Speaker Bios

Joseph Adams is a Managing Director at Fortress Investment Group, co-head of the U.S. acquisitions activity within the Private Equity Group and Deputy Chairman of Aircastle Limited. Previously, Mr. Adams was a partner at Brera Capital Partners and at Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette where he was head of the transportation industry group. Mr. Adams joined DLJ from NatWest Markets where he was head of North American Investment Banking. Prior to that, Mr. Adams was Managing Director at Drexel Burnham Lambert. In 2002, Mr. Adams served as the first Executive Director of the Air Transportation Stabilization Board, which was created by the United States Congress to issue Federal Loan guarantees to air carriers that suffered losses due to terrorism attacks on September 11, 2001. Mr. Adams received a BS in Engineering from the University of Cincinnati and an MBA from Harvard Business School.

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Douglas A. Blakeley, P.E.
Shaw Environmental & Infrastructure, Inc.
Engineering & M-O-W Track 103
ENVIRONMENTAL: SPCC and SWPPP - Getting Your Facilities in Compliance by the November Deadline

Douglas A. Blakeley is an Environmental Engineer for Shaw Environmental & Infrastructure, Inc. Since joining the company in 1993, he has performed in the roles of design engineer, compliance specialist, and project manager. Although he works for a diverse set of clients, the majority of his work has been within the Transportation, Utility, and Petroleum Storage Terminal Sectors. Within the rail industry, he has consulted to Class I railroads as well as Regionals and Short Lines. From 2001-2004, Doug was outsourced on a full-time basis for three years as a corporate-level environmental engineer to manage ~$2M worth of capital and operational expenditure projects annually across the northeast U.S. for CSX Transportation. Since then, he has performed environmental regulatory assessments across the country with the Genesee & Wyoming and RailAmerica systems. In 2006, Doug was promoted as the Engineering Group Lead for the Commercial Business Line office in Stoughton, MA. Doug's responsibilities also include application of his expertise in the various areas of regulatory compliance and Roadway Worker Safety training. He is considered a "Subject Matter Expert" within the E&I business line for Oil Pollution Prevention planning. He has prepared separate and integrated Spill Prevention, Containment, and Countermeasures and stormwater prevention plans. He has prepared air and water discharge permits. Furthermore, Doug has participated in confidential multi-media compliance audits on behalf of our clients. In his engineering capacity, he has been charged with the design, implementation, and surveillance of remediation systems for the treatment of subsurface releases. At his home in Holland, MA, Doug is supported by his wife, Heather (who is also an Environmental Engineer) and has two children; Lauren (10) and Mason (8). He coaches youth sports and plays in a local soccer league himself.

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Keith T. Borman
Vice President & General Counsel, ASLRRA
Legal Track 301
The History, Making and Breaking of Paper Barriers
Legal Track 306
HOT! HOT! HOT! Legal Topics

Keith Borman is the ASLRRA's Vice President and General Counsel. After a number of years in private and corporate practice, he began his railroad career as General Solicitor of the Union Pacific Railroad in Portland, Oregon, and later assumed the same role for the Midwestern states in Kansas City, Missouri. Prior to joining ASLRRA, he was a partner in the law firm of Shook, Hardy and Bacon, where among his clients he represented several railroads and for five years served as Managing Partner of the Washington office. He is a graduate of Occidental College and the University of Michigan Law School. Besides NARTC, he is a member of the Association of Transportation Law Professionals, where he serves as Past President of the D.C. Chapter and represents the ASLRRA on the STB's National Grain Car Council. Keith likes to ride his bike to work from his home in McLean, Virginia which he shares with his wife of 35 years and the youngest of their four children.

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Thomas Bouve
Federal Railroad Administration
Operations & Safety Track 602
Route Analysis: The How, Who, When and Where of Moving PIH/TIH

Mr. Bouve graduated from American University with an Econ degree. He is a Vietnam veteran and spent three years in the Pentagon, where he learned computer technology. He later earned an MBA in transportation and worked in the Operations Research department for the FRA providing analytical support to projects dealing with the Penn Central bankruptcy. Tom developed the first computerized version of the U.S. rail system.

In the 80's Tom was successful in marketing to the federal government. In the 90's, he developed a website for leisure trip and truck routing, which is still in use today. In 2003, Tom returned to the FRA. He is currently the team leader of the Hazmat Route Evaluation team.

Tom currently lives in Old Town Alexandria, has three grown children and 5 ½ grandchildren (daughter is expecting).

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James A. Bowers
Partner, Bowers & Company, CPAs, PLLC
Finance & Administration Track 206
Railroad Tax Maintenance Credit Update

Jim Bowers is a Partner at Bowers & Company CPAs in Syracuse, NY. He began his CPA career in 1969. Since that time, he has developed a specialty niche in the railroad industry which totals over 100 railroad clients today. He is an active participant in the American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association and has spoken several times at various meetings of this organization. Currently he is an active member of the Legislative Policy Committee on Tax Matters and of the Finance Committee. He is also active in several State railroad organizations. In addition, Jim is very involved in the Syracuse community as an officer and board member for many local Not-For-Profit organizations.

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Robert A. Carter
Communication Engineer, Conrail
Technology Track 704
Applications of Technology to Solve Rail Business Problems - Physical Security and Video Surveillance

Bob is the Communications Engineer for Conrail Shared Assets located in Mount Laurel, New Jersey. Bob is a current member of AREMA and a member of Committee 38. He has participated in numerous AAR technical committees and chaired AAR C&S Committee C for two years. Bob's railroad career began in 1977 with Consolidated Rail Corporation (Conrail), as an Engineer-in-Training. He has held many engineering positions at Conrail beginning with a field assignment as an Assistant Supervisor-C&S. He

soon found himself at the System Engineering Office and held several positions there, including Electronics Engineer-C&S, Senior Electronics Engineer-C&S, Director of Electrical and Communication Engineering-C&S, and System Engineer Electronics-C&S, all of which have led him to his current position of Communications Engineer-C&S. As Conrail's Communications Engineer, Bob is responsible for the installation, operation, and maintenance of all two-way private radio systems, computer-added train dispatcher operation (CATDF), all company- owned telecommunication equipment and operation, video systems, and defect train inspection devices. Currently, Bob is working on Conrail's PTCIP and PTCNIP responses to the FRA. Bob holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Electrical Engineering Technology which he received from Trenton State College in 1976. His interests include gardening, garage shop tinkering and home beer brewing.

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Sharon Clark
VP of Transportation, Perdue AgriBusiness, Inc.
Marketing Track 506
Customer Panel - Customer Perspective on What Works, What Doesn't, and What They Would Like To See From Short Lines RR101

Sharon Clark has been with Perdue AgriBusiness Incorporated for 12 years and is currently Vice President Transportation. Sharon previously held positions with The Andersons Incorporated and Cargill Incorporated and has been in the agricultural business for over 25 years. Sharon is a member of the National Grain & Feed Association Executive Committee, Board of Directors and rail arbitration committee. She is also a member of the North American Freight Car Association, National Oilseed Processors Association and National Freight Transportation Association.

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Gary J. Connors
FRA (Retired) and SOFA Group Support Team
Operations & Safety Track 605
SOFA/FAMES: Working Together to Reduce Fatalities without Imposing Additional Regulations

Gary J. Connors received a BS in Industrial Engineering from Lehigh University in 1975 and a MS in Operations Research from George Washington University in 1986. He worked for the Department of Defense for 25 years including 2 years with the Naval Sea Systems Command, 13 years with the Naval Facilities Engineering Command, 6 years with the Defense Logistics Agency, 2 years with the Defense Finance and Accounting Service, and 2 years with the Center for Army Analysis. From 2003 - 2008, he worked for the Federal Railroad Administration in the Office of Safety. He led the development and implementation of FRA's National Inspection Plan and supported the Collision Analysis and SOFA Working Groups. He retired from the federal government in 2008 and currently is supporting the SOFA Working Group.

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Glen W. Courtwright
Director Strategic Operations, Georgia-Pacific
Marketing Track 506
Customer Panel - Customer Perspective on What Works, What Doesn't, and What They Would Like To See From Short Lines RR101

In his current position as Director Strategic Operations for Georgia-Pacific, Glen leads the GPRL Operations department which is responsible for the development and management of all aspects of rail logistics and operations across the Building Products, Containerboard/Cellulose/Packaging, Consumer Products, Wood & Fiber Sourcing, and Procurement business groups of GP. Glen has been with Georgia-Pacific for 15 years and has held various positions in rail and motor carriage logistics throughout the company. During the 21 years prior to joining Georgia-Pacific, Glen held transportation management positions with several other major forest products companies including, MacMillan Bloedel of America, Wickes Wood Products and Willamette Industries. He began his career in 1974 with the Chicago, Milwaukee St. Paul & Pacific Railroad. Glen is currently serving as President of the Paper & Forest Industry Transportation Committee (PFITC), and an officer in the National Association of Rail Shippers (NARS). He has previously served on the boards of the Pulp & Paper Transportation League, the American Forest & Paper Association Transportation Committee, the Southeast Association of Rail Shippers, and the Atlanta Transportation Club. Glen and his wife Lynn have been married 34 years, have three children and reside in Atlanta, Georgia.

