Missouri Governor Mike Parson will headline a distinguished list of local infrastructure leaders and give the keynote address at the 2020 Investment in Infrastructure Expo on February 25 at the St. Charles Convention Center. More than $1 billion in new infrastructure-related construction projects on the Missouri side of the St. Louis metropolitan area will be unveiled at the Expo, including projects from the Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT), Metropolitan Sewer District and all five Missouri metro area highway departments including Jefferson, Franklin, St. Charles, St. Louis counties and the City of St. Louis. The event will also include a trade show featuring construction industry suppliers, equipment dealers and other exhibitors networking with Expo attendees and project owners.
“Governor Parson has been a strong advocate of repairing and improving the state’s infrastructure of roads, bridges, sewers and water systems, and we are extremely pleased to have the Governor join us at this year’s Expo,” said SITE Executive Director Terry Briggs. “Governor Parson continually stresses the need to address shortfalls in our state’s infrastructure’s condition, not only for public safety and service, but also as a jobs creator. Repairing, replacing or rehabilitating pipes, roads and structures has the potential of creating thousands of job opportunities for Missourians.”
New project presentations will be made by officials with MoDOT, MSD and the five Missouri metro area highway departments. Additionally, there will be a panel discussion on Diversity in the Construction industry with MWBE contractors discussing the benefits of mentoring. Forest Park Forever will present an overview of riverways restorations planned in Forest Park, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will talk about their planned work and the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis will present a forecast on the construction industry in the region. Sponsored by the SITE Improvement Association, the event is open to all contractors, subcontractors, suppliers, professional services firms and others connected to the infrastructure construction industry.
The Expo will begin at 1:30 pm with concurrent presentations outlining more than $1 billion in new construction work and what prospective bidders for that work need to know. These presenters include:
- Tom Blair, P.E., District Engineer, St. Louis District of MoDOT covering, Franklin, Jefferson, St. Charles and St. Louis counties along with the city of St. Louis;
- Rich Unverferth, Director of Engineering for the Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District;
- John P. Kohler, P.E., Planning and Programming Manager, City of Saint Louis Board of Public Service;
- Jason Jonas, Public Works Director for Jefferson County;
- Amanda Brauer, Manager of Roads and Traffic for St. Charles County. Amanda oversees the distribution of the County’s 1/2-cent transportation sales tax, which funds approximately $20 million per year in road improvements within the County.
- Jim Grutsch, Franklin County Highway Administrator. Jim is responsible for initiating, monitoring, and completing capital improvement projects related to Franklin County’s transportation network. The projects are funded by a one-half cent sales tax;
- Frank Kartmann, Senior Vice President of Operations for Forest Park Forever. He will review his organization’s $10 million plans to restore some riverways in the eastern portion of Forest Park;
- Phil Moser, project manager – U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Louis District; and
- The diversity panel will discuss how mentorships have helped them in establishing their businesses and what issues MWBE contractors continue to face.
Governor Parson’s address is scheduled for 3:45 p.m. The trade show and networking session will begin at the conclusion of Governor Parson’s address and continue through 6:00 p.m.
For more information and to register for the 2020 Investment in Infrastructure Expo, visit www.sitestl.org and click on the Investment in Infrastructure Expo icon on the first page.
SITE Improvement Association is an independent construction contractor group representing more than 220 contractors and businesses primarily in the concrete, earthmoving, landscaping, asphalt paving, highway/bridge, sewer/utility and specialty construction segments. It represents the interests of its members in negotiations with labor unions, promotes political and legislative agendas and provides safety and technical training for members. SITE has been in continuous operation since 1966. For more information, visit www.sitestl.org.