The Tennessee Chamber of Commerce and Industry has appointed Kenneth J. Rueter, who leads a federal cleanup contractor in Oak Ridge, to its Board of Directors for a three-year term.
Rueter is president and chief executive officer of United Cleanup Oak Ridge LLC (UCOR). UCOR is the U.S. Department of Energy’s prime contractor for environmental cleanup on the Oak Ridge Reservation. It is a partnership of Amentum, Jacobs, and Honeywell.
The Tennessee Chamber of Commerce and Industry is the state’s oldest and most prominent statewide business trade association, impacting public policy on behalf of business and manufacturing for more than a century, a press release said.
The Board of Directors serves as the governing body of the Tennessee Chamber, providing leadership and input into Chamber operations and its annual legislative and policy agenda, the press release said.
“We’re excited to add Ken to the board, and his business leadership in completing UCOR’s previous $4.2 billion cleanup contract ahead of schedule and under budget for taxpayers will add valuable perspective to the Chamber’s commitment to keep Tennessee as the premier business destination in the U.S.,” said Tennessee Chamber President and CEO Bradley Jackson.
Rueter has three decades of industry experience in all aspects of site cleanup and remediation, radioactive waste treatment, and project integration, including construction, risk management, and cost and schedule development, the press release said.
In 2019 the National Safety Council recognized Ken’s personal commitment to a corporate culture of safety by naming him a “CEO Who Gets It,” the Council’s prestigious designation for business leaders who go above and beyond to protect employees both on and off the job, the press release said.
It said Rueter is an active community leader in Oak Ridge. He represents UCOR on boards of directors of the East Tennessee Children’s Hospital, East Tennessee Economic Council, and Oak Ridge Associated Universities. He also serves on the boards of directors of the Center for Construction Research and Training and the American Society of Safety Professionals. He earned a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from Cleveland State University and is a graduate of the University of South Carolina’s Moore School of Business Executive Management Program.
The press release said UCOR’s 2,100-strong workforce began a 10-year, $8.2 billion contract in May 2022 to safely deactivate and demolish former nuclear facilities at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the Y-12 National Security Complex and perform remedial activities at the East Tennessee Technology Park. That allows reindustrialization and new, enduring science and national security missions at all three locations, the press release said.
The Tennessee Chamber of Commerce and Industry was founded in 1912. It also serves as the Tennessee Manufacturing Association, the press release said.
“Commanding statewide partnerships with businesses and local chambers, the Tennessee Chamber works alongside elected leaders and government officials on behalf of the state’s business community,” the release said. The Chamber is the official state affiliate of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the National Association of Manufacturers, and the American Chemistry Council.
More information will be added as it becomes available.
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