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Larry Davis
VP Marketing and Sales, Four Rivers Transportation
Marketing Track 502
Implications of proposed new US energy & environmental policy (good and bad) - Outlook for coal

Larry Davis began his railroad career in the clerical workforce with the L&N Railroad in Pensacola Florida in 1974, working in several positions and locations with the CSX family of railroads, with stops along the way at Tampa, Nashville, Baltimore and Jacksonville. He worked in the damage prevention/freight claims arena for 21 years with the last position being Senior Manager-Damage Prevention, with system-wide responsibility for loss prevention programs for the intermodal, agriculture, and processed foods business segments. In 1996, he transitioned to the marketing department, where he last served as Director of Chemicals Marketing for six years before leaving CSX in 2004. Mr. Davis started his work in the short line and regional railroad industry in 2004 as a sales representative for OmniTRAX in Atlanta, before taking his current position of VP Marketing and Sales in 2006 with Four Rivers Transportation (PAL, EVWR, A&O). Mr. Davis currently resides in Paducah, Kentucky. He has a BA from the University of Southern Mississippi, and an MBA from Jacksonville University.

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Steve Dunn
Vice President, Operations, The Scoular Company
Marketing Track 501
Biofuel Market Update

Steve Dunn is Vice President, Operations for The Scoular Company. Promoted to his present role in 2007, Mr. Dunn leads Scoular's business endeavors related to renewable fuels and also oversees cross country merchandising programs in the U.S. Great Plains; the operation of a group of grain-handling facilities in western Iowa; and the company's product and service offerings to the dairy industry.

Mr. Dunn joined The Scoular Company in 2001 as Senior Manager merchandising specialty corn. Throughout the past eight years, his responsibilities have included overseeing merchandising programs in the Great Plains region and working to increase Scoular's role in the renewable fuels market by establishing service agreements with ethanol plants.

In addition to his Scoular responsibilities, Mr. Dunn serves on the National Grain and Feed Association's Risk Management Committee.

Raised on a livestock and row crop farm in northwest Iowa, Mr. Dunn began his career in agricultural finance, working in various capacities in problem loan resolution for FDIC Liquidation Division in Minneapolis and for Farm Credit Services in River Falls, Wisconsin.

In 1988, Mr. Dunn shifted career paths and began working with Continental Grain Company in Minneapolis. His final role with Continental was Vice President Western US Feedgrains and Rail Freight. Mr. Dunn also worked as Manager of Cargill's Kansas City trading office with oversight of cross country trading activities.

Mr. Dunn and his wife reside in Overland Park, Kansas, with their three daughters.

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Hon. Daniel R. Elliott, III
Chairman, Surface Trasnsportation Board
General Session
STB Activities and the Challenges Ahead

Chairman Daniel R. Elliott III was sworn in as the fifth chairman of the Surface Transportation Board on Aug. 13, 2009. He was nominated to the Board by President Barack Obama on June 20, 2009 for a four-year term expiring Dec. 31, 2013. He was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on Aug. 7, 2009.

Chairman Elliott brings to the Board two decades of experience as an attorney including 16 years litigating in the transportation field. Since coming to the Board, Elliott has moved quickly to bring more openness to the Board. He has begun holding public oral arguments on important cases and is following through on President Obama's push for government transparency by transforming the Board's Web site in order to make it easier for the public to follow Board proceedings. Chairman Elliott has worked closely with Members of Congress and has met with a wide variety of stakeholders, including local elected and community leaders affected by Board decisions.

Chairman Elliott is also trying to bring more harmony to the relationship between shippers and railroads by breathing new life into the STB's dormant arbitration system and bolstering the Board's informal dispute resolution process.

Since 1993, Chairman Elliott served as associate general counsel to the United Transportation Union. At the UTU, he practiced before the Surface Transportation Board, where he was involved in a variety of cases. He also practiced before the National Mediation Board and the National Labor Relations Board. Earlier, Chairman Elliott worked in private practice in Cleveland and Washington, D.C. handling a variety of litigation matters.

Chairman Elliott was born in Ann Arbor, Mich., in 1962 and grew up in Cleveland. He graduated from the University of Michigan in 1985 with a degree in political science and earned a law degree from Ohio State College of Law in 1989.

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Neil Ferrone
Chief Risk Officer, Conrail
Technology Track 704
Applications of Technology to Solve Rail Business Problems - Physicla Security and Video Surveillance

Mr. Ferrone has worked for Conrail for 36 years, and has over 29 years experience in transportation safety. His career began with the Central Railroad of New Jersey as a trackman in 1974. While working his way through the managerial ranks, he was also able to complete his degree in Occupational Safety and Health Engineering from Columbia Southern University. Mr. Ferrone is also accredited as a CHSM (Certified Health and Safety Manager). It was through his intimate knowledge of engineering and maintenance, coupled with his degree that he became the Regional Safety Superintendent for the Western Region of Conrail. After a six-year assignment with the Western Region, Mr. Ferrone was transferred to corporate headquarters in Philadelphia in 1993. After the acquisition of Conrail by CSX and Norfolk Southern in 1999, Mr. Ferrone's responsibilities expanded to include Environmental and Hazardous Material Transportation. After 911, Mr. Ferrone donned his fourth hat to be responsible for Infrastructure Security at Conrail, which involves interfacing with Homeland Security, NS and CSX. Because of Mr. Ferrone's experience and responsibilities involving engineering, safety, hazardous materials, and environmental, he is uniquely qualified to address the security issues relative to Conrail and Conrail's parent corporations, CSX and NS.

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David K. Franz
Regional Bridge Engineer, Osmose Railroad Services, Inc.
Engineering & M-O-W Track 106
CAPITAL PLANNING: Managing Overwhelming Bridge Repairs with Limited Capital

David Franz started his railroad career in 1976 with the Milwaukee Road in Chicago where he was employed as a bridge inspector and field engineer in the bridge department. After 10 years with the Milwaukee and a short stint in consulting, Dave became the bridge engineer for Kansas City Southern in 1989 where he remained for about ten years. He accepted a position with Osmose Railroad Services in 1999 as regional bridge engineer in Kearney, Missouri where he is currently employed. Dave has been active for many years in the old American Railway Bridge & Building Association and the American Railway Engineering & Maintenance-of-Way Association (AREMA), having served on both boards as a director and vice president. He is a member of AREMA Committee 8 Concrete Structures and Committee 10 Structures Maintenance & Construction, where he was past chairman and actively involved in the development of the Bridge Inspection Handbook. Dave is a registered professional engineer in Wisconsin and Kansas.

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S. Joseph Gallant
Operating Practices Specialist & Accident Analysis Branch Team Leader & SOFA Team Leader, Federal Railroad Administration
Operations & Safety Track 605
SOFA/FAMES: Working Together to Reduce Fatalities Without Imposing Additional Regulations

Joe began his career with the Boston and Maine in 1969. He held various positions, including Operator, Assistant Trainmaster, Trainmaster and Rules Examiner. In 1990, he accepted the position of Assistant Superintendent & Director of Operating Rules for the Wheeling & Lake Erie.

In 1992, he joined the FRA as an Operations Inspector in Sacramento, CA. He moved to FRA headquarters in 1995 as an Operating Practices Specialist. He's represented the FRA on the SOFA & CAWG working groups. He's also the team leader of FRA's Accident Analysis Branch. He's also been involved with the development of the FAMES software program and provided guidance to the working group.

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Larry Gerek
Sr. Business Director, Intermodal Market Development, United Parcel Service
Marketing Track 505
Ramping up your Short Line - Opportunities for Short Lines in Intermodal

Larry Gerek has 29 years in the transportation industry. 19 years spent in all aspects of business at United Parcel Service, including sales, marketing, operations, and loss prevention. His last assignment while at UPS was Vice President Sales and Marketing, responsible for a US Western Region and managed the sales and marketing staff with revenues of over $2.4 Billion. He joined the Union Pacific Railroad in January 2000. He led the domestic sales team responsible for the IMC and Truckload business upon joining the UP. Larry initiated the beneficial cargo owner strategy within the Intermodal group, and for the last four years, has worked closely with the Ports from a commercial Intermodal perspective, responsible for all aspects of UP's Intermodal commercial relationship.

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Michael J. Gilbrook, GISP, AICP
National Technical Director for GIS, HDR, Inc.
Engineering & M-O-W Track 102
GIS: Cool Technology, But How Does It Help a Small Railroad? Where's the Payoff for the Implementation Costs?

