a minor in Economics from North Dakota State University and is a native of Bismarck, ND.
Andrea Pfennig, Dir. of Government Affairs, GNDC
Andrea Pfennig is the Director of Government Affairs at the Greater North Dakota Chamber (GNDC), analytical by nature, she has a talent for creating order through structured, collaborative approaches to work with a goal in mind. Pfennig’s passion for the success of North Dakota is evident in her professional work and experiences. Prior to joining GNDC, Pfennig worked for the State of North Dakota managing programs related to energy, childcare, revitalization, and conservation. Her most recent past position with the Industrial Commission allowed her to further deepen her interest and knowledge in energy, finance, and policy as it applies to business and government regulation.The Impact of New Airport Terminals
Thomas T. Schauer, Senior Aviation Advisor for Mead & Hunt
Tom serves as a Senior Aviation Advisor for Mead and Hunt where he provides leadership and strategies for effective aviation planning and engineering, GIS solutions, and project funding. Since joining Mead and Hunt in 2020, he has brought an innovative, yet common-sense approach to solving complex industry problems. Tom has over 11 years in the aviation consulting profession. Prior to working as an aviation consultant, Tom worked for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for 24 years. He began his career in 1988 after graduating from North Dakota State University with a BS in electrical engineering.
Anthony Dudas, Airport Director, Williston Basin International Airport
Anthony Dudas has been with the City of Williston since 2011 and was appointed as the Airport Director in 2017. He was the project lead for the airport construction and transition from the former Sloulin Field International Airport to the new Williston Basin International Airport which commenced operations on October 10, 2019. Dudas currently serves as the Vice President of the Airport Association of North Dakota, a member of the Make-A-Wish North Dakota Board of Directors, a member of the Train ND Northwest Board, and chair of the Williston High School Aviation Program advisory committee.
Jennifer K. Eckman, Airport Director, Minot International Airport
For over 20 years, Jennifer K. Eckman has dedicated her career to the aviation industry. Jennifer has worked her way up from an operations intern at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport to the Director of Minot International Airport. Along the way she learned invaluable lessons from the seven airports she has worked for including the finer art of plowing snow in a 22-foot bladed Oshkosh. Prior to her joining the City of Minot, Jennifer, worked as a project manager at the Northern Plains UAS Test Site and helped drone and drone enabling technologies test aircraft and equipment throughout the United States.Future Focused NDDOT
Robin Rehborg, Deputy Director for Driver Safety
Robin Rehborg was named the Deputy Director for Driver Safety in 2019. Robin oversees Driver License, Motor Vehicle, Highway Safety, State Fleet and Aviation Services. Robin joined the NDDOT in 2006 and worked in many capacities including Fleet Manager, Fleet Operations Manager, Workplace Investigation Team Lead, and Interim Driver License Director. Robin obtained her Certified Automotive Fleet Manager (CAFM) designation in 2012. She served as State Fleet Services Division Director for seven years. Prior to joining the NDDOT, she was the General Manager of Southeast Propane LLC, in Gwinner, North Dakota. She has been active in several associations, including the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators (AAMVA) where she serves as Region 3 Vice President, AAMVA International Board of Directors and member of the Finance, Investment and Audit committee, WTS International, National Conference of State Fleet Administrators (NCSFA), NAFA Fleet Management Association and the Government Fleet Magazine Advisory Board. Robin is a graduate of Moorhead State University, Moorhead, Minnesota, and has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration. Robin and her husband, Tom, live in Mandan and have two grown daughters and one granddaughter.
Moving Forward, Future of Rail
Dan Mack - Northern Plains Railroad, Inc.
Dan Mack joined Northern Plains in 2018 and is responsible for leading the commercial and corporate development and strategic activities across various Northern Plains businesses. Prior to joining Northern Plains, Mr. Mack spent several years at CHS Inc. where he led that company’s rail, barge and global ocean freight, as well as oversight of its grain, agronomy and biofuels facility operations. He has prior experience working for Class 1 railroad CPKC and management of retail grain and agronomy businesses, both in North Dakota and Minnesota. Dan is a North Dakota native and received his Bachelor of Science degree in Agricultural Economics from North Dakota State University
Justin Pearson - BNSF Railway
Justin Pearson joined BNSF in 2012 as the regional manager for Economic Development serving North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana, Minnesota and Manitoba, Canada. In this role, he assists customers and partners in developing new or expanding existing rail-served facilities.
Erin Roesler - Northern Plains UAS Test Site
Erin is the current NPUASTS Director of Operations with 14 years of experience in the UAS industry. Recently, Erin lead the FAA UAS BVLOS Aviation Rulemaking Committee – Air & Ground Risk working group. She is active in industry standards bodies, including ASTM, RTCA, and ANSI UAS Standardization Collaborative. Erin plays an influential role in the operationalization of Vantis, North Dakota’s beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) initiative. Erin was tasked with curriculum management, development, and the instruction of over 200 UAS undergraduate students.
Kimberly Vachal, Ph.D., Senior Researcher, NDSU
Dr. Kimberly Vachal is the lead investigator for Agricultural Industry and Rural Transportation Safety and Security activities at North Dakota State University's Upper Great Plains Transportation Institute. She conducts research and outreach to promote a safe and secure transportation, with focus on rural regions. Research, outreach, and educational activities are defined and accomplished in cooperation with stakeholders. She has over 20 years of experience in transportation research, primarily in safety, agriculture, program evaluation, policy, and freight flows, and has worked extensively with both public and private stakeholders. In addition, she has had the opportunity to work with students as research assistants and in teaching courses in freight logistics, microeconomics, international development economics, and traffic safety assessment.