Speaker Bios

Eddie Arredondo
Senior Vice President of Human Resources
Watco Companies, Inc.
Finance & Administration Track 201
Employee Evaluations - What You Should and Should Not Say and Do

Eddie Arredondo is the Senior Vice President of Human Resources for Watco Companies. Eddie has been with Watco since 2007. Prior to joining Watco, Eddie spent nearly two decades working in HR at Federal Express (FedEx). While with FedEx, Eddie worked in the Texas cities of San Antonio and Dallas and in Memphis, Tenn., as well as moving overseas to Sydney, Australia for two years. Eddie and his wife Grace have four grown children; John Edward, Lauralee, Kristian and BJ. They also have three grandchildren, Cassidy, Grayson and Alessia. In his spare time Eddie enjoys golf, hunting and family activities.

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Jim M. Barrett
Consulting Systems Engineer II
BNSF Railway
Technology Track 704
Positive Train Control: The Latest Developments, Technology and a More In-Depth Look at the Locomotive Segment

Jim Barrett has over 16 years' experience in the railroad industry. He started his railroad career at Rockwell / Wabtec and joined the BNSF Railway in 2007 were he leads the PTC RF planning team and PTC On-Board architecture design. Jim has been an AREMA member since 1996 and is currently the Committee 39 (PTC) Chairman. Jim is the Interoperable Train Control "ITC" On-board Team leader and is an active member of the AAR Railroad Electronics Standards Committee and the AAR Wireless Communication Committee.

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Steve Bentley
Employee Benefits Consultant
Brown & Brown Insurance
Finance & Administration Track 202
Employer Sponsored Wellness Programs

Steve Bentley is an Employee Benefits Consultant with Brown & Brown Insurance. Steve brings professional experience from industries such as systems software, payroll services and employee benefits. Steve works with employers of all sizes and industries on their group: Health, Life, Dental, LTD/STD, Worksite Solutions, etc. Additionally, Steve has assisted his clients through detailed claims management, disease management, effective wellness programming and smart plan designing. Steve is well versed in the Fully-Insured, ASO & Self-Insured market place. Steve understands the different concerns of employers, executives and employees. Steve brings a unique, non-biased consultative approach that helps companies with their bottom line. When utilizing Steve's in-depth, strategic benefit audit, his clients can better understand what is ultimately driving their costs and therefore plot a proper course to bend the trend. Steve's professional and personal accomplishments include a BA degree from Indiana University, Consultant of the Year Award winner in 2009, and winner of multiple National and Regional Awards winner at ADP.

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Andie Berry
Senior Engineer & Program Manager
ENSCO, Inc.
Engineering & M-O-W Track 102
High Speed, Automated Joint Bar Inspection

Andie Berry is a Senior Engineer and Product Line Manager at Ensco, Inc., Applied Technology and Engineering Division in Springfield, VA and manages the development of ENSCO's Machine Vision Technologies, which are primarily used by the railroad industry for track and equipment inspection. She also leads both commercial projects as well as governmentally funded technology research. She served as an Electrical Engineer for ENSCO's line of Machine Vision Technology systems, including the joint bar inspection system. While at ENSCO, Ms. Berry has concentrated her efforts on the advancement of emerging technologies for use in the railroad industry, corollary analysis of track inspection data, system integration and product management. Ms. Berry received dual Bachelor of Science Degrees in Electrical Engineering and Biomedical Engineering from Duke University in 2001. Her concentrated studies were in VLSI design, biomedical instrumentation, and semiconductor physics.

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Kristin L. Bevil
Attorney
Fletcher & Sippel, LLC
Finance & Administration Track 206
The Train Is Unstoppable and Denzel Is Nowhere to Be Found (Are You Ready?)

Kristin Liddle Bevil is an attorney at Fletcher & Sippel, LLC in Chicago. She represents railroad clients in Federal Employers Liability Act (FELA), grade crossing and other railroad related litigation. She has also defended clients against whistleblower claims brought pursuant to the Federal Railroad Safety Act. Ms. Bevil is an experienced litigator with substantial courtroom experience that includes arbitrations, mediations and several jury trials. Ms. Bevil received her undergraduate degree from the University of Missouri, where she graduated with a Bachelor of Journalism. She received her law degree from the University of Missouri-Kansas City. During law school Ms. Bevil interned with the Honorable Ortrie Smith, United States District Court Judge for the Western District of Missouri. Ms. Bevil is admitted to practice in Illinois, Indiana, Missouri and various federal courts throughout the Midwest.

