Board of Directors

Bobby Wondolowski is the Sales and Customer Relations Manager for K-Pro US located in historic downtown O’Fallon, IL. He is a graduate of Saint Louis University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration – concentration Marketing. His role with K-Pro allows him the opportunity to be involved with all facets of the global supply chain and international trade requirements to include logistics, fulfilling documentation requirements for both export and import shipments, and the registration process in a multitude of countries. In his free time he enjoys being a volunteer youth ice hockey coach.

K-PRO is your go-to reliable trading partner and highly specialized consultant for proteins, fats, oils and special ingredients of animal and vegetable origin. With an unmatched global network, comprehensive understanding of the entire supply chain, and candid consulting, we provide tailored products that serve as critical components for the Pet Food, Aqua Feed, Animal Feed, Organic Fertilizer, Oleochem and the Biofuel Industry. The sustainable success of the company follows our guiding principle – Always There Because We Care!

Michael Strope is the Vice President of Sales & Marketing at MSSC, LLC. He started with MSSC, LLC in 2012 and works with distributors in over 50 countries worldwide selling marking, stenciling, sealing, and coding products.

A native of Southern Illinois, Michael has a Professional Science Masters (M.S.) from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville and a B.S. in Molecular and Cellular Biology from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

Michael is the Vice President of the Southwest Illinois Trade and Investment Council, coaching local businesses to increase and introduce export sales.

Paul Toskin is vice president and manager of Commerce Bank’s Trade Service Group in St. Louis.

After completing a Bachelor of International Studies and a Bachelor of Arts in German at Otterbein University, Toskin began his banking career in 1980 at BancOhio in Columbus, producing country studies for BancOhio’s International Lending group. Toskin joined Commerce Bank’s International Trade Group in Kansas City in 1984. For nearly 35 years, he has worked at Commerce bank, helping companies efficiently and safely finance the sourcing of products globally and manage foreign credit risk associated with exports.

In 1987, Toskin attended and completed training at the American Bankers Association’s School of International Banking at the University of Colorado.

He has published articles on international banking issues and has received appointments from the U.S. Secretary of Commerce to the Missouri District Export Council. Toskin is the creator of the International Transactions course, part of the Chancellor’s Certificate in the International Trade program of the World Trade Center St. Louis and University of Missouri-St. Louis. He currently teaches this course.

Al Li is president of the Asian American Chamber of Commerce St. Louis and vice president of Global Trade Finance at Regions Bank.

With nearly 20 years of corporate finance and international banking experience, Li is native to the St. Louis area. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in communications and a Master of Arts in economics from the University of Missouri, as well as an executive MBA from Olin Business School at Washington University in St. Louis.

In addition to his responsibilities as chamber president and at the bank, Li serves on the Missouri District Export Council, the Southwest Illinois Trade and Investment Council and is a trustee on St. Louis College of Pharmacy’s board of directors. These activities, along with Li’s ardent support of the Mosaic Project and the International Institute of St. Louis, are all part of Li’s effort to help St. Louis to be a global city by attracting foreign direct investment and finding overseas opportunities for local companies, while also making this a friendly place for foreign-born residents.

David Kniepkamp has served as chairman of the board for the Southwest Illinois Trade & Investment Council since the organization established its initial board of directors in July 2016 and has served on the council since it was launched in September 2015. As chairman, he oversees board involvement in the mission of SWITIC and serves as a spokesperson for the organization.

Kniepkamp is president of Fairview Heights, IL-based Smart Controls LLC, a privately held company that designs, manufactures and sells commercial building automation controls for heating, ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC), lighting, energy management and access control. Smart Controls manufactures locally and actively sells products nationally and exports its products internationally to the global market.

A graduate of the University of Missouri-Rolla (now Missouri University of Science & Technology), Kniepkamp earned his Bachelor of Science in electrical engineering in 1984. He then went to work for Basler Electric Company as an electrical design engineer in the protective relay group designing microprocessor based electrical distribution and generation protection controls.  Next, Kniepkamp worked for Emerson Electric’s White-Rodgers division. While at White-Rodgers, Kniepkamp specialized in the design of gas ignition controls and thermostats where he earned three patents in the development of new products.

With the insight to make electronic device communicate with each other, in 1993 Kniepkamp launched his own contract engineering company, Kniepkamp Engineering Company, Inc. with a staff who designed microprocessor-based devices in distributed control networks where he earned another patent in the development of new products.  In addition, Kniepkamp Engineering designed a few of its own products used in distributed network communication.

With the desire to expand the ability to manufacture distributed control products, in 2000 Kniepkamp performed an asset purchase of Smart Controls,a manufacturer of programmable controllers used in distributed networks, located in Sacramento, CA and formed Smart Controls, LLC. In 2001, Kniepkamp performed an asset purchase of VisualControl, a manufacturer of graphical programming software for distributed control networks, located in Dayton, Ohio and formed VisualControl, LLC.  In 2004, Kniepkamp merged the assets of Kniepkamp Engineering Co. Inc., Smart Controls, LLC and VisualControl LLC in into Smart Controls, LLC and centralized all manufacturing within Smart Controls’ facility.

Kniepkamp continues to serve as trustee of Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Fairview Heights, IL and has since 2003. In addition, he serves as co-chairman of the parish’s finance council.

Dennis Wilmsmeyer was appointed executive director of the America’s Central Port in Granite City, IL effective July 1, 2010. Prior to that he spent the previous 11 years with the Port District, six of those years as general manager. Wilmsmeyer joined the Port in 1999 after 12 years in transportation planning and project management with the East-West Gateway Council of Governments in St. Louis, the Kansas City International Airport and a private consulting firm in Missouri.

Wilmsmeyer’s responsibilities at the Port District include managing day-to-day operations, developing the Port’s 1,200-acre industrial park and business campus, redeveloping a former military base, marketing the many benefits of the Port, attracting new tenants to the property and retaining numerous existing tenants. The Port has grown from 12 tenants in 2001 to more than 75 tenants today.

Wilmsmeyer credits the enormous success of the Port District’s growth and development to a dedicated and extremely talented team of 30 employees, all of whom work toward a common goal of bringing business to Southwestern Illinois.

Wilmsmeyer served as president of the national association of the Inland Rivers Ports and Terminals from 2012 to 2014, president of the board of Leadership Council Southwestern Illinois in 2014, its chairman in 2015 and board president of World Trade Center Saint Louis from 2013 to 2015. He also serves on the board of directors of Gateway Regional Medical Center and the Southwestern Illinois Planning Commission. Wilmsmeyer is active in several community organizations and his church.

Ed Weilbacher has served as general manager of the Kaskaskia Regional Port District since 2011. The Port District encompasses Monroe, Randolph and St. Clair counties and is located 30 miles south St. Louis. Four of the Port’s five locations are on the Kaskaskia River; the fifth is located on the Mississippi River. Kaskaskia Regional Port District is the 8^th-largest inland port and the 73^rd-largest port in the U.S. The district ships a mix of products that range from grain, slag, coal, steel and scrubber stone. Phase two of a $5 million expansion is under construction at KRPD’s No. 2 location.

Weilbacher holds a Bachelor of Science in agronomy from Western Illinois University.He has worked throughout the State of Illinois with the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) for 36 years. For the past 20 years, Weilbach worked as the coordinator in assisting the regional non profit organization now known as HeartLands Conservancy.

Weilbacher has been involved with the Kaskaskia River and its watershed for more than 30 years. He works closely with local, state and federal agencies to improve the river and add to the quality of life of the region. He serves as president of the Kaskaskia Watershed Association.