Gard Wayt
Executive Director
I-49 International Coalition
P.O. Box 101
Shreveport, LA 71161-0101
O (318) 222-3579
F (318) 222-0991
C (318) 207-1292
Gard Wayt was instrumental in organizing the I-49 International Coalition in 2002 and has been its Executive Director since 2003. A Louisiana Good Roads & Transportation Association, Board Member and Industrial Development Board of Caddo Parish, Secretary/Treasurer, Gard has a long history of leadership in economic development, educational, political, professional, church and service organizations. Some of his positions include:
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President, Caddo Career & Technology Center Scholarship Foundation
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President, Shreveport Charter Schools, Inc.
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Chairman, Board of Trustees, Linwood Public Charter School
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Founding member, Strategic Action Council of NW Louisiana
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Industrial Development Board of Caddo Parish
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Past President, Louisiana Conference United Methodist Men
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United Methodist Men Foundation, Treasurer, Nashville, TN
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Past President, Rotary Club of Shreveport, and Paul Harris Fellow
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Caddo Parish Police Jury (now Caddo Parish Commission), Former Member
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Caddo Parish School Board, Former Member
Gard is President of Gard Wayt & Associates, a regional marketing and consulting firm located in Shreveport, LA, and President of Wayt Insurance Agency, Inc. and Benefit Choices, Inc. marketing insurance and employee benefit plans to small businesses. He is a graduate of the Institute of Insurance Marketing at LSU, and a graduate of the Economic Development Institute at Oklahoma University, Wayt also attended Centenary College of Louisiana and LSU-Shreveport, and earned the Chartered Life Underwriter and Registered Health Underwriter designations from The American College of Bryn Mawr, PA.
Curt Green
Chairman/President
President, Curt Green & Company
P.O. Box 3379
Texarkana, TX 75504
O (903) 223-8000 X 1370
F (903) 223-7100
C (903) 748-6000
Curt is the owner of Curt Green & Company, LLC, a Commercial Real Estate Company in Texarkana, Arkansas. Curt has been in residential and commercial real estate sales, development and construction since 1980. His total real estate experience includes over 500 transactions and 200+ construction projects. He is a partner in C2C Real Estate Services, a company that represents development, construction and investment, of commercial real estate in nine states, as well as several development and investment companies including C2C Construction Services, LLC, a fast-track Design/Build Construction Company.
Curt is a member of Arkansas Good Roads Committee, representing Southwest Arkansas. Spending time in Little Rock, Arkansas and Washington D.C. lobbying for the rights of independent businesses is one of Curt’s favorite activities. He has lobbied for the NFIB, US Chamber and the ICSC.
Curt is the Past Arkansas/Oklahoma Chairman for the International Council of Shopping Centers and was the 2003-2005 Arkansas State Chairman for the National Federation of Independent Business,
Civic organizations have been a very important part of Curt’s activities. He currently serves on the Wadley Foundation and previously served on the boards of Texarkana Historical Society and Museum, Kiwanis Club, Four States Fair Association, Texarkana Arkansas Board of Adjustment and the Business Organization for a New Downtown (B.O.N.D.). Curt also served as Chairman of the Texarkana Chamber of Commerce, president for Volunteer Services Bureau and the Texarkana Work Center. He is a 1980-1981 graduate of the Leadership Texarkana Program and is currently a Alumni Association member.
Gar Eisele
Vice President - AR
President, Washburn's Home Furnishings
1020 Mena Street
Mena, AR 72953
O (479) 394-4332
F (479) 394-4836
C (479) 243-5650
Present
President-Washburn's Home Furnishings-Mena, Arkansas
Member-I-49 International Coalition Board
Chairman-Arkansas Regional Coalition of the Ouachitas---ARCOstrong.org
Chair-Rich Mountain Community College Board of Trustees
Past
Member-Mena/Polk County Chamber of Commerce Board
Member-Rich Mountain Community College Foundation
Member-Mena Intermountain Municipal Airport Commission
Daniel D. Mann
Vice President – AR
Executive Director, Fort Chaffee Redevelopment Authority
7020 Taylor Ave.
Fort Smith, AR 72916
O (479) 452-4554
F (479) 452-4566
C (479) 651-0100
Daniel Mann is the executive director and CEO of Fort Chaffee Redevelopment Authority Public Trust in Fort Smith, Arkansas. He joined FCRA’s staff in 2019 and has embraced the role of managing, marketing, and selling the remaining property in Chaffee Crossing, a 7,000-acre 1995 BRAC economic development project that was formerly part of Fort Chaffee, Arkansas. In addition to driving property sales and advocating on behalf of Chaffee Crossing developers, Mann oversees historic area development, leasing and property management, and governmental affairs.
He is the former Chief Executive Officer for Great Plains Development Authority. During his tenure, he was responsible for the ownership, management, political advocacy, environmental remediation, and development of the 6,800-acre Great Plains Industrial Park, formerly the Kansas Army Ammunition Plant.