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Keith T. Borman
Vice President & General Counsel
ASLRRA
Legal Track 304
An FRA Update: The Number of Proceedings Are Escalating

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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David Briggs
VP - Operations
Railway Claim Services, Inc.
Finance & Administration Track 204
Liability and Property Insurance: After the Claim - What to Do (and Not Do) Now?

David Briggs is Vice President of Operations with Railway Claim Services, based in Lexington, TN, providing claims and risk management throughout the U.S. He operates the regional office in Texas. Mr. Briggs has 20 years of claims experience with Class 1, Regional, Short Line, and Commuter Line Railroads, Energy Companies, and Transportation Industries, directly handling property damage and personal injuries claims. He consults closely with companies and insurance carriers regarding risk management, safety, subrogation, and loss control. He specializes in claims investigations, settlement proceedings, and mediations He interfaces with legal teams, analyzing settlement values and providing strategies in high exposure lawsuits. Mr. Briggs holds a Masters' Degree in Applied Technology and Cognitive Development from the University of North Texas. He is a certified Advance Corporate Trainer, primarily working with railroad management on risk mitigation. He is a licensed, all lines adjuster in property and casualty, general liability, marine, construction defects, and workers compensation. He currently serves as Treasurer and Board Member for the Houston Claims Association.

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Michael Castaneda
Locomotive Engineer
Pacific Harbor Line
Operations & Safety Track 604
Behavioral Based Safety: A Good Fit for Short Lines

Mike Castenada started working for the Santa Fe Railroad in 1973 in the track department at Needles, CA. Over the first 4 years of his railroad career, he worked in various positions including trackman, machine operator, lead welder and track foreman. In 1977 Mike entered engine service and in 1978 he was promoted to engineer. He worked as an engineer in pool freight service between Los Angeles and Barstow on the Cajon Subdivision for the next 25 years. When Santa Fe started their Certified Engineer Instructor Program, Mike was among one of the first engineers to participate. Later when the Santa Fe merged with Burlington Northern Mike became a designated mentor. To this day, more than half of the engineers working on the BNSF Cajon Subdivision were mentored by Mike. Mike left the BNSF in 2003 after 30 years. Mike then went to work as a trainmaster for the Palouse River Railroad at Mira Loma which was an automobile switching facility. When the railroad lost their contract at the Mira Loma yard, Mike continued to work for their parent company, Watco (Western Region), where he trained employees at newly opened facilities and railroad yards. Currently Mike works for Pacific Harbor Line as a locomotive engineer and an ACE Coordinator. Mike is passionate about sharing his many years of experience with co-workers, teaching them how to perform the job safely and with a positive attitude. It still gets to Mike when somebody he just worked with follows him to his car and thanks him for caring about their safety.

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Brent Cheek
Director - Engineering Standards
RailAmerica
Engineering & M-O-W Track 105
Track Buckle Prevention/CWR Maintenance

Brent Cheek is in his 33nd year of railroading - all in the Engineering/Maintenance of Way field. He started his railway career as a Track Maintainer with Canadian National Railway in Western Canada and enjoyed 18 years there in various positions, including Track Supervisor, Engineering Workforce Coordinator and Training Instructor. Brent left CN 15 years ago for the Regional Railroad industry and has enjoyed that renewed career even more - spending the last ten years with the RailAmerica Corporate Engineering group. As Director of Engineering Standards and Training at RailAmerica, Brent is currently responsible for Maintenance of Way safety and technical training, standards development, FRA and Transport Canada regulatory compliance and rail flaw & track geometry testing. He is a member and former Vice Chair on AREMA Committee 24 - Education and Training. Brent lives in an empty nest with his wife Shanna near Edmonton, Alberta and spends his free time on endless renovations, woodworking, photography and preservation of railway buildings and history.