Mr. Gilbrook holds a Master's Degree in Biological Science from the University of Central Florida. He spent five years as an environmental scientist with the Florida DOT working on environmental impact studies and permit applications. Following his time at FDOT, Mr. Gilbrook joined the staff of the East Central Florida Regional Planning Council as a senior environmental planner. During his eight-year tenure at the Regional Planning Council he developed the Council's first GIS system, which was used in a number of regional planning studies. Mr. Gilbrook became an environmental scientist and GIS Manager with HDR Engineering in 1993 to provide GIS support for rail and roadway NEPA studies, water resources projects, and a variety of urban and regional planning studies. In 2001, he was appointed as the company's first National Technical Director for GIS, and in that role he continues to oversee the development of the GIS business practice within HDR. Mr. Gilbrook is an AICP certified planner (www.planning.org) and holds a GISP certification as a GIS Professional. Since 2003, Mr. Gilbrook has taught introductory classes in GIS as an Adjunct Professor for the Environmental Studies program at the University of Central Florida. He is currently a PhD Candidate in the UCF Conservation Biology program, where he is using GIS and remote sensing to study the impacts of urban sprawl on natural landscapes in Florida.

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Mitch Harris
Director Safety, Training & Rules Compliance, Rio Grande Pacific Corporation
Operations & Safety Track 603
CFR Parts 217/218: What You Need to Know for Compliance RR101

Mitch Harris began his career with Missouri Pacific as a brakeman. He entered the shortline industry in 1993 with the Rio Grande & Pacific. He was promoted to DSLE in 1998. In 2000 he became a safety and training manager and has held his current position since 2004. He and his wife Beth live in Boise ID.

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Richard W. Harris
Director - Corporate Communications, Norfolk Southern Corporation
Marketing Track 504
Twitter, Facebook, Linked-In - What Are We Missing?

Richard W. Harris chairs Norfolk Southern Corporation's New Media Team, an interdepartmental group that supports online communications such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Flickr. As director corporate communications, he also has responsibility for the company's Web site, executive speech writing, the employee speakers bureau, production of the annual report, employee magazine "BizNS," the "NS Focus" video program and other employee communications. He is a member of the NS Grade Crossing Oversight Committee and coordinates scheduling of the NS Exhibit Car. A 28-year employee of NS, Rick moved to Atlanta to head the company's PR efforts there, conducting media and community relations. While in Atlanta, he led the company's employee volunteer effort in support of the 1996 Olympic Games. He now lives in Norfolk where he is a charter member of the company's Volunteer Council in support of the employee volunteer program, and he serves as a mentor in the company's mentoring program. Prior to joining Norfolk Southern, Rick worked 10 years in the newspaper business as a reporter and editor for several top Southern news organizations. Active in Operation Lifesaver, Rick served on the Program Development Council and as a board member of Georgia Operation Lifesaver. He is a board member of Virginia Beach Vision, an economic development organization, and previous member of the board of Artrain. He served on the board and as marketing chair of the Virginia Chorale, the state's only fully professional choral organization. He is a member of the Public Relations Society of America. He sings tenor with the Virginia Symphony Chorus. Rick is a graduate of University of Georgia Henry W. Grady School of Journalism and Mass Communications. He is a recipient of the Hearst Award for Excellence in News Writing. He played saxophone in the Georgia Redcoat Marching Band. Rick and his wife Debbie live in Virginia Beach, Va. His son Ben is a sergeant in the U.S. Army serving in Iraq.

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Keith Hartwell
ASLRRA Lobbyist and President, Chambers, Conlon & Hartwell
Legislative & Regulatory Track 404
What's Hot in DC on the Legislative Front

Keith Hartwell is the leading lobbyist for the short line industry and has been at this job for over twenty five years. He was the primary architect of our tax credit lobby effort and will provide us important insights into the legislative process and the tasks that we must complete to get the most we can for short line railroads during the coming legislative year.

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Veronica Harvey, Ph.D.
SVP, Aon Consulting
Finance & Administration Track 204
Mitigating Safety Risks Through Employee Assessment and Development

Veronica S. Harvey is a Senior Vice President with Aon's Human Capital Consulting Practice and focuses on improving the performance of organizations through Talent Management. Dr. Harvey has worked in both corporate and consulting talent management roles for over 20 years and has directed projects for a wide range of organizations including multiple railroads such as Union Pacific, BNSF Railway, Kansas City Southern and Amtrak. Dr. Harvey received a Doctorate in Industrial Organization Psychology, a Master's degree in Counseling Psychology, and a Bachelor's degree in Psychology, all from Iowa State University. Professionally active, Dr. Harvey has held board positions for multiple associations, has been published in numerous newsletters and journals and frequently speaks at conferences on Talent Management related topics.

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Barbara Hawes
Sr. VP, Aon Consulting
Finance & Administration Track 201
The Medicare Part B Recovery Concept - A Significant Opportunity for Retiree Medical Savings

Barbara Hawes is a Senior Vice President and the National Pharmacy Practice Director for Aon Consulting. She is responsible for Aon Consulting's National Pharmacy Practice and contributes regularly to broader health and benefit internal leadership teams and strategic initiatives. She is actively engaged in consulting assignments with premier national employers and coalitions as well as labor groups. Representative clients include many national Fortune 100 and Fortune 20 companies.

Barbara's areas of expertise is in the Collective purchasing of prescription drug benefits; Pharmacy benefit management, including but not limited to benefit design and evaluation, vendor selection, and financial and contract negotiations; extensive understanding of very large and complex plan sponsors and coalitions; managing complex projects successfully and building and developing teams and effective tools.

She has over 20 years industry specific experience. Her prominent positions in the pharmacy benefits management industry included National Practice Leader at Towers Perrin, regional Pharmacy Practice Leader at Watson Wyatt Worldwide and Clinical Support Director at Caremark International Inc.

She has a Pharmacy degree from Purdue University; a MBA from DePaul University's Kellstadt Graduate School of Business; she is Licensed to practice pharmacy in Indiana, Illinois, Georgia and is a licensed health benefits advisor in Texas. She is also a member of Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy.

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John D. Heffner, Esq.
John D. Heffner, PLLC
Legal Track 301
The History, Making and Breaking of Paper Barriers RR101

John is a Washington,D.C.-based attorney who specializes in representing short line and regional freight railroads. He has served as a staff attorney with the Interstate Commerce Commission's Office of Proceedings and the General Counsel's Office of the United States Railway Association. John received his undergraduate degree in Government at the University of Virginia and his law degree from Emory University.

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Jerry Herndon
VP - Maintenance of Way, Genesee & Wyoming, Inc.
Engineering & M-O-W Track 105
CAPITAL PLANNING: Capital Planning for Short Lines: Case Studies

Jerry Herndon started his railroad career in 1969 with Seaboard Coastline RR in Americus, Ga. Total of 27 years service with CSX and its predecessors, worked through the ranks to Asst. Division Engr in Baltimore. Held various positions with Amtrak's northeast corridor, 12 years total (asst div engr, deputy div engr & director of production). For the past 2 ½ years I have been employed as Vice President MofW, Genesee & Wyoming Inc., Rail Link Region, Jacksonville, FL, responsible for maintenance of track, bridges & signals for 20 locations (short lines, port operations & switching operations).

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William A. Hooton
Director of Marketing and Business Development, Riverport Railroad
Marketing Track 505
Ramping up your Short Line - Opportunities for Short Lines in Intermodal

William A. Hooton is Director of Marketing and Business Development for Riverport Railroad (RVPR) and Managing Member of Riverport's sister company Illinois International Trade Centers, Inc (IITC). IITC is the exclusive Operator of FTZ #271, the Jo-Carroll Foreign Trade Zone, whose boundaries are coterminous with the property owned and served by RVPR, Savanna Depot Park, in Savanna, IL.

Together, RVPR and IITC are adding a significant 'international' dimension to their Short Line Railroad capabilities. As an inland port, an ocean freight intermediary, the newest Port District (the Upper Mississippi International Port District) in Illinois and a 2,900 acre Foreign Trade Zone Industrial Park, RVPR and IITC are becoming a significant export consolidation and transload center for a wide range of bulk products generated in North West Illinois, Southern Wisconsin and Eastern Iowa and destined to regional, national and international markets.

Hooton has been providing international trade, intermodal transportation and Foreign Trade Zone strategies for both public sector entities and private companies who wish to be more effectively engaged in the global marketplace for over twenty years prior to joining RVPR in 2003.

He has significant prior experience in international trade; port, rail and intermodal transportation; foreign trade zone; and real estate development. He has been instrumental in evaluation and development of several port projects, including inland ports; rail driven intermodal cargo transportation centers and the development of five General Purpose Foreign Trade Zone projects (Free Trade Zones) in the US as well as one in Canada and in four successful Foreign Trade Zone Sub-zone applications for individual companies.