Mann has more than 20 years of experience in economic development and successfully recruited manufacturing, warehouse/distribution, professional services, defense, health care, and energy companies which led to the creation of over 6,000 new jobs with a total of over $1.6 Billion in new investment.
Mann was named 2007 Oklahoma Economic Development Professional of the Year by the Northeast Oklahoma Economic Development Association. He has been recognized by the American Chamber of Commerce Executives as an “ACE” award winner for his economic development programs. He is a graduate of Northeastern State University in Oklahoma and a graduate of the University of Oklahoma Economic Development Institute.
Mann came to Southeast Kansas from the Quad Cities in July 2013, where he developed and led a 6-County Bi-state regional partnership for eastern Iowa and western Illinois, in addition to work with the Rock Island Arsenal. Prior work experience includes work with the Tulsa Metro Chamber where he held multiple positions including Manager of Small and Minority-Owned Business, International Business Development Manager, Executive Director of the Tulsa Area Partnership, a twenty-country regional business attraction alliance, and also served as Senior Project Manager for business attraction for the Chamber.
Mann has the strong support of his wife, Tiffany, and their two children Ashley and Isaac.
Kam K. Movassaghi, PhD, PE, FASCE
Vice President – LA
Transportation Consultant
125 Elysian Fields Drive
Lafayette, LA 70508
O (337) 984-4797
F Call first
C (337) 322-5718
Dr. Movassaghi is President-Emeritus of Fenstermaker, a consulting engineering firm headquartered in Lafayette, Louisiana. His professional career spans over 40 years of experience in consulting engineering and management, government service, and academia. He is a former secretary of the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (DOTD) and former head of the Civil Engineering Department at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette.
While at DOTD, Dr. Movassaghi led a staff of 5200 with an annual budget of $1.3 billion. He was responsible for a 10-year expedited implementation of a comprehensive program called the Transportation Intermodal Model for Economic Development (TIMED) program. TIMED was a $5 billion program that included 500 miles of new highways and two major bridges over the Mississippi River. He has chaired various committees of AASHTO and TRB and served on the U.S. D.O.T.’s Blue Ribbon Panel of Experts, National Surface Transportation Policy and Revenue Commission.
In his current capacity, Dr. Movassaghi leads a staff of more than 300 employees involved in transportation, municipal, industrial, environmental, water and energy sector projects. In years past, he has served the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) in various local and national leadership positions. Major awards earned by Dr. Movassaghi from the ASCE include the Francis C. Turner Award and National Government Engineer of the year. He currently serves as Executive Director of ASCE Louisiana Report Card.
Carlton Golden
Vice President – LA
Greater Bossier Economic Development Foundation
4461 Viking Drive
Bossier City, LA 71111
O (318) 429-8207
F (318) 226-1117
C (318)564-8377
G. Carlton Golden (Carlton) is President of Builders Supply Company, Inc., (BSC) a 100-year-old locally owned and operated supplier of ready-mixed concrete and building materials for commercial and industrial buildings, homes, apartments, streets, highways, and other types of construction projects.
He joined the company in 1985 to serve in a commercial and residential sales capacity. Since then, Carlton was promoted to and served in a number of leadership roles for BSC, including Sales Manager, Treasurer, Vice President, President, and Chief Financial Officer. Carlton has served as President and CFO since 2009.
Carlton's work in all facets of the business over the last 29 years at Shreveport-based BSC has helped grow the company to a regional business that serves clients across Northwest Louisiana. Under Carlton's leadership, BSC expanded building materials distribution with the additions of 100-car rail service, barge, and trucking delivery services.
Carlton has been active in local, regional, state, and national community and industry leadership throughout his career. He currently serves on the Shreveport-Bossier Convention & Tourist Bureau board of directors and finance committee; is a member of Rotary Club of Shreveport and is a Rotary International Paul Harris Fellow; and is a board and executive committee member serving the National Ready Mix Concrete Association. Some of Carlton's past volunteer leadership includes board and officer positions with Concrete and Aggregates of Louisiana; Strategic Action Council of Northwest Louisiana; Shreveport Chamber of Commerce; Greater Bossier Economic Development; Industrial Development Board of the Parish of Bossier, LA, Inc.; Bossier Land Use & Development Master Plan Committee; Bossier Public Trust Authority; Bossier Chamber of Commerce; Better Business Bureau, and more.
Jimmy Odom, Sr.
Vice President - MO
Commissioner, Cass County, MO
15914 Ryan Drive
Belton, MO 64012
jimmyo@casscounty.com
O (816) 380-8139
F (816) 380-8156
C (816) 830-8867
Jimmy Odom Sr. owned a pest control business in Cass County from 1982 to 2003. He began his political career in 2001 when he was elected to the Belton Board of Alderman. In 2005, Odom was elected as Mayor of Belton and served in that capacity for nearly eight years.