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Michael Choat
President
Railway Controls Limited
Operations & Safety Track 601
Keep 'Em Safe - Installing Traffic Safety Devices While Working at Highway-Rail Grade Crossings Can Save Lives

Michael Choat has 35 years' experience in railroad signaling. He is a Retired Chief Engineer Communications and Signals - CSX. Presently he is President - Railroad Controls Ltd in Benbrook, Texas. Railroad Controls Ltd (RCL) is the premier signal construction and materials integrator in the country. Currently RCL is supplying construction services to BNSF, CSX, NS, CP, MRL and PTRA. RCL also provides comprehensive signal material integration for UP, BNSF, CSX MetroLink, and CP.

Mike holds a Master of Business Administration degree from Jacksonville University. He has been very active in AREMA holding Board of Directors positions several times. He presently serves on the board of directors of both Railway System Suppliers Inc. (RSSI) and the National Railway Contractor and Maintenance Association (NRC).

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Michael Clift
Senior Manager Environmental Operations
BNSF Railway
Technology Track 706
Biofuels and Alternative Fuels: Past, Present and Future

Michael Clift, Senior Manager Environmental Operations, works for BNSF Railway Company in Ft. Worth, Texas. Mike holds a B.S. from Iowa State University and a M.E.S. from the University of Oklahoma. Mike's primary focus during his 20 year tenure at BNSF has been industrial wastewater discharge permitting and treatment, developing SPCC and OPA plans, stormwater management, hazardous waste disposal, air permitting and emergency response. When not working, Mike is active in his three son's Boy Scout and Cub Scout troops.

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Steve Coomes
General Manager
New England Central Railroad
Technology Track 702
Mobile Computing and How Railroads Are Using It

Steve Coomes has been in the short line railroading business for 23 years. He has held many positions including Journeyman Carman, Mechanical Shop Foreman, Fleet management and various General Manager positions for RailAmerica including Kyle Railroad, San Joaquin Valley Railroad, Connecticut Southern and currently is the GM of the New England Central, and the Southern Ontario Railroad.

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Rick Cowan
State Director
Coalition Against Bigger Trucks
Legislative & Regulatory Track 401
Truck Size and Weights: Something Wicked This Way Comes

Rick Cowan was born in a small mid-western town in Missouri near St. Louis. He grew up on the Ralston Purina Research Farm where his Father worked as a research technician. After High school Mr. Cowan attended Southeast Missouri State University in Cape Girardeau, Missouri before Uncle Sam called him to service in the US Air Force. Mr. Cowan was a Security Police Specialist in the Air Force and after serving time in Turkey, he was stationed at Barksdale AFB in Louisiana. Upon discharge, Mr. Cowan worked in the banking industry for a couple of years before joining the Bossier City, Louisiana Police Department. He spent 3 ½ years with the department before going to work for the Caddo Parish Coroner's office as a death investigator for about 1 year. He then joined the Bossier Parish Sheriff's Office. Mr. Cowan spent the next 25 years with the Sheriff's Office in various capacities starting in Patrol, K-9, Search & Rescue, SWAT, Investigations, and Narcotics. In 1994, Mr. Cowan was selected to attend the FBI National Academy in Quantico, VA., attending the 178th session. After being promoted to Lieutenant, Mr. Cowan was assigned to Internal Affairs. In addition to his IA duties, Mr. Cowan worked as the Government Affairs liaison for the next 14 years, working with local and State elected officials and spending a lot of time at the State Capitol with our local legislators. During that time Mr. Cowan played a small part in helping to secure State funding for two prisons for Bossier Parish, a Minimum and Medium Security Correctional Facility. He also helped to secure 1% of a fee placed on local gambling establishments for the Sheriff's Office (the only Sheriff's Office in Louisiana to receive such funding). Mr. Cowan also helped to set up a fund through State Legislation creating an account from gambling proceeds to pay for retired Deputies medical insurance for Life. Mr. Cowan retired in September, 2009 and moved to McKinney, Texas where he lives with his wife and near his daughter and granddaughter in Frisco, TX. In December of 2010, Mr. Cowan was employed by CABT as the State Director and continues to serve in that capacity.