From 1992 to 2003, Mr. Hooton was VP of FTZ of Orange, Ltd. - operator of the third largest Zone project in the US. From 1988 to 1992, Mr. Hooton was President of the Bridgeport Foreign Trade Zone Development Corporation, which, on behalf of the City of Bridgeport, established and expanded the City's Foreign Trade Zone to six sites throughout the City including the City's Port and Rail Yard facilities. Prior to BFTZDC, he was Managing Director of Overocean Transport Corporation, a Stamford, CT based NVOCC specializing in the consolidation and export of regionally manufactured product. From 1981 to 1985, Mr. Hooton was Director of International operations for Shepard's Warehouse in Bethel CT, a major northeast, rail served, warehouse distribution center.

Mr. Hooton is a graduate of Wesleyan University, CT, and holds postgraduate degrees from Reading University (Post Graduate Diploma in International Economics) and the University of London (MBA) in the UK. For seven years, Mr. Hooton was Senior Lecturer in International Business studies at Oxford-Brooks University, England. He has been and continues to be a principal speaker on international trade issues at regional and national forums and workshops and has offered lecture series on international trade and related business issues at several regional institutions of higher learning, including SUNY New Paltz and Orange County Community College in NY and Fairfield University and the University of Bridgeport in CT.

Mr. Hooton served four years in the US Coast Guard and is a decorated veteran of the Vietnam War. From 1978 to 1981, Mr. Hooton was Master and owner of a ninety ton Lloyds registered vessel operating in Northern European and Mediterranean waters.

Mr. Hooton is a member of the National Association of Foreign Trade Zones and the Illinois State Chamber of Commerce's Infrastructure Council. He has served on the Boards of the US Department of Commerce- Hudson Valley Regional Export Center, Congressman Ben Gilman's International Committee, and the Hudson Valley World Trade Center. He is a past member of the Bridgeport Regional Business Council and served as a founding Member of the Board of Directors of the Connecticut World Trade Association.

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Garland Horton
President, Aberdeen & Rockfish Railroad
Finance & Administration Track 203
The Trials and Tribulations of Obtaining, Contracting For and Use of Stimulus Money for Rail Projects - A Case Study

Garland Horton joined Aberdeen & Rockfish as President in September, 2007 with over 29 years of railroad management experience. Garland started in the railroad industry in the hazardous materials department of Seaboard Coastline Industries, a predecessor of CSX. He held various positions in Risk Management and Commercial departments of CSX before leaving in 1992 to join Rail Management Corporation. At Rail Management, he served primarily in sales and marketing. In 2005, following the sale of RMC shortlines to Genesee & Wyoming, Garland joined G&W. Between 2005 and 2007, he held positions in sales & marketing and operations. Garland graduated from Jacksonville University with a BS in Management. He lives in North Carolina with his wife Mary. He has two grown children, Heather and Chris.

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Thomas D. Howie
General Manager, RailSoft Systems, Inc.
Technology Track 701
Putting Technology to Work for Your Operation While Implementing Hours of Service

Tom Howie is the third of four generations of railroaders in the Howie Family. He has 44 years experience in the industry. Tom began his career in 1966 as a Track Laborer for the Seaboard Air Line Railroad Company. He worked for CSX Transportation for 29 years in various capacities but mostly as a locomotive engineer, supervisor, instructor, and Operations Support Staff Member in the transportation department. In 1995, Tom left his position at CSX to start the two companies for which he now presides - Rail Training & Consulting, Inc and RailSoft Systems, Inc. The companies were incorporated in 1997 and have since been providing crucial safety training, consulting services, FRA records compliance and operating compliance for short line railroads and plant rail operations. Tom and Patti, his wife of 37 years, reside in Abbeville, S. Carolina. They have two children and a grandson.

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Kevin E. Kautzman
Director Network Control Systems, BNSF
Technology Track 702
PTC (Positive Train Control) - An Update from the Class I Working Committee with an Implementation Status

Kevin has a BS in Electrical & Electronic Engineering from North Dakota State University in Fargo, North Dakota. He has over 20 years experience with BNSF Railway, 12 years in Train Control Systems, and has worked in the various departments including Electrical Engineering, Telecommunication Engineering, Field Operations and Network Control Systems. Kevin is the Interoperable Train Control "ITC" Working Committee voting member representative for BNSF Railway.

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Michael J. Keller
Railroad Section Manager, HDR, Inc.
Engineering & M-O-W Track 104
BRIDGES: Bridge Ratings & Practices - The Mystery Solved RR101

Mr. Keller has eight years of project management and design experience for projects that have included new design, rehabilitation of existing structures, load-rating, and inspection of highway and railroad bridges. His design experience includes projects involving new, widened, retrofitted, or replacement bridges using prestressed, post-tensioned, and conventionally reinforced concrete, steel, and timber materials. He is familiar with a variety of structural analysis packages, including Visual Analysis, ANSYS, GT STRUDL, WinSeisab, and LARSA. He has performed numerous routine, fracture critical, and in-depth inspections on a wide variety of bridge types, and prepared many of the corresponding condition reports for those inspections. Michael earned a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from Montana State Univ. in 2001 and a Master of Science in Civil Engineering from Montana State Univ in 2002. He is affiliated with the American Society of Civil Engineers, and the American Railway Engineer and Maintenance of Way Association. Michael is a 2nd generation railroader and resides in his hometown of Missoula, Montana with his wife Sara, their two children, Emma (2) and Silas (9 weeks), and his wife's dog and two cats. He has forgotten what exactly his hobbies and outside activities used to be since the arrival of his daughter two years ago.

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Ronald A. Lane
Partner, Fletcher & Sippel
Finance & Administration Track 205
Hours-of-Service and Temporary Workers - Important Considerations Before Opening Pandora's Box
Legal Track 303
Whistle Blower Protection - Get Ready to See More OSHA Inspectors

Ron Lane concentrates on labor and employment matters and general corporate and operating issues. Ron served as Vice President and General Counsel of Illinois Central Corporation from 1990 to 1999, where he was responsible for all the legal and governmental affairs of the railroad. He handled the legal aspects of transforming a highly leveraged buyout company into a Fortune 500, NYSE-traded company. In addition to managing the gamut of the railroad's legal concerns, Ron oversaw the federal and state governmental affairs for the company and was responsible for the safety, environmental, risk management and security areas. Before joining Illinois Central, Ron held a succession of legal positions with The ATSF, concentrating on labor and employment and securities law. He also managed the Labor Relations and Human Resources department at Santa Fe for two years. Ron was elected to the Illinois Central Railroad Board of Directors in 1993. He was appointed to the federal Railroad-Shipper Transportation Advisory Council and was named to the Board of Directors of the Transportation Test Center, in 1997. Ron is a member of the Trial Bar of the Northern District of Illinois and of the U.S. Supreme Court and numerous appellate courts. Ron earned his undergraduate degree in Political Science at Miami University in 1972. He graduated in 1975 from the Northwestern University School of Law where he was a member of the Order of the Coif and served on the Editorial Board of the Law Review. In 1986, Ron also earned an M.B.A. from the University of Chicago.

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Robert C. Leedham
Consulting Systems Engineer, BNSF Railway and Chairman, Wireless Communications Committee
Technology Track 705
Radio Narrowbanding - Class I Implementation Can Begin after July 1, 2010 - Will Your Operation Be Ready? RR101

Mr. Robert Leedham graduated from Michigan Technological University in 1978 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering, majoring in Electronics and Communications. After graduation, Mr. Leedham went to work for the Burlington Northern Railroad as a Corporate Management Trainee. Since that time, Mr. Leedham has held a variety of positions in the Communications and Signals area for BNSF and his current position is Consulting Systems Engineer. During his career with the railroad, Mr. Leedham has been instrumental in bringing Automatic Equipment Identification to implementation, developing the Acoustic Bearing Detector, Wheel Impact Detector, Automatic Wheel Profile System, determining the automobile ride environment at the railroad, energy testing and justification for new aluminum freight car designs, installed the first satellite based ride environment monitoring equipment, and helped develop the first UHF radio repeater system installed in tunnels to support Distributed Power and End-of-Train operation. Mr. Leedham is also very involved with Narrow Band migration planning and implementation. Mr. Leedham has published over 16 papers dealing with wayside defect detectors, roller bearing failures, railroad ride environment, and composite materials. He has Chaired several Industry Committees and is a past member of the Association of Mechanical Engineers, International Association of Railroad Operating Officers, and is presently a member of the IEEE, AREMA, and the AAR Wireless Communications Committee where he serves as Chairman.

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Eric B. Levin
Director Motive Power and Mechanical Policy, Conrail
Technology Track 703
Application of Technology to Solve Rail Business Problems - Asset Management and Tracking

Eric Levin is a career professional with more than 20 years in the railroad industry serving in various management positions of considerable responsibility. He entered service with Conrail in the Management Training Program and progressed thru the mechanical department holding positions as General Foreman, Shift Superintendent, System Manager Mechanical Operations, and Diesel Terminal Shop Manager. He currently serves in the Conrail Shared Assets Operation as Director Motive Power & Mechanical Policy. He is also a qualified locomotive engineer. Eric is also affiliated with the Juniata Terminal Company which is notable for operating a fleet of restored Pennsylvania Railroad passenger cars and locomotives. Juniata Terminal has also operated the "Liberty Limited" which brought wounded combat veterans from military hospitals in Washington to the Army Navy Games in Philadelphia. Eric lives in Penn Valley, Pennsylvania, with his wife Nicole and two (2) children.