Odom holds a Leadership Certificate from the National League of Cities and has been involved with the Missouri Municipal League serving as Vice-Chair of the Policy Committee for Economic Development. Odom is Past Chair of the Metropolitan Mayor’s Caucus and is currently serving on the I-49 Board.
Kevin Welch
Vice President - MO
Director, The Joplin Regional Partnership
of SW MO & SE KS
320 East 4th Street
Joplin, MO 64801
kwelch@joplinregionalpartnership.com
O (417) 624-4150
F (417) 624-4303
C (417) 439-0139
Kevin is the Director of the Joplin Regional Partnership, which is a regional economic development organization that covers seven counties in three states. The Joplin Region encompasses three counties in southwest Missouri, three counties in southeast Kansas, and one county in northeast Oklahoma. Kevin markets the Joplin, Missouri region to companies and site selectors evaluating locations for relocation or expansion. Kevin has been working in the economic development field for the last 12 years.
The Joplin Regional Partnership provides relocation or expansion assistance for a host of industries including Renewable Energy, Advanced Manufacturing, Warehousing and Distribution, Logistics, Transportation, Call Centers, Retail, & Medical.
Kevin attended the University of Missouri and Western Illinois University but is an avid Arkansas Razorback fan. He has also been the play-by-play voice for Joplin High School Athletics for the past 20 years.
Tommy Clark
Director
Head of Corporate Affairs, BHP Billiton Petroleum
1360 Post Oak Blvd., Ste. 150
Houston, TX 77056
O (713) 599-6172
C (318) 347-4557
Billy Dooly
Director
President (Retired), Fort Smith Regional Chamber of Commerce
612 Garrison Avenue
Fort Smith, AR 72901
O (479) 783-3111
F (479) 452-3513
C (479) 651-1546
Pat Galwey
Director
COO, Port of New Orleans
1350 Port of New Orleans Place
New Orleans, LA 70130
O (504) 528-3305
F (504) 528-3397
C (504) 606-5091
Cheryl B. Garner, ChE
Director
President & CEO, Advance Economic Development Solutions
1321 Willowbrook Circle
Fort Smith, AR 72908
O (832) 623-1993
F (479) 226-8420
C (832) 623-1993
Robert Glass
Director
Director, Caddo Parish Public Works
525 Travis, Suite 800
Shreveport, LA 71101
O (318) 226-6900
F (318) 226-6979
C (318) 347-2405
Greg Goss
Director
President, Bear State Bank
600 Hwy. 71 South
P.O. Box 511
Mena, AR 71953
O (479) 394-3552 Ext. 528
C (479) 216-1707
Chris J. Guiterrez
Director
President, Kansas City SmartPort, Inc.
30 West Pershing, Suite 200
Kansas City, MO 64108
O (816) 374-5680
F (816) 842-2865
C (816) 591-7311
Phillip B. Hensley
Director
President & CEO, Union Bank Shares, Inc.
303 Highway 71 North
Mena, AR 71953
O (479) 394-2211
F (479) 394-8901
C (479) 234-2211
David Hertzberg
Director
Director of Public Works, City of Joplin
602 South Main
Joplin, MO 64801
O (417) 624-0820 Ext 506
F (417) 625-4738
C (417) 437-6386
Vic Lafont
Director
President, SLEC
P.O. Box 2048
Thibodeaux, LA 70310
O (985) 448-4487
F (985) 448-4486
C (985) 709-1466
Jay Leipzig
Director
Economic Development Director, City of Belton
520 Main Street
Belton, MO 64012
O (816) 331-4331
F (816) 331-6973
C (816) 564-7744
Rob O'Brian
Director
President, Joplin Chamber of Commerce
320 East 4th Street
Joplin, MO 64802
O (417) 624-4150
F (417) 625-4707
C (417) 438-0100
Mat Pitsch
Director
Executive Director, Western Arkansas Regional Intramodal Transportation Authority
P.O. Box 2067
Fort Smith, AR 72902-2067
O (479) 785-2651
F (479) 785-1964
C (479) 883-2072
Wayne Rau
Director
Councilman-at-Large, City of Gretna
P.O. Box 404
Gretna, LA 70053
O (504) 363-1500
F (504) 363-1509
C (504) 912-1938
Kent Rogers
Director
Executive Director, NLCOG
625 Texas Street, Suite 200
Shreveport, LA 71101
O (318) 841-5950
F (318) 841-5952
C (318) 393-3389
Mayor Sandy Sanders
Director
City of Fort Smith, Arkansas
623 Garrison Street
Fort Smith, AR 72902
O (479) 784-2437
F (479) 784-2430
C (479) 784-2202
Mayor Lorenz “Lo” Walker
Director
City of Bossier City
620 Benton Road
Bossier City, LA 71170
O (318) 741-8501
F (318) 741-8972
C (318) 465-5832
Lorie Robertson
Website Director
Director of Marketing, Fort Chaffee Redevelopment Authority
7020 Taylor Avenue
Fort Smith, AR 72916
O (479) 452-4554
F (479) 452-4566
C (479) 719-6624