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Husein Cumber
EVP - Corporate Development
Florida East Coast Railway
Engineering & M-O-W Track 101
How to Get Public Money

Mr. Cumber is Executive Vice President, Corporate Development for Florida East Coast Railway (FEC) where he has responsibility for guiding major capital projects from concept through development. These projects include reconnecting the FEC Railway to the Port of Miami, the construction of new intermodal container transfer facilities, and working with public agencies to introduce passenger rail on the FEC corridor. Previously, Mr. Cumber was President of H.A. Cumber & Company, a transportation consulting firm that specialized in rail, transit and highway issues. The firm provided business development and government relations support throughout the country. Two of his major successes were leading two TIGER grants, one for the R.J. Corman Railroad Group, LLC ($17.6 million) and the second on behalf of the Port of Miami ($22.767 million).

Mr. Cumber served as the Deputy Chief of Staff at the U.S. Department of Transportation and prior to that was the Assistant to the Secretary for Policy. Prior to his appointment at U.S. DOT, Mr. Cumber led the public affairs efforts for Florida East Coast Industries, Inc. (FECI), formerly a NYSE-traded company with railroad and real estate subsidiaries. In this role, Mr. Cumber secured over $50 million in public funds to build additional freight capacity in the FEC Railway corridor.

Mr. Cumber is a graduate of Duke University and holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in U.S. National Security. He and his wife, LeAnna, currently reside in Jacksonville, Florida.

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Gordon Davids, P.E.
Operations & M-O-W Track 106
New Bridge Regulations Are Official - Compliance Is Not Optional

Recently retired, Gordon Davids was with the Federal Railroad Administration as the Bridge Engineer and Chief Engineer - Structures at Headquarters, Office of Safety since 1992. He first entered railroad service in 1958 as a Trackman on the New York Central railroad. After gaining an education in Civil Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in 1963, he held various positions in the Engineering and Maintenance of Way departments of the New York Central, Delaware and Hudson, Erie Lackawanna and Pittsburg and Shawmut Railroads. He then joined FRA in 1975 as the Regional Engineer at Philadelphia, and came into Headquarters in 1977. He is a life member of AREMA, serving on Committees 9-Seismic Design, 10-Structures Construction and Maintenance, and 15-Steel Structures.

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John F. DeBuys, Jr.
Attorney
Burr and Forman, LLP
Legal Track 301
Utility Uses of Rights-of-Way

John practices in the firm's Construction, Business, Real Estate, Environmental and Litigation sections. Recently, his practice has focused on the resolution of real property disputes including property rights, title and title insurance issues, condemnation, construction and land use. John has been recommended in Real Estate by Chambers USA America's Leading Lawyers for Business, (Chambers & Partners Legal Publishers) and is also listed in The Best Lawyers in America. Chambers USA named John in 2009 and 2010 as a "Leader in their Field." He was also selected for inclusion in Alabama Super Lawyers 2008, 2009 and 2010. In addition, John is a member of the American Academy of Attorney-Mediators and has been appointed to the ADR (Alternative Dispute Resolution) Panel of Neutrals. John is a member of the Monday Morning Quarterback Club in Birmingham, and, for over thirty years, have been involved with coaching boys and girls in various sports including basketball and baseball. He founded Alabama I Can Through Education Foundation, which promotes education and self-development through the sport of basketball. The concept of "Alabama ICE" is to combine kids from various economic backgrounds and encourage discipline, compatibility and teamwork with the opportunity of playing basketball at a higher level. John enjoys constructing things as well as coaching, and occasionally hunting or skiing.

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Nora E. Deveau
Attorney
Arch Insurance Group, Inc.
Finance & Administration Track 204
Liability & Property Insurance: After the Claim - What to Do (and Not Do) Now?

