Thursday, May 21, the Austin Economic Club will host Matt Rose, CEO of the Burlington Northern & Santa Fe Railway (BNSF), for a breakfast event to start off the Austin Economic Club’s Distinguished Lecture Series for 2009.

Rose will speak on “Transportation Infrastructure and the Importance of Optimizing the U.S. Supply Chain.” 

The Executive Commission of National Surface Transportation Policy and Revenue Study Commission, made up of transportation experts and CEOs across the country, has unveiled a comprehensive plan called “Transportation for Tomorrow.” 

"TRANSPORTATION FOR TOMORROW" details a way to increase investment, expand services, repair infrastructure, demand accountability and refocus Federal transportation programs.  It was commissioned by Congress as part of the SAFETEA-LU bill, in order to provide a roadmap for a better federal infrastructure bill. The next multi-year highway bill technically has to be reauthorized by Sept. 30th—so let the work begin!

This couldn’t have come at a better time particularly given the stimulus package, at the heart of which is infrastructure projects, which will create hundreds of thousands of jobs. 

Rose was named Chairman of BNSF in 2002 and has served as President and Chief Executive Officer since 2000. 

Under his leadership, the BNSF Railway continues to be one of the world’s top transporters of intermodal traffic, moving more grain, wine and beer than any other American railroad. 

BNSF also serves more North American primary timber-producing regions than any other railroad and carries many of our everyday products including sugar, canned goods, lube oil, asphalt, automobiles etc. 

Rose is proud to say that BNSF is also environmentally friendly. BNSF hauls enough low-sulphur coal to generate about ten percent of the electricity produced in the U.S. Each train can move one ton of freight over 400 miles on a single gallon of diesel fuel and BNSF was also the first railroad to install zero-emissions rail-mounted intermodal cranes.  

The Austin Economic Club was started in 2004 by Jim Cardle and Glenn West and is a not for profit group meeting monthly to aid Texas’ business and political leaders in forming solutions to today’s world, national and state concerns. 

The Austin Economic Club will be held at the Austin Club on 10th and Congress starting at 8 a.m. Tickets can be purchased at www.AustinEconomicClub.com or by calling Ashley Baker at 512-225-5890. 

BNSF is based out of Ft. Worth, Texas.