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Thomas P. Loftus, Jr.
Prinicipal, Seneca Group LLC.
Technology Track 706
Application of Rail Technology to Solve Rail Problems - Funding Alternatives for Technology - Grants, etc.

Thomas Loftus is a Principal with Seneca Group, LLC. Tom's primary focuses are the firm's work in financial and investment analysis, due diligence, and business and strategic planning. During his career, Mr. Loftus has worked on numerous domestic and international railroad acquisitions and debt and equity financings. He has managed annual budget processes, financial analysis and forecasting and financial risk management programs. Through September 2009, he was Chief Financial Officer of Vectora Transportation a third-party logistics company serving the wind energy industry. He was with Genesee & Wyoming Inc. from 1996 to 2005 most recently as Senior Vice President Finance & Treasurer. Prior to joining Genesee & Wyoming Mr. Loftus was employed by RailTex, Inc. from 1993 to 1996. Mr. Loftus has an MBA in finance from the University of Pittsburgh and a B.A. from the University of Virginia.

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Michael Logue
Deputy Associate Administrator for Safety Compliance and Program Implementation, Federal Railroad Administration
Legal Track 304
Your Railroad and the FRA: Knowledge Is Power

Michael is the Deputy Associate Administrator for Safety Compliance and Program Implementation at the Federal Railroad Adminstration. As the Deputy Associate Administrator, Michael is responsible for overseeing the FRA's Office of Safety Assurance and Compliance in Washington, D.C., eight Regional Offices throughout the United States, and the Rail Safety Oversight Management program. Michael received undergraduate and graduate degrees at the University of Maryland.

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T.H. Lyda
Member, Burns, White & Hickton
Legal Track 306
HOT! HOT! HOT! Legal Topics

T.H. Lyda is a member in the law firm of Bums, White & Hickton. He concentrates in the areas of railroad law, products liability, toxic tort, civil rights, professional negligence, medical malpractice and insurance defense. He handles litigation throughout the Northeast United States, including trial work in Pennsylvania, Ohio, New York, West Virginia, Massachusetts, New Jersey and Connecticut and is National Coordinating Counsel for two major Class I railroads for their occupational illness dockets. Mr. Lyda has served as a member of the Board of Directors for the American Cancer Society. He has been named a Pennsylvania Super Lawyer, an honor bestowed on the top five percent of Pennsylvania lawyers and was selected in 2007 by The Legal Intelligencer and Pennsylvania Law Weekly publications as one of 50 "Lawyers on the Fast Track." Education: West Virginia University School of Law (J.D. 1992); Pennsylvania State University (B.A. 1989) Memberships: American Bar Association; Pennsylvania, Georgia, Allegheny County and Atlanta Bar Associations.

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Richard Mason
Manager of Locomotive and Engineer Training and Field Simulation, NARS/National Academy of Railroad Sciences
Operations & Safety Track 601
DPU: The Advantages and Training Requirements Required for Safe Efficient Operation

Richard Mason is the Manager of Locomotive Engineer Training and Field Simulation with the BNSF Railway. He provides classroom instruction for locomotive engineer promotion training, locomotive network simulation administration, e-learning and instructor led courseware production for railroad operating crafts, and Canadian qualification regulation and rules liaison for the BNSF Railway. Rick's railroad career began in 1996 as a conductor/switchman; he has also held the positions of hostler, footboard yardmaster, and brakeman. He was promoted to locomotive engineer in 1999 and to an officer in 2004 and has since held several operating management positions including Terminal Trainmaster in Seattle, Washington, and Road Foreman of Engines on the transcontinental route and in the Canadian Province of British Columbia. Richard has vast experience with distributed power, locomotive data analysis, and accident and derailment investigation. Richard currently resides in Kansas City, with wife Rachel, and is currently pursuing a degree in Computer Science.

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Donald L. McCammon
VP, HDR Engineering
Engineering & M-O-W Track 104
BRIDGES: Bridge Ratings & Practices - The Mystery Solved! RR101

Don McCammon has an extensive background in transportation engineering, both highways and railroads including drainage, bridge, buildings and track design, construction and maintenance. He became a Vice President in HDR's Railroad Business Class in 2006. He has participated in rail line analysis studies and has designed, developed and maintained computer systems used by Railroad Engineering Departments. He has led railroad and major river crossing projects as well as transportation planning work. He has over 11 years experience with a major Class 1 railroad including five years maintaining and reconstructing bridges in the Powder River Coal Basin. He has performed work in Australia to Paducah, Kentucky to Alaska. He has served as Chairman of an AREMA Design Committee and a former Director of the American Railway Bridge and Building Association. He helped develop and teach the B&B Association's Railroad Bridge Inspection Class. Mr. McCammon is a certified instructor by HDR for Railroad Roadway Worker Training and Bridge Inspection Safety. He is currently serving on ASLRRA's Bridge Committee. Don is a graduate of the Phil Crosby Quality College, and he was recognized in "Who's Who Among American Engineers" in 1994 and 1998 and Global Directory of Who's Who in 2003. Don makes his home, when not traveling for railroad projects, in Missoula, Montana with his wife Donna, three chickens and a sailboat on Montana's Flathead Lake. He is active with Missoula County's United Way and he also directs the choir at his church.

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Dr. Timothy McCormick
President, Transportation Occupational Medicine Consultants
Operations & Safety Track 606
Medical Standards: Are We Healthy?

Dr.Timothy McCormick is a board certified occupational medicine physician. He has practiced in the military, clinic settings and in the corporate setting. He has been involved in the transportation industry for most of his career. He has been with the railroad industry for the past 15 years. He has been medical director for a class one railroad, and is currently a consultant / senior medical advisor to Union Pacific. He has been involved with the short lines for the past eight years as a examiner and chief medical officer for RailAmerica. He chairs the AAR's medical section and has been actively involved in the FRA's Medical Standards Working Groups and the FRA's Doctors Task Force. Two years ago he formed Transportation Occupational Medicine Consultants, Inc., focused on serving the short line industry starting with the noise and hearing conservation programs of part 227 and part 229. He has been a strong supporter of ASLRRA and has greatly enjoyed working with the short line railroad industry.

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Chip McWilliams
Attorney at Law, Littler Mendelson, P.C.
Legal Track 302
The New "Progressive" National Mediation Board - How a "Majority" of Your Employees May Be Less Than You Thought

Mr. McWilliams advises and represents management clients in connection with all types of labor and employment law matters arising under federal and state law. His practice focuses on the representation of employers in federal employment discrimination litigation, to include matters arising under Title VII and Section 1981, the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, the Family and Medical Leave Act, the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act, and other state and federal laws governing the employment relationship. In addition, Mr. McWilliams represents employers in the areas of labor relations and collective bargaining under the National Labor Relations Act and the Railway Labor Act, to include labor arbitrations and whistleblower claims.

Prior to joining Littler Mendelson, Mr. McWilliams was an attorney at Ford & Harrison, LLP where he practiced exclusively in the areas of labor and employment law in that firm's airline group. Prior to attending law school, Mr. McWilliams was an infantry officer in the United States Army. Education: J.D. Walter F. George School of Law at Mercer University; M.B.A., James Madison University; B.A. History, VMI.

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Leslie Meredith
Social Media & Content Director, TechNewsDaily
Marketing Track 504
Twitter, Facebook, Linked-In - What Are We Missing?

Leslie Meredith is the Social Media and Content director and senior writer for TechNewsDaily, a technology news site. Her stories on social media and other technology issues regularly appear on MSNBC and Yahoo! News. She writes a newspaper column that runs in papers across the country to help readers stay on top of consumer electronics and services.

Leslie is the social media voice of hhgregg, an electronics and appliances retailer and her own tech advice site AskLeslie on Facebook. She has helped businesses both large and small develop an effective Web presence.

As a consultant, she integrates marketing programs across Websites, blogs, social media outlets, video sites, digital newsletters, and print. Her work is engaging, innovative and designed to drive new business through both old and new channels.

She has held marketing positions and launched new products for Sunset Magazine, Pacific Union Co., General Foods, Toyota, General Mills, Washington Post, Ski Utah, and Salt Lake Visitors & Convention Bureau.

Leslie Meredith is a graduate of the University of California at Los Angeles. She comes from a long line of family in the railroad and transportation industries, spending many Saturdays watching trains, wandering through railroad museums and riding the narrow gauge railroad in Tilden Park.

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Omer Metel
Manager, Signals & Crossings, Invensys Rail Corporation
Engineering & M-O-W Track 101
SIGNALS: PTC for the Short Line and Regional Railroad - What Are the Applications, Issues & Concerns?