Nora Deveau joined Arch's Casualty Claim Department in January 2005 and is currently acting in the capacity of Vice President, Casualty. The Casualty Claims Department handles claims involving all Primary and Excess Casualty products including bodily injury and property damage claims. Bodily injury and property damage claims encompass general negligence, products liability, pharmaceutical and food borne illness cases, toxic tort, premises liability, energy and railroad claims. She has previously acted as Assistant Vice President, Major Claims Unit, and served as a liaison with Corporate Legal on claims issues. Ms. Deveau regularly interacts with Rail Underwriters and has handled rail large losses at Arch. Prior to joining Arch, she worked as an associate at the insurance defense firm Mendes & Mount, LPP. Ms. Deveau earned a Bachelor of Science from the University of Scranton and a Juris Doctorate from St. John's University School of Law. She is a licensed attorney in the State of New York.

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Tracey Donesky
Leonard Street & Deinard
Legal Track 306
HOT! HOT! HOT! Legal Topics

Tracey Holmes Donesky serves as co-chair of the Transportation Law group and is a shareholder in the Employment and Labor practice group at the law firm of Leonard, Street and Deinard. She represents a variety of clients in the railroad and transportation industry on counseling issues related to hiring and discipline, as well as issues pertaining to medical leaves of absence, fitness for duty, requirements under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the new regulations under the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA). She also represents clients in state and federal court, as well as before administrative agencies on a variety of employment issues, including employment discrimination claims, and has recently assisted clients with Department of Labor audits of FMLA and other wage-related matters.

Tracey is currently a member of the American Short Line and Regional Association's General Counsel Committee where she serves as the designated representative for railroad OSHA whistleblower-related matters and has assisted clients with claims brought before OSHA and the Department of Labor on such claims. Tracey also has experience litigating Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) collective actions and is a member of the Wage and Hour Defense Institute (WHDI). Prior to joining the firm, she served as a judicial law clerk to the Honorable John. R. Tunheim, U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota. She was named an Up & Coming Attorney by Minnesota Lawyer in 2008, and from 2004 to 2009 she was selected for inclusion in Super Lawyers®-Rising Stars. Tracey is a 2000 magna cum laude graduate of the University of Minnesota Law School and a 1996 graduate of the University of Kentucky where she earned a B.A. in English, summa cum laude, and played as a scholarship athlete on the Womens' Division I NCAA Collegiate Golf Team from 1991-1995. She was the 1996 NCAA Walter Byers Post Graduate scholarship recipient which is awarded to one female and one male student athlete each year for graduate studies.

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James M. England, Jr.
President
England & Co. Rehabilitation Services
Legal Track 302
What Every Employer Should Know: Return to Work Issues Related to OSHA and FELA

James M. England, Jr. is a graduate of the University of Missouri at Columbia with bachelors and masters degrees from that institution. He completed his Masters in Rehabilitation Counseling in May 1974 and has been employed as a rehabilitation counselor for nearly 37 years. He is a CRC and is licensed in Missouri and Illinois. His experience includes seven years with the Missouri Division of Vocational Rehabilitation and the balance of his career has involved working in private rehabilitation assessing injured workers' employability and assisting many of them in returning to alternative careers. His current employment since 1989 has involved operating his own company providing rehabilitation services to a variety of government agencies as well as to employers and insurance companies. He is called upon by a variety of entities including insurance companies, self-insured companies, attorneys representing employers or third party defendants as well as attorneys representing injured workers to determine the employability of an injured worker and often to provide expert testimony in litigation settings. In addition to providing vocational evaluations, his company also provides a variety of other services including career counseling, setting up re-training programs and placing between 150 to 200 people a year back in the work force.

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Nathan R. Fenno
President
New York, Susquehanna & Western Railroad
Legal Track 303
Preemption Update: A Case Study

Nathan Fenno has served as President of The New York, Susquehanna and Western Railway Corporation since 2007. Previously, he was General Counsel/Secretary for NYS&W and its affiliates for twenty years after five years of private legal practice. He holds a JD cum laude from Albany Law School and an MBA from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.

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John K. Fiorilla
Equity Shareholder
Capehart Scatchard
Legal Track 303
Preemption Update: A Case Study

John Fiorilla focuses his practice on the railroad industry and helping to create and present railroad management policy and positions with diversified management and litigation experience as both house counsel and local counsel for Class I and Shortline Railroads. He has specific experience in presenting finance, tax, real estate (including eminent domain), operations, engineering, government affairs and customer service positions. He represents rail carriers before the STB and state administrative bodies and in federal and state courts throughout the United States. In addition to representing clients before the judicial branches of government, he lobbies for and represents his clients before the New Jersey state legislative and executive branches and municipal counsels and courts. Mr. Fiorilla is a graduate of Georgetown University Law Center and Seton Hall University. Morristown & Erie Railway locomotive number 22 carried his name for his efforts in acting as General Counsel and litigation counsel for that short line member since 1990.

