JEH President & CEO New 2012 CB Chamber Board Chair

It Was A Very Good Year

Chamber celebrates good fortune in spite of flood at annual luncheon

By Mike Brownlee; Daily Nonpareil, Thursday, January 26, 2012

Keynote speaker Robert Turner told the large crowd gathered at the annual Council Bluffs Chamber of Commerce luncheon that the railroad system affects them more than they imagine.“Everything you touch in your daily lives has probably been on a train,” the senior vice president for corporate relations at Union Pacific said.

Turner spoke about the history of rail, including Council Bluffs’ distinction as the beginning point of the Union Pacific rail line, and the future of rail, touting the industry as beneficial and energy-efficient.The Chamber event celebrated another year of business in the city, a year that included the massive flooding and a bevy of new businesses.

“We had a good year, despite the flood,” Bob Mundt said after the event. “The biggest problem during the flood was the uncertainty – ‘Can we do business or not?’ But thanks to the work of the city and countless others on the levee, we were safe.”

During his presentation, Turner discussed the Council Bluffs and Omaha Union Pacific service unit, which deals mostly with coal, ethanol, corn, soybean and grains. In 2011, the company’s 8,000 locomotives traveled 32,000 miles on routes in 23 states.“What we move affects everyone in the country,” he said.

Mundt said he was pleased with the turnout of about 400 people from various businesses and organizations throughout Council Bluffs at the luncheon.

Kirk Madsen of Silverstone Group, the outgoing chairman of the chamber board, passed the gavel to Steve Baumert of Jennie Edmundson Hospital, who’ll assume the role this year.

“The success of an organization reflects on its leadership,” Baumert said. “Kirk, you showed great leadership in 2011.”Baumert said he expected 2012 to be as successful – if not more successful – than 2011.

The Chamber also unveiled its Travel Program. The program’s inaugural trip will take registrants to China for nine days. The event will include networking with Chinese businesses, sightseeing and more.“China’s an emerging nation,” Mundt said. “It’s logical to go over there and build relationships. We’ll see how this first trip goes, what comes out of it.”