Advocating for KCIC in D.C.

Hello, members. My name is Coby Crowl, and I serve as Treasurer and Chair of the Infrastructure committee for the Kansas City Industrial Council. KCIC provides one voice for all of the industrial districts in Kansas City, Missouri, especially in terms of infrastructure. Each year, we prepare an annual list of initiatives important to KCIC members — roads, pedestrian mobility, bridges, levees, potable water, sanitary sewer service, and storm water management — and promote these to local, state and federal governments for awareness and funding. Twice each year, members of the KCIC Executive Board make a trip to Washington D.C. to discuss these matters firsthand with our elected officials.

In mid-October, I was one of three members who went to represent KCIC. To expand our voice, we teamed with the Missouri and Associated Rivers Coalition (MOARC) due to our alignment on flood protection and other initiatives beneficial to our industrial community. MOARC also prepares an initiative list that includes policy updates they want to include in their presentations to Congressional members and leaders with whom we meet. Our group also included staff from the cities of Kansas City, Missouri; Kansas City, Kansas; and Lawrence, Kansas.

We counted ourselves fortunate to meet with Congressional members Rep. Sharice Davids, KS-3; Rep. Tracey Mann, KS-1; Rep. Mark Alford, MO-4; Rep. Eric Burlison, MO-7; Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, MO-5; Rep. Sam Graves, MO-6; Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer, MO-3; and Rep. Jason Smith, MO-8. We also met with Sen. Josh Hawley, MO; Sen. Roger Marshall, KS; and Sen. Jerry Moran, KS. In addition, we talked with staff from the Senate Appropriations Committee, House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, Corps of Engineers, the Office on Management and Budget, Civil Service, and the Senate Committee on Environmental and Public Works / Senate Authorizations. We even met with Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army Stacey Brown in the Pentagon, which was an amazing experience!

Our schedule was intense and the days were long, but we were grateful for the opportunity to meet with so many delegates representing our area. And the best part? All of them were equally grateful for the opportunity to meet with us! They recognize that we lay the groundwork and keep them in the loop as to  what is happening in the areas they represent, which helps them drive policy. And, they rely on our list of key projects to help push funding and approvals forward.

Looking back, it was great experience, we learned a lot, and were amazed at how welcoming all the delegates were to our group. This trip fulfills our promise to provide a voice to our members and assure it is heard by those who can enact change. Seeing how much our elected officials appreciated our input and knowing they are working on our behalf brought home just how important these trips are to our membership. It’s just one more way that KCIC forges connections that drive business, here at home and on Capitol Hill too.

Regards,

Coby Crowl