Eliot Keller has been active with the Iowa City Area Chamber of Commerce for more than 2½ decades.

He chaired his first task force for the group in 1981 and is now chairman of the legislative council and a member of the local government affairs committee.

"I guess I believe it's important to give back to the community and to help build a better community for the future, and one of the ways to do that is to be involved in various organizations," he said.

In addition to his chamber work, the 58-year-old who received his mater's degree in mass communication at San Diego State University, is active in the Iowa City Area Development Group.

He's also been a longtime proponent for a local passenger rail system. He's a former board member for a railroad museum in Wisconsin and is involved with the Iowa Association of Railroad Passengers. In fact, he recently attended a luncheon in Chicago where speakers discussed the importance of passenger rail as a component of national and regional transportation systems.

He said he sees his chamber and ICAD work as connected with his interest in passenger rail.

"They're overlapping interests," he said, adding that it's all part of economic development and improving the community.

Keller, who is the general manager of Cedar Rapids' Z102.9 radio station and has been involved in the local radio stations since 1971, said he's amazed by how much he learns by being a part of his several volunteer groups.

"There's kind of a synergy that helps me take fresh approaches," he said. "One of the neatest things about all of the volunteer organizations I'm active in is the people. It's a networking opportunity, and I learn a lot from other members."

Keller said one time he really noticed the benefit of interacting with different group members was when he was part of a grassroots effort to train more Johnson County residents in CPR in the 1980s. He had a chance to work with health care providers, concerned community members and University of Iowa faculty and staff.

"It really was a circle I would not have normally been involved with," he said. "Sometimes I'm surprised how much I learn."

- Heather Spangler