Chris Brown, Executive Director of the Ark-Tex Council of Governments invites the public to attend and to preregister for the Northeast Texas Rural Transportation Summit at the Hopkins County Civic Center October 31st. He said, “One thing Northeast Texans have in common is the dependence on improved transportation for our rural area. Each city and county in the region has identified needed highway improvements such as safety concerns, increased capacity, maintenance or improved design to meet the changing needs in our region. It is important to understand how freight shipping by truck, rail and air play an important role, as well as where passenger rail opportunities may be needed.”
Brown noted that communication is vital in identifying our primary transportation needs. In an effort to help us meet the common goal of improving our region’s roadways, Sulphur Springs/Hopkins County Economic Development Corporation is hosting the second annual Northeast Texas Rural Transportation Summit on Tuesday, October 31st, at the Hopkins County Civic Center, 1200 Houston St., in Sulphur Springs, Texas. Tickets to this invitation-only event are $25 and include admission plus a catered lunch. State Comptroller Glenn Hegar will be our keynote speaker; invited attendees and speakers include representatives from the Texas Department of Transportation, local elected officials and area business leaders.
During this event, those attending will have the opportunity to speak directly with TxDOT officials and participate in a panel discussion with various transportation providers. Working together in finding solutions to these challenges is the key to reaching our goal.
Ticket Prices: $25 per person Total Enclosed:
Name:
Business/Organization:
Address:
City/State/Zip:
Email: Phone:
Please email completed information above to [email protected]. Checks made payable to SS EDC can be brought to the event:
Sulphur Springs-Hopkins County EDC, 1200 Enterprise Lane,
Sulphur Springs, TX 75482
***Deadline to receive registration is Today***
Northeast Texas
Schedule for the Day:
Rural Transportation Summit
Bowie, Camp, Cass, Delta, Fannin, Franklin, Hopkins, Hunt, Lamar, Morris, Rains, Red River, Titus, Upshur, Wood
9:00 – 9:30 Registration
9:30 – 10:15 Welcome and General Session:
Impact of Regional Airports – Airport Operators Panel:
Speakers Include representative from: Texarkana Regional Airport, Sulphur Springs Municipal Airport, *Tyler Pounds Regional Airport discussion on how our local and regional airports can impact on our business and industrial development
10:15 – 10:30 Break
10:45- 11:45 Importance of Freight Rail: Short-line and Freight Rail operators
Panel: Speakers Include representatives from: Kansas City Southern (KCS), *Union Pacific (UP) *Genesee & Wyoming (G&S), and Northeast Texas Rail District hear how shipping by rail makes economic sense and how increased opportunity can add value to businesses in our region.
12:00 – 1:00 Lunch – Keynote Speaker, Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar: Transportation funding and the outlook for Prop 1 and Prop 7 funds.
1:15 – 2:00 Freight Shipping perspective from our Local Industry Leaders:
Speakers include: *Kimberly Clark, Lowe’s Distribution, Grocery Supply, Custom Commodities and Red River Army Depot Panel to discuss the assets and needs for industry in our region
2:00 – 3:00 Assets and Opportunities in transportation for Northeast Texas:
Presented by the Northeast Texas and East Texas Rural Transportation Planning Orginizations (ATCOG & ETCOG) Interactive exercise to show strong assets and areas for opportunity to help attract business and industry to Northeast Texas.