Omer Metel joined Invensys Rail in 1995, where he has held various roles in Marketing and R&D. Omer now leads the Product Line Management team for Signals and Crossings in North America, which includes Invensys Rail's PTC Wayside solutions. Prior to joining Invensys Rail (based in Louisville, Kentucky), Omer worked for CP Rail and Alcatel's SEL Division in Toronto, Canada. Omer has almost 20 years of experience in developing systems for the railroad industry. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics and Engineering.

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Mark Mickelson
President, Mickelson & Company, LLC
Finance & Administration Track 206
Railroad Tax Maintenance Credit Update

Mark Mickelson is the founder of Mickelson & Company LLC, a full circle business advisory firm based in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Mickelson & Company's practice includes a national practice advising over seventy short line railroads on financial arrangements concerning the assignment of the Section 45G federal tax credit. Their clients have successfully assigned over $90 million in 45G tax credits since 2005. Mr. Mickelson was also a partner in a predecessor firm that successfully coordinated a mergers and acquisitions process that resulted in fifty-four separate sales transactions in thirteen months for a subsidiary of a public corporation based in Dallas, Texas. Prior to founding Mickelson & Company, Mark was employed in Sioux Falls by a public utility holding company, Northwestern Corporation, and prior to that as an executive at a regional real estate development company, Hegg Companies. Mark attended and graduated magna cum laude from Harvard Law School in Cambridge, Massachusetts in 1993 and is a licensed member of the bar in the State of South Dakota. Mark is also is a Certified Public Accountant and graduated with highest honors from the University of South Dakota in 1988 with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and an Accounting Degree. Mark is a member of the South Dakota CPA Society and serves on the Board of the South Dakota Economic Finance Authority and the South Dakota Community Foundation. Mark is also a member of the Downtown Sioux Falls Rotary Club, a lifetime member of Ducks Unlimited, an Eagle Scout and a trustee of the Sioux Falls YMCA. Mark married Cynthia Hart Mickelson in 1996 and they have three boys, George, David and Charlie. Mark is an active sportsman and enjoys golfing.

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Adam E. Nordstrom
ASLRRA Lobbyist and Partner, Chambers, Conlon & Hartwell
Legislative & Regulatory Track 403
Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About STB Reauthorization But Didn't Know Who to Ask

Adam Nordstrom is a Partner with the firm of Chambers, Conlon & Hartwell in Washington, DC where he has spent the last 10 years representing ASLRRA before Congress and the Administration. Previously, Adam served on the campaign and staff of former Kansas Governor Bill Graves and on the campaigns and DC staff of U.S. Senator Sam Brownback. In addition to his work with railroads, Adam served as the Washington Representative of Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius for the past five years. Adam is a graduate of The George Washington University School of Business and Public Management focusing on international finance and trade, and a graduate of the George Mason University School of Law.

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Mike Ogborn
Managing Director, OmniTRAX, Inc.
Finance & Administration Track 203
The Trials and Tribulations of Obtaining, Contracting For and Use of Stimulus Money for Rail Projects - A Case Study

Michael Ogborn is responsible for government relations, labor relations, public relations, contract administration, Class I relationships, and administrative matters for the company. He serves on the acquisitions team and has participated in every one of the OmniTRAX acquisitions. He has negotiated all of the labor agreements between those OmniTRAX affiliates that have labor unions representing associates on those properties and handles all labor questions at those properties. Mr. Ogborn has also negotiated all of the purchase and sale agreements of acquisitions or dispositions. Mr. Ogborn is the President of the Churchill Gateway Development Corporation, a public/private partnership established with the Governments of Manitoba, Canada, and OmniTRAX. He is active in the ASLRRA and is currently serving on its Board of Directors and Executive Committee. He has also served for the Intermodal Association of North America. He previously served in various management capacities. Mr. Ogborn has a BA and a JD from the University of South Dakota.

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Robert M. Perbohner
Counsel to the Management Member, U.S. Railroad Retirement Board
Finance & Administration Track 205
Hours-of-Service and Temporary Workers - Important Considerations Before Opening Pandora's Box

Mr. Perbohner was appointed to his position as Counsel to Management Member in January 1993. He advises the Management Member, Jerome F. Kever, on policy and legal matters. Prior to employment with the RRB, Mr. Perbohner was general counsel of the Iowa Interstate Railroad railroad. He has also practiced in the area of insurance defense and began his legal career as a prosecutor in McHenry County Illinois. Mr. Perbohner is a graduate of IIT Chicago-Kent College of Law and attended the University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana for undergraduate work.

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Paul E. Petruska
Partner, Williams Venker & Sanders, LLC
Legal Track 305
Corporate Electronic Information Policies: Why You Need One and What You Can Learn From Other's Mistakes

Paul Petruska has substantial experience as a trial lawyer in many areas of civil litigation. He focuses his practice primarily on toxic torts, products liability, employment litigation, transportation litigation and complex commercial litigation. Paul is licensed to practice law in the state courts of Missouri and Illinois, the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals and the United States District Courts for the Eastern and Western Districts of Missouri as well as the Northern, Southern and Central Districts of Illinois. His experience in these courts includes FELA jury trials; employment jury trials; personal injury jury trials; FELA, employment and complex commercial appeals; and mediation. In addition to his trial work, Paul serves as an adjunct professor at Saint Louis University School of Law while coaching the school's mock trial team.

"Saint Louis University School of Law, J.D., cum laude 1995
"Saint Louis University, B.A., magna cum laude 1992

"Named as an "Up & Coming Lawyer" in 2009 by Missouri
Lawyers Weekly; "Who's Who in America® (2009); "Who's Who in American Law® (2009)

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Caryl M. Pfeiffer
Director, Corporate Fuels & By-Products, E ON US
Marketing Track 502
Implications of proposed new US energy & environmental policy (good and bad) - Outlook for coal

Caryl joined Kentucky Utilities in August 1980 and is currently the Director of Corporate Fuels and By-Products for E.ON U.S. Her responsibilities include developing and implementing strategies for the use of solid fuels within the integrated energy business. These strategies incorporate procurement, trading and risk management, transportation and the effect on handling and utilization at the plant sites in order to provide the maximum commercial value for fuel and reagent purchase, usage and by-product disposition. Over the years, Caryl served in several capacities, with the latest being the Director of Environmental Affairs. She supervised and administered environmental protection and environmental compliance assurance programs for the Company, including the reviewing of environmental protection laws and regulations, analyzed their impact on the Company, informed the Company of requirements and obtained necessary regulatory approvals from environmental agencies. Caryl also coordinated all environmental protection regulatory and compliance activities within the Company and all contacts with regulatory agencies outside the Company. Caryl graduated from Wittenberg University in 1976 with a Bachelor of Arts degree. She also attended the University of Illinois where she earned the Graduate Fellowship Award in the Department of Landscape Architecture's graduate program in Computer-Aided Land Resources Planning, and The Ohio State University - Graduate work in the School of Natural Resources with an emphasis on resource economics and energy development. Caryl has a wide array of industry affiliations and she is very active in local community projects.

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James M. Redding
Vice President of Industry Relations, Renewable Fuels Association
Marketing Track 501
Biofuel Market Update

Jim Redding, Vice President of Industry Relations for the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA), is a 25 year veteran of the ethanol industry. Jim is well-known and respected throughout the ethanol industry for his depth of knowledge and expertise. Prior to joining RFA, Redding worked for over 20 years for Aventine Renewable Energy, Inc. Starting out as a marketing representative in 1983, he quickly rose through the ranks to become Vice President of Marketing & Logistics. Building on his marketing experience, Redding then spent five years as the Vice President - External Relations, where he worked closely with government officials and industry representatives to resolve public policy issues affecting the ethanol industry.

Jim has received recognition for his work. In 1990, he was awarded the Illinois Petroleum Marketers Association's Gas Pump Award for meritorious service to the association. In 2008, his efforts were recognized by the Illinois Corn Growers Association with the Ethanol Innovation Award.

Throughout his career, Redding has also held important positions in various industry organizations. He was an Executive Board member of the American Collation for Ethanol (ACE), Vice President of the Board of Directors for the Ethanol Promotion and Information Council (EPIC) and served as an industry representative on the Rail Energy Transportation Advisory Committee (RETAC) to the Surface Transportation Board.

Jim graduated from Minnesota's Winona State University in 1976 with a Bachelor's degree in Business Administration and received his MBA from the University of Illinois in 1992.

Jim resides in Pekin, IL with his wife, Tish.

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Roberto H. (Rob) Robinson
Assistant Vice President Short Line Marketing and Commercial Development, Norfolk Southern Corp.
Marketing Track 503
Recession Survival Tips For Short Lines - Uncovering New Revenue Streams

Rob is a 28 year veteran of the rail industry spending his entire career with Norfolk Southern and predecessor, Southern Railway Company. He began his career in 1981 as an Engineering Trainee in the Maintenance of Way/Engineering Department. He held several positions of increasing responsibility both in division and production maintenance before assuming his first position in Marketing; Special Equipment Engineer - Automotive.

