For Immediate Release
Contact: Chris Caldwell
Christopher.Caldwell@orcc.doe.gov
(804) 658-8367
Rueter named to Tennessee Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors
UCOR President & CEO joins state’s leading business association
Oak Ridge, Tenn., Jan. 5, 2023 – The Tennessee Chamber of Commerce & Industry has appointed United Cleanup Oak Ridge LLC (UCOR) President & Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Kenneth J. Rueter to its Board of Directors for a three-year term. The Tennessee Chamber 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 partnership of Amentum, Jacobs, and Honeywell, UCOR is the Department of Energy’s (DOE) environmental cleanup prime contractor at the Oak Ridge Reservation. In May 2022 the company’s 2,100-strong workforce began a 10-year, $8.2 billion contract 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 (ETTP), enabling reindustrialization and new, enduring science and national security missions at all three locations.
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. “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. In 2019 the National Safety Council recognized Rueter’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.
An active community leader in Oak Ridge, Rueter 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 of Science 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.
ABOUT UCOR: UCOR is the DOE Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management’s lead environmental cleanup contractor. The company is a partnership between Amentum, Jacobs, and Honeywell. The company’s 2,100+ workers are dedicated to safely reducing environmental risk on the Oak Ridge Reservation while helping DOE’s Office of Science and the National Nuclear Security Administration continue their important missions. Learn more about the company at UCOR.com.
ABOUT THE TENNESSEE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE & INDUSTRY: Founded in 1912, the Tennessee Chamber of Commerce & Industry also serves as the Tennessee Manufacturing Association. 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 Chamber is the official state affiliate of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the National Association of Manufacturers, and the American Chemistry Council. For more information, please visit www.tnchamber.org.
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