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Michael B. Flynn
President & Sr. Trial Attorney
Flynn & Wirkus, P.C.
Legal Track 305
Dealing with Trespassers: Keeping Them Off Your Track and Out of Your Pockets

Mike Flynn is the founder and senior trial attorney of the Boston-based firm of Flynn & Wirkus, which also has offices in Philadelphia. Mr. Flynn graduated summa cum laude from the University of Massachusetts-Amherst and also from Boston University School of Law, where he was a member of the American Journal of Law & Medicine. Mr. Flynn is currently admitted to practice in all state and federal courts in Massachusetts, New York and Pennsylvania, as well as a number of federal courts, Mr. Flynn is a member of several bar associations and industry groups, including the National Association of Railroad Trial Counsel, where he is a past Eastern Region Vice President and current member of the Executive Committee. He is a frequent presenter on litigation and trial practice at meetings for national legal and claims organizations. Mr. Flynn is a member of the ASLRRA and serves on the General Counsel Committee.

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David K, Franz, P.E.
Regional Bridge Engineer
Osmose Railroad Service, Inc.
Engineering & M-O-W Track 104
A Primer on How to Protect Bridges and Extend Their Useful Life

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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Daniel C. Frederick
President
Alternative Motive Power Systems LLC
Technology Track 701
Gensets: Locomotives of the Future

As Principal of AMPS, Dan Frederick has nearly 25 years of experience in the locomotive and railroad equipment industry. Some of his early experience includes converting GE industrial locomotives to battery and battery hybrid power and development of an all new battery electric 2003 EPA Air Quality Excellence Award winning industrial locomotive. More recent efforts include the successful design, development and implementation of the Railserve LEAF's power generation and power control schemes. AMPS designed and implemented the power and control system for Capacity of Texas' Plug-in Hybrid Electric Terminal Tractor (PHETT) and is currently working as systems integrator for a DARPA funded project as well as development of its own Zero Idle Emissions GenSet Locomotive. Dan wanted to change the way Railroads, Industry and Government perceived GenSet, battery electric and battery hybrid technology. As a result he established AMPS (Alternative Motive Power Systems) in 2004. Building upon a history of successful implementation of AMPS Performance Technology in the Railserve LEAF Locomotive as well as a variety of industrial equipment AMPS engineering team is continuing to build superior quality designs and productive, trusting relationships with its clients.

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Barbara Giamanco
Founder & CEO
Talent Builders, Inc.
Marketing Track 506
Social Networking and the New Handshake: How Can It Work for My Company?

Barbara is an experienced sales and social media consultant, trainer, speaker and author who has a proven, 30-year track record in generating sales. Throughout her sales career, she has sold $1 billion in products and services. Barbara capped her corporate career at Microsoft, where she led sales teams and coached executives. Today, when not out hiking with her dogs, Barbara runs Talent Builders, Inc. a sales performance consulting business that she founded in 2002. Known as a sales transformer, top sales teams hire Barbara to help them leverage new media to explode sales performance. Using a strategic approach that aligns the right social tools with your sales objectives, you can achieve reaching the right buyers and so much more! Barbara has just released a new book, "The New Handshake: Sales Meets Social Media" and it is available NOW on Amazon.com in both the print and Kindle edition. As an active member of the business community, Barbara serves as the Atlanta Chapter President of Sales Marketing Executives International (SMEI) and on the 2010 Advisory Board of Atlanta Women in Business. Recently, she was the recipient of the Atlanta Women in Business "Results Count" award, and in 2008, she served as the Diversity Director for the SHRM Georgia State Council.

