Who is Bob Menzel, 2023 candidate for Cornelius Board of Commissioners?

Name: Bob Menzel

Age as of Nov. 7, 2023: 68

Campaign website or social media page: bobmenzel.com

Occupation: Retired Business Owner

Education: B/A Salisbury University in Salisbury, Maryland (1977)

Have you run for elected office before? (Please list previous offices sought or held)

Salisbury MD City Council, Wicomico Republican State Central Committee

Please list your highlights of civic involvement

Past President of a local chapter of the National Kidney Foundation (I am also a donor…to my father)

Admissions Liaison Officer for the United States Air Force Academy (15 years and current)

Board Member (Peninsula Property Owners Association

School Board Member (SouthLake Christian Academy), two (2) terms

Steering Committee Member (Third Millenium Ministries, Casselberry FL)

Elder, Presbyterian Church in America (multiple missions’ trips to Central and South America as well as Appalachia)

What are, in your view, the most important issues facing Cornelius, and what would your approach be to handling them if elected?

For most Cornelius citizens, the most important issue facing the town is traffic congestion. The Mayor has appointed a task force to recommend solutions necessary to expedite road improvements and expansions. In addition, I would work with our town professionals and NCDOT to evaluate the newest “smart traffic technology” and, based on successful testing, deploy these next generation technologies to reduce congestion. A second important issue is affordable housing. Currently, approximately 80% of the people who live in Cornelius do not work in Cornelius and 80% of the people who work in Cornelius do not (and often cannot) live in Cornelius. As a commissioner, I would work with and support local non-profits such as LKN CDC and The C.A.R.E. Center to provide affordable housing so more people who work in Cornelius can live in Cornelius. Finally, and no less importantly, I would work to build consensus for revitalizing while preserving our Smithville community. One of our campaign themes is “One Cornelius” with a foundational commitment to serve and support every citizen of our town.

Communities across Mecklenburg County have seen growth and development as well as a hot real estate market in recent years. How should Cornelius approach development and housing issues?

This is another important issue because it affects the issues mentioned above, specifically traffic congestion and affordable housing. Cornelius must take a measured approach to development and the inherent housing issues that are inevitably linked together. Our website publishes a perspective weekly that addresses topics before our town. A recent perspective looks at development. One goal will be to bring greater transparency and accountability between town government and developers to ensure our residents understand any impacts from development and, ultimately, the development is built to expectations aligned with original plans.

What separates you from your opponent(s)?

Experience launching a business with zero sales and growing to manufacture packaging products designed to address a long-term market concern. As the founder and CEO of KODIAKOOLER®, a national manufacturer and distributor based in the Lake Norman region, our team pioneered the development of sustainable (recyclable, reusable, biodegradable) packaging materials to protect temperature-sensitive products. KODIAKOTTON® was designed to replace foam coolers (aka Styrofoam) that typically ended up in landfills consuming significant disposal space with no chance of biodegradation. Recognized as an environmentally and economically sustainable alternative to foam coolers, KODIAKOTTON® insulated shipping containers were adopted across the medical and food industries, including some of the largest mail-order pharmacies in the U.S., thereby removing millions of foam coolers from municipal disposal streams. As a commissioner, environmental sustainability will be a first-level priority.

As a business owner and entrepreneur, our team worked every day with customers and vendors, not just talking about problems, but solving them. And those solutions had to be responsible and achievable – solutions that met our customer’s expectations and got delivered. If elected, each and every Cornelius citizen will be a customer to be valued and served.

What one professional or political accomplishment are you most proud of?

Building a company with three manufacturing plants in Nevada, Tennessee, and North Carolina along with two distribution centers in Arizona and Pennsylvania; we were able to provide employment and advancement opportunities to 100s of employees. Three associates who come to mind all joined our company as receptionists and went on to work in sales management, as a logistics coordinator, and as a procurement manager. One associate who began as a temporary joined our company and ultimately was promoted to general manager of our plant in Nevada. Providing stable employment (we never laid off an employee) and opportunities for individuals to use and develop their God given gifts was wonderful and rewarding!