He has held various positions within marketing that include Equipment Marketing, Coal Marketing, Distribution Services, Modalgistics, and Industrial Products. In his current position, Assistant Vice President Short Line Marketing and Commercial Development, he is responsible for managing the marketing, sales, and relationships with NS' 258 short line partners that participate in approximately 1 million shot line carloads annually. He is also responsible for business development of new and non-traditional markets at NS.

Rob received his Bachelor's Degree in Civil Engineering from the Virginia Military Institute in 1981 and his Masters Degree in Business Administration from Averett University in 1991. He holds a certification in "Integrated Supply Chain Management" from the University of Tennessee and is a graduate of Northwestern University, Duke University and University of Tennessee Executive programs in Advanced Transportation Management.

Rob is married to the former Traci Blessard of Roanoke Virginia who is an 18 year veteran of the railroad industry. They have two daughters, Madeline and Caitlin, and they reside in Roanoke, VA.

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Matthew K. Rose
Chairman, President & CEO, BNSF Railway
General Session
Keynote Presentation

Matt Rose is Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of BNSF Railway. He joined Burlington Northern Railroad (BN) in 1993 and he has held a variety of positions within the organization over the years. Before joining BN, Rose was Vice President-Transportation for Triple Crown Services (an NS subsidiary) where he had functional responsibility for all facets of the truck/rail operation. Prior to that, he held various positions with Schneider National and International Utilities, a trucking conglomerate. He began his railroad career in 1981 as a Corporate Management Trainee with Missouri Pacific Railroad and was appointed an Assistant Trainmaster. Rose holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Missouri, where he majored in marketing and minored in logistics. He is a Board member of a number of organizations including AMR Corporation; the Association of American Railroads; the U.S. Chamber of Commerce; and a member of the National Infrastructure Advisory Council. He and his wife have two children and live in Westlake, Texas.

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Edward Ross
Managing Partner, MaxAccel
Technology Track 701
Putting Technology to Work for Your Operation While Implementing Hours of Service

Ed Ross, an innovator and entrepreneur, has provided software technology solutions to the Railroad Industry for the past 20 years. A winner of Progressive Railroad Magazines annual technology provider award; he has provided software solutions which have benefited both field personnel as well as senior management. These solutions have served thousands of users with billions of records transacted. Ed Ross is currently the Chief Solution Officer and Managing Partner for MaxAccel, the Leader in FRA Compliance Software.

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Kenneth Rusk
Track Specialist, Federal Railroad Administration
Track Safety Standards w/CWR Training
Track Safety Standards Including the New Regulations for the Installation, Maintenance, and Repair of CWR

Kenneth Rusk is the Staff Director of the Federal Railroad Administration's Track and Structures Division. After graduating from Purdue University, Mr. Rusk began his railroad career with the former Illinois Central Gulf Railroad in 1975. After holding increasingly responsible positions in the Engineering, Maintenance, and Structures Departments, Mr. Rusk accepted a position with the Illinois Commerce Commission, Railroad Division, in 1989, managing its Railroad Grade Separation Section. Mr. Rusk joined the Federal Railroad Administration in 1994 as an Inspector in Minneapolis, MN. He was promoted to a Regional Track Specialist and Deputy Regional Administrator in Atlanta before accepting his current position as Staff Director in Washington, D.C. Mr. Rusk manages the FRA's Track and Structures Division and is responsible for continuously monitoring the Track Safety Standards and Railroad Workplace Safety regulations to ensure they appropriately address the current industry safety issues. He is also responsible for the appropriate interpretation of the regulations, and the consistent application of the regulations by the agency's field inspectors.

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Scott Rustand
VP-Real Estate Services, HDR Engineering
Engineering & M-O-W Track 102
GIS: Cool Technology, But How Does it Help a Small Railroad? Where's the Payoff For the Implementation Costs?

Mr. Rustand holds a Bachelor's Degree of Business Administration from the University of North Dakota. Before joining HDR, Mr. Rustand held several marketing positions during his 11-year tenure with BNSF Railway Company. His responsibilities included developing strategies to maximize market share, revenue, and contribution through innovative product and service offerings. Following his time at BNSF, Mr. Rustand joined PHAROS Corporation where he provided right of way management and utility adjustment services for hundreds of projects. In order to effectively manage such a large number of projects and each owner within the project, he has helped develop information systems with features that include reporting services, document generation / imaging, and online interactive GIS mapping. In 2006, Mr. Rustand was made a partner at PHAROS. In 2007, HDR Engineering purchased PHAROS and Mr. Rustand became a Vice President of Real Estate Services, where he continues to oversee the development of the real estate services within the railroad business sector. Mr. Rustand is currently a licensed real estate salesperson. He is also a member of the American Railway Development Association, where he is Co-Chair of the Technology Committee.

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J.R. Sampson
VP - Safety and Rules, OmniTRAX
Operations & Safety Track 604
Conductor Certification: Possibly, the Biggest Boy on the Block

JR Sampson began career with Missouri Pacific in the mid 70's and then moved to Jackson Jordon until the early 90's. JR started his Short line career in 1992 with RailTex becoming Manager, Rules and Training. He remained with RailTex as it was absorbed into RailAmerica where he became Director, Safety and Operating Practices. Today, JR is V.P. of Safety and Rules for OmniTRAX. JR serves on a number of industry committees including GCOR : 1995 to present, Vice Chairman, 1999 to present; Canadian Rules Revision Team, AAR's post 911 Railroad Anti-terrorism Task Force and Chairman of the ASLRRA's Safety and Training Committee, Married to wife "Davan" for 40 years, they have three children and three grandchildren, and they reside in Arvada, CO.

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R. Mark Schmidt
Assistant Vice President, Short Line Development, BNSF Railway
Marketing Track 503
Recession Survival Tips For Short Lines - Uncovering New Revenue Streams

Mark Schmidt was appointed as assistant vice president, Short Line Development in January, 2004. As a direct report to Pete Rickershauser, vice president, Network Development, Schmidt oversees 19,000 miles of short lines operations connecting with BNSF, generating revenues of over $3.0 billion annually.

Since joining BNSF in 1974, Schmidt has held numerous positions in the organization including assistant vice president, Network Strategy; assistant vice president, Customer Interface; assistant vice president, Strategic Studies and Analysis; director, Industrial Engineering; manager of Locomotive Planning; locomotive supervisor, and car supervisor. Prior to joining BNSF, Schmidt served as a production engineer for Phillips Petroleum.

Schmidt holds a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Missouri - Rolla, a Masters of Management from Northwestern University, Kellogg School in Evanston, Illinois and an honorary engineering degree from the University of Missouri - Rolla. Schmidt serves on the Board of Directors of Piedmont Bushing Insulators, Inc., the Southlake Carroll Lacrosse Association and the National Kidney Foundation for North Texas. He is a member of the Institute of Industrial Engineers, Operations Research Society of America, California Winegrape Growers Association, Allied Grape Growers and the American Rose Society.

Mark and his wife, Dr. Janet Kinney, live in Southlake, Texas with their two sons.

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John F. Scullin
Superintendent Service Deilvery Support, Conrail
Technology Track 703
Application of Technology to Solve Rail Business Problems - Asset Management and Tracking

John Scullin is a career professional with more than 35 years in the railroad industry, serving in various management positions of considerable responsibility. He started his railroad career on a full-time basis in 1972 with the Penn Central Railroad. During his tenure with that company and its successor Consolidated Rail Corporation, he progressed to several management roles, serving in various operating and administrative capacities which included: Senior Manager Customer Service, Director CORE Network Operations; Director Customer Service; and currently Superintendent Service Delivery Support, wherein duties include responsibility for Train dispatching, crew management, locomotive distribution, customer service, service planning, auto terminals and administration responsibilities reporting directly to the President and C.O.O. of Conrail Shared Assets. John is a graduate of University of Pennsylvania, Wharton School, with a Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration. John lives in Laurel Springs, New Jersey, with his wife, Donna and three (3) children.

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Matthew Shadrick
SVP, Aon Consulting
Finance & Administration Track 204
Mitigating Safety Risks Through Employee Assessment and Development

Matt Shadrick is Senior Vice President and the National Sales Director for Aon Consulting's Human Capital Practice. His primary responsibilities include managing growth and business development for the practice and providing guidance and leadership in the delivery of Aon's services. Mr. Shadrick has over 22 years of consulting experience providing solutions to global clients in the Human Capital, Employee Benefits, Outsourcing, and Property and Casualty arenas. Since joining Aon in 1997 from another professional services firm, he has worked with medium and large employers in the delivery HR consulting, talent, health and welfare, retirement, communications, executive benefits, global benefits and numerous property and casualty solutions. Mr. Shadrick has a BA in Marketing from Michigan State University and an MBA with honors from Northeastern University in Boston. He is also an award winning author in managing Human Capital risk ("Contributor of the Year" 2009, Workspan Magazine).

