Westmoreland chamber President Chad Amond joins transportation commission

Westmoreland County Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Chad Amond has a new role to fill, as a member of the Pennsylvania State Transportation Commission.

The state Senate recently appointed Amond to a six-year term on the 15-member panel, which serves as the board of directors for PennDOT and oversees Pennsylvania’s regularly updated 12-year transportation program. The commission has approved a 2019 update of the program that calls for $63.9 billion worth of improvements to roads, bridges, transit systems, airports, railroads, and bicycle and pedestrian facilities.

Amond was recommended for the appointment by state Sen. Kim Ward, R-Hempfield, who chairs the Senate Transportation Committee and also serves on the state transportation commission. He was nominated by Gov. Tom Wolf.

“Chad brings a wealth of pro-business experience and a passion for improving the transportation system in the southwest and across this great Commonwealth,” Ward said in a news release.

Amond told the Tribune-Review Friday that he hopes his new role will allow him to have an impact on transportation issues in Westmoreland County, the region and all of Pennsylvania.

Transportation, he noted, is “an economic development issue all across the commonwealth.

“The comprehensive plan we worked on for the county has a key issue for transportation. If you are commuting, it’s an hour and a half drive to Downtown Pittsburgh.”

The Westmoreland County Chamber of Commerce has about 1,000 members, making it one of the largest such groups in the state, Amond said. While Amond and other chamber officials are present at public ceremonial occasions, such as ribbon-cutting events for new businesses, he pointed out the organization also works behind the scenes on transportation and workforce and economic development issues.

The chamber has supported a proposal by the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission to construct a cashless tolling interchange at Route 130 in Penn Township.

Amond has led the Westmoreland chamber since 2011. He also is vice chairman of the Westmoreland County Community College trustees, secretary of the Pennsylvania Foundation for Free Enterprise and former chairman of the Pennsylvania Association of Chamber Professionals. He sits on the boards of the Chambers of Commerce Service Corporation and the Economic Growth Connection of Westmoreland.