Connect With Us

Inside INdiana Business
Subscribe Now Log In
  • Home
  • News
    • Education
    • Health
    • Tech
    • STEM
    • Advanced Manufacturing & Logistics
    • Life Sciences
    • Ag INnovation
    • INPower
  • Videos
  • Big Wigs
    • Submit Big Wigs
  • Events
    • Engage Southwest Indiana – Evansville
    • Engage Northwest Indiana – Valparaiso
    • Engage Greater Lafayette – West Lafayette
    • Engage West Central Indiana – Terre Haute
    • Engage South Bend – Elkhart
    • Engage Northeast Indiana – Fort Wayne
    • Engage Central Indiana – Indianapolis
  • Newsletters
  • Podcasts
  • On-Air
    • TV & Radio Listings
  • Contact
    • About IIB
    • Meet the Team
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise
    • Gift Cards
    • Flagship Stations
    • Gerry’s Message
    • Speaking Engagement Request

Connect With Us

Westfield Mayor Part of National Discussion

Wednesday, June 27, 2018 01:32 PM EDT Updated: Wednesday, June 27, 2018 02:01 PM EDT
Westfield Mayor Part of National Discussion Westfield Mayor Andy Cook (file photo)

Westfield Mayor Andy Cook says he is bringing a practical approach to a panel convened by the U.S. Department of Transportation focusing on how roads and rail affect leisure industries. Cook is the only elected official on the 15-member National Advisory Committee on Travel and Tourism Infrastructure, which has been meeting this week in Washington, D.C. In an interview with Inside INdiana Business, Cook said convention and visitor spending is an overlooked asset in the Hoosier economy. He says meeting with high-profile federal officials can help draw attention to issues affecting central Indiana.

Cook calls his city the Family Sports Capital of America and says it benefits from its proximity to all the interstates surrounding Indianapolis that bring travelers to destinations like Grand Park sports complex and other attractions in nearby Fishers and Carmel. Challenges, he adds, remain in throughout central Indiana in the effort to build on these location advantages. "I know a lot of people who come to Grand Park from around the country and land at our beautiful airport are shocked to learn that there’s no good public transportation system to downtown Indy," Cook says. "We’re having a lot of (freight) congestion (from trucks on Indiana highways) that is affecting all kinds of industries across America, and I think that is something that we have to take a look at."

Cook was named to the committee earlier this year by U.S. Secretary of Transportation Elaine Chao. The others involved with in the group include:

  • Chair: Eric Garvey, Executive Director, Florida Space Coast Office of Tourism
  • Vice Chair: Rossi Ralenkotter, President & CEO, Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority
  • Rosemarie Andolino, President & CEO, MAG USA
  • Juva Barber, Executive Director, Kentuckians for Better Transportation
  • James Dubea, Vice President, TranSystems
  • Camille Ferguson, Executive Director, American Indian Alaska Native Tourism Association
  • Sean Fitzgerald, Vice President, Enterprise Holdings, Inc.
  • Bryan Grimaldi, Chief Operating Officer & General Counsel, NYC & Company, Inc.
  • David Harvey, Managing Director of Business Development, Southwest Airlines
  • Jim Mathews, President & CEO, National Association of Railroad Passengers
  • Sean Menke, President & CEO, Sabre
  • Peter Pantuso, President & CEO, American Bus Association
  • Sharon Pinkerton, Senior Vice President, Airlines for America
  • John Potter, President and CEO, Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority
Story Continues Below

Westfield Mayor Andy Cook says meeting with high-profile federal officials can help draw attention to issues affecting central Indiana.
Your browser does not support the audio element.

Most Popular Stories

  • University of Notre Dame names new president

  • Terre Haute’s youngest mayor aims to build on city’s growth

  • Indiana ranked 6th worst state to find a job

  • Fort Wayne pest control company acquired

  • Lawmakers want to hold back more 3rd graders. Will it improve literacy?

  • Indy’s retail real estate market is bouncing back after pandemic

Perspectives

Worried about health care expenses?

Worried about health care expenses?

How much have you spent on your health care in the last 12 months? Would you believe Americans spent $12,914 per person on health care expenses in 2021? That’s a fact, according to the National Health Expenditure Accounts. ...

Inside INdiana Business

Inside INdiana Business
A division of IBJ Media

1 Monument Circle, Suite 300
Indianapolis, IN 46204

PHONE: (317) 634-6200

FAX: (317) 263-5060

NEWSLETTER@IIBNEWS.COM

  • Home
  • News
  • Videos
  • Gerry Dick
  • Newsletters
  • On-Air
  • Contact

Copyright © 2023 All Rights Reserved Privacy Policy | Terms of Service