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Robert Greenwood
Director Right-of-Way Management
RailAmerica
Technology Track 705
GIS, GPS, and Tagging: A Review of the Latest Technology and Uses

Robert Greenwood is the Director of Right of Way Management for RailAmerica. Robert is responsible for overseeing the management of real estate assets for RailAmerica's 40 railroads in the USA and Canada. He directs a Regional Management staff of five real estate professional in the leasing and licensing of uses or railroad owned track, land, and the utilization of portions of real estate rights for utility occupancy. Robert's background includes 29 years of real estate experience which includes 14 years of real estate development holding the position of Vice President of Land Acquisition and Development for a national homebuilder and Development Partner/Manager for a regional development company. Experience also includes 12 years of real estate appraisal, valuation and consulting.

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Jacklyn Hardy
AVP, Administrative Services
Indiana Rail Road Company
Finance & Administration Track 202
Employer Sponsored Wellness Programs

Jacklyn Hardy is Assistant Vice President, Administrative Services with The Indiana Rail Road Company. Hardy's extensive experience in the railroad industry includes service in accounting, dispatch and human resources with the Iowa Interstate Railroad between 1992 and 2000. She then worked in accounting with the California Northern Railroad, and joined regional rail holding company RailAmerica following that company's acquisition of California Northern. Hardy served as assistant general manager for the company's San Joaquin Valley Railroad and later as general manager for the Pacific Region. Hardy joined The Indiana Rail Road in 2007 as the Director, Human Resources and served in that position until April 2010, when she was named AVP, Administrative Services. Hardy's responsibilities at Indiana Rail Road have included planning and managing human resources requirements to accommodate projected growth in transportation services, overseeing labor relations, employee benefits administration and coordinate aspects of workforce training and development, legal, security, real estate and risk management.

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Mitch Harris
Director - Safety, Training & Rules Compliance
Rio Grande Pacific Corporation
Operations & Safety Track 603
An Overview of FRA Accident/Incident Reporting Changes: What You Don't Do, Can Cost You

Mitch Harris is the Director of Safety, Training & Rules Compliance for Rio Grande Pacific Corporation (RGPC) and its subsidiary short line railroads. Mitch began his railroad career in 1978 on the Louisiana Division of the old Missouri Pacific and has been with RGPC since 1995. Mitch entered the short line industry in 1993 as a locomotive engineer and DSLE. He became a safety and training manager in 2000 and has held his current position with RGPC since 2004. His current responsibilities include the development and implementation of programs related to safety, training, rules and regulatory compliance. Mitch is an active member of the Railroad Safety Advisory Committee and serves on the ASLRRA Safety & Training Committee. A third generation railroader, Mitch and his wife, Beth, live in Boise, Idaho where they enjoy all that life has to offer in the intermountain west.

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Bob Holland
Moose Path Consultancy LLC
Finance & Administration Track 205/Marketing Track 505
Developing a Railroad Costing Model for Short Lines and Its Impact on Business Decision Making

Bob Holland has held numerous positions with Norfolk Southern and its predecessor road Norfolk and Western Railway in Roanoke, Va. He has traveled extensively throughout the combined rail systems in connection with numerous projects. Bob began his career in 1972 and pioneered advanced intermodal equipment control systems to reduce asset costs and the ANCHOR program for reducing the empty positioning miles for steamship containers. Among his development efforts were "pc" pro forma economic models for justifying capital projects when a "pc" consisted of quarter inch tape drive units. Mr. Holland has published a paper on the use of discrete event simulations models for developing intermodal terminals and pioneered the use of "crt" field transaction to notify Trailer Train of per diem relief. Mr. Holland has served on AAR and Trailer train Advisory committees.

Upon formation of Norfolk Southern, Mr. Holland took on development efforts in the Finance department including development of main frame based Intermodal historical profitability. Mr. Holland lead the development team for the first true "data warehouse" based application for monitoring historical asset utilization of rolling stock {load/empty/velocity data base} and the en route on hand database. These efforts emphasized asset utilization and served to increase the return on assets. Mr. Holland was very active in many six-sigma projects to improve net margins.

In the years before retirement, Mr. Holland worked very closely with Law, Strategic Planning, Operations, and Marketing to develop advanced economic models that integrated the cross disciplines of the various departments. