Back on May 13th, when Richard Hainje, director of FEMA's Region VII office in Kansas City, was helicoptering about with George W. Bush, he was struck by two things: the utter devastation they saw beneath them and the President's true concern about the affected people's lives. That he could help the people efficiently and quickly is what Dick Hainje likes about his still relatively new position.

Hainje transferred himself and his family from South Dakota in November of 2001 to take over the reins of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, leaving the Sioux Falls fire department where he'd spent 25 years and the state senate where he'd served for the last five of those years. Having much experience there with local emergency management at the local and state levels, he was well qualified for his new duties.

FEMA's major charge is to deal with disasters of all kinds and to work closely with the states with emergency planning. The four states that make up Region VII--Iowa, Nebraska, Missouri, and Kansas--fall under his direction as do 85 employees. That number swells during an emergency, as workers come from all over the country to go wherever they are needed for months at a time. Now a part of the Department of Homeland Security, FEMA is also responsible for evaluating offsite plans and exercises for states and counties through the Radiological Emergency Preparedness Program.

But where we hear most about FEMA is during local emergencies that end up being designated federal disasters. The tornadoes in May took less than 48 hours to escalate from local to state to federal levels. "What has most impressed me about this agency," Hainje says, "is that we come in immediately, help both local and state authorities as much as we can, interact directly with those who need help, and then go away. We're not a regulatory agency; we're just about making the connection and caring about people. That means something to me." It means even more to all those in the area ravaged by the May tornadoes.

Brad Scott is driving back to Kansas City after visiting potential clients in St. Louis the V.A. Medical Center, the Defense Information Security Administration, the 8th Circuit Court, and the Army Reserve Personnel Command. The GSA Heartland Regional Administrator has been trying to sell them on the idea of using the General Services Admin-istration as their broker and procurer. His pitch is one many don't con- nect with the government: Use our services and we will save you time, money, and trouble. It's a promise he's been able to make good on since he was appointed to this post on September 17, 2001.

"We're the intermediary between agencies who need things and the people who provide them," he points out. That includes everything an office could need, from real estate to technology to desks and scotch tape. It also includes emergency work-- the agency was responsible for getting people back to work after 9/11. He's responsible for over 1,000 employees and a budget of more than $760 million.

He makes sure his agency meets its goals with small business vendors accounting for over 50% of the pie. He's instituted other goals as well, including self financing. Because federal agencies are no longer required to use GSA services, Scott has helped foster a new attitude and culture, one that seeks to please, efficiently.

After earning both undergrad and graduate degrees in political science at MU, Scott began as a legislative correspondent for Senator Kit Bond, winding up as deputy chief of staff. Along the way, he took leave to work on a variety of campaigns for both politicos and causes, including serving as campaign manager for "Yes on Union Station," the bi-state effort to revitalize the historic location.

That project became especially pertinent recently as he helped neg-otiate space for his client, the IRS, to create a model service center at the main post office. "Union Station was a major event for me. And I'm thrilled to have played a role in helping the IRS create such a specialized building--one that will definitely enhance the revitalization of the area for a long time to come."