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Ron Sparks
Chief - Railroad Police, Arkansas and Missouri Railroad
Technology Track 704
Applications of Technology to Solve Rail Business Problems - Physical Security and Video Surveillance

Ron Sparks is the Chief of Police and Safety manager for the Arkansas & Missouri Railroad. Since 1998 Ron has held a variety of positions with the Arkansas & Missouri which included Director of Special Investigations, Senior Claims Manager, Risk Management and Human Resources. Ron's impressive background as a dynamic leader, investigator, safety coordinator, operations manager, and undercover narcotics agent, made the transition to Chief for the Arkansas & Missouri Railroad a natural progression. In 1999 Ron co designed the first onboard cameras for locomotives to prevent or mitigate lawsuits. Ron has written and produced two training films for the railroad industry. One film for Operation Lifesaver, the other for anti-terrorism procedures for railroads. Ron speaks nationally on rail security, haz-mat security and surveillance techniques to mitigate F.E.L.A. claims. Ron works closely with Homeland Security and other Federal, State and local authorities on rail security. Ron is often called as an expert witness or consulted several national railroad cases. Ron sits on ASLRRA Safety and training committee and the ASLRRA Police and Security committee. Ron has 30 years of law enforcement and investigative experience.

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Robert Stevens
Chief Engineer, Florida East Coast Railway
Engineering & M-O-W Track 105
CAPITAL PLANNING: Capital Planning for Short Lines: Case Studies

Bob Stevens began his railroad career with Penn Central in 1975 prior to it becoming Conrail where he held various positions from gang supervisor, Division Engineer and System Director of Program Development. In 1998 Bob joined CSX Transportation holding positions of Assistant Chief Engineer Roadway Equipment and Asst. Chief Engineer System Production, retiring from CSX in 2007 when as he joined the Florida East Coast Railway as Chief Engineer. Bob holds a BS degree from Eastern University.

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Joseph C. Szabo
Administrator, Federal Railroad Administration
General Session
FRA and the Small Railroad: Keeping the Lines of Communication Open

Nominated March 20, 2009, and confirmed by the United States Senate on April 29, 2009, Joseph C. Szabo is the twelfth Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) Administrator, responsible for overseeing the operations for the eight hundred plus person organization; managing a comprehensive railroad safety assurance program and regulatory initiatives; enforcing railroad safety laws and regulations; developing and implementing national freight and passenger rail policy and financial assistance programs; and overseeing wide-ranging advanced research and development projects in support improved railroad safety.

Szabo is a fifth generation railroader who, between 2006 and 2009, was Vice President of the Illinois State Federation of the AFL-CIO. He has served as mayor of Riverdale, Illinois, a member of the South Suburban Mayors Transportation Committee, and Vice Chairman of the Chicago Area Transportation Study's Executive Committee. In 2002, he chaired the Governor's Freight Rail Sub-Committee and, in 2005, was assigned by the United Transportation Union International to the FRA's Railroad Safety Advisory Committee (RSAC), where he participated in the development of rail-safety regulations. Szabo has served on the Executive Council of Chicago Metropolis 2020, focusing on Land Use Planning and Transportation issues and the Board for the Historic Pullman Foundation. He was a member of the Chicagoland Metropolitan Planning Council. He holds a baccalaureate degree in Labor Relations from Governors State University.

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Gary Vaughn
Senior Vice President of Safety and Environmental Health, Watco Companies
Operations & Safety Track 603
CFR Parts 217/218: What You Need to Know for Compliance RR101

Gary Vaughn began his career with Norfolk Southern in 1973 as a Train Dispatcher. He held several positions with NS, culminating as Terminal Superintendent before leaving in 1996. He joined RailTEX in 1997 as Division Superintendent. After RailTEX became part of RailAmerica he became Regional Manager of Safety and Operating Practices. He joined Watco Companies in 2003. He and his wife, Monica, reside in Missouri and have 3 wonderful children.

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Joseph M. Waechter
Assistant to the Management Member, U.S. Railroad Retirement Board
Finance & Administration Track 202
Planning Your Railroad Retirement: Don't Gamble With the Future - Know Before You Go RR101

Mr. Joseph Waechter has worked at the Railroad Retirement Board since October 1973 and served as Assistant to the Management Member since July 1986. Prior to working in the Management Member's Office, Mr. Waechter held various positions in the Bureau of Retirement Claims. He first worked as a Claims Examiner responsible for processing applications for employee and spouse retirement benefits. In his last position in that Bureau as Training Officer, he was responsible for handling special or unusual cases, interpreting procedure, and analyzing various problem areas within the Bureau. In Mr. Waechter's current position, he provides advice to the Board Member in matters involving retirement and survivor benefits. He is responsible for reviewing appeals that involve retirement and survivor issues and advises the Board Member with respect to his ruling. Mr. Waechter conducts seminars on the Railroad Retirement Act and its benefits at the request of railroad officials and answers individual questions directed to the Board Member's office concerning benefits and eligibility.

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Lou Warchot
Sr. VP, Law and General Counsel, Association of American Railroads
Legal Track 301
The History, Making and Breaking of Paper Barriers RR101

Mr. Warchot is Senior Vice President - Law and General Counsel for the Association of American Railroads, the policy, research and technology organization for the railroad industry whose members include the major North American railroads. He is also Vice-Chair of the Railroads Committee of the ABA's Section of Public Utility, Communications, and Transportation Law. Prior to joining the AAR, Mr. Warchot was with the Law Department of Southern Pacific Transportation Company, where he directed legal activities for the railroad company involving corporate, finance and transportation law related matters. Mr. Warchot received his J.D. from the University of California at Berkeley (Boalt Hall). He also holds a Master's degree in Business Administration and a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of California at Berkeley. He is a member of the bars of the State of California and the District of Columbia. Mr. Warchot retired at the rank of Colonel in the U.S. Army Reserve, Judge Advocate General's Corps, and also has a Master's degree in Strategic Studies from the U.S. Army War College.

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Aric Weingartner
Wayside PTC Product Manager, GE Transportation
Engineering & M-O-W Track 101
SIGNALS: PTC for the Short Line and Regional Railroad - What Are the Applications, Issues and Concerns?

Aric Weingartner has been with GE Transportation for eight years and is currently the Product Manager leading GE's Wayside PTC initiative. Prior to his current position, Mr. Weingartner held leadership positions in quality and sales. Most recently, he was GE Transportation's Product Manager for Crossing and Train Control Systems. During his tenure as the Crossing and Train Control Systems Product Manager, Aric led the introduction of seven new vital wayside products including the ElectroLogIXS VPM-3 Processor, one of the first vital processors with embedded Ethernet communication capabilities. Prior to joining GE Transportation, he held various engineering positions within GE Aviation. Aric holds a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from Kansas State University and a MBA from the University of Florida.

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Michael Wester
Vice President, R.J. Corman Railroad Group
Engineering & M-O-W Track 105
CAPITAL PLANNING: Capital Planning for Short Lines: Case Studies

Michael Wester is a University of Tennessee graduate. Started career in 1982 with NS engineering dept. In 1987 moved to the Transportation dept working his way through the ranks from Trainmaster to Division Supt. covering 6 different divisions throughout career. Began career with RJ Corman Railroad Group in 2007 as VP managing the RJ Corman Short Lines, Distribution Center Company, Switching Company and the latest acquisition of RailPower.

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Thomas P. Woll
General Engineer, Crossing Inventory, Federal Railroad Administration
Legislative & Regulatory Track 401
FRA Railroad Crossing Project: Crossing all the T's and Dotting All the Is - Dates and Deadlines Ahead - RR101

Tom Woll has been with the FRA for 41 years. Since 1981, he has been with the Office of Safety, Highway-Rail Crossing and Trespass Safety Division, where he is the Program Manager for the US DOT National Grade Crossing Inventory Program, and the Toll-Free (1-800) Emergency Notification System Program. From 1996 to 2002, he was the ITS HRI Program Manager and was responsible for including the Highway-Rail Intersection (HRI) User Service in the National Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) Architecture. Tom's first years at FRA were involved in research and development with FRA's Office of High Speed Ground Transportation where he was Test Director for the DOT Test Train Program and responsible for the development of FRA's Track Geometry Inspection System, and he also assisted in the establishment and construction of the Pueblo Transportation Technology Center. Tom has served on Operation Lifesaver's Program Development Council where he was instrumental in getting the Boy Scout's Railroading Merit Badge rewritten to include requirements on highway-rail crossing and trespass safety, and has participated on the Railroading Merit Badge staff for the National Jamborees since 1997. He has a BS in Electrical Engineering from the University of Cincinnati, and a MS in System Science from the Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn. He is a member of AREMA, IEEE, ASME and holds Professional Engineering licenses in the States of Ohio, Virginia, and the District of Columbia.

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