(LISTEN): Columbia Chamber of Commerce president Matt McCormick appears on 939 the Eagle's "CEO Roundtable"

The Columbia Chamber of Commerce describes Columbia as a great place to live, learn, work and play. Columbia Chamber of Commerce president Matt McCormick joined host Fred Parry in-studio for the hour Saturday morning on 939 the Eagle’s “CEO Roundtable” program. They tackled the issues of homelessness and crime during the interview and they also discussed the importance of the new $220-million I-70 Rocheport bridge. Former Columbia Mayor Brian Treece, who later served on Missouri’s Highways and Transportation Commission, describes the December ribbon-cutting ceremony as a once-in-a-lifetime event. The new Lance Corporal Leon Deraps I-70 Missouri River bridge at Rocheport is now open. The Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) says more than 37,000 vehicles cross the bridge daily. That includes about 8,800 tractor trailers. Chamber president McCormick says the new bridge is generational, adding that one side of the new bridge is the same width as the former I-70 Rocheport bridge was. Mr. McCormick also discussed last fall’s Chamber trip to Raleigh-Durham and Chapel Hill, North Carolina. He tells listeners that two big issues that came up were university research and also housing. Mr. McCormick also discussed the $20-million expansion of the MU Research Reactor (MURR) in Columbia. The three-story addition is expected to expand MURR’s research and medical isotope production space. Mr. McCormick and Fred also discussed Schneider Electric’s proposed $73-million expansion at their facility on Columbia’s Route B. While Matt McCormick was born and raised in Texas, he’s spent the last 12 years in Columbia. He says the Columbia Chamber of Commerce has about 1,000 members representing about 50,000 employees. Mr. McCormick tells listeners that about 80 percent of Columbia Chamber members have fewer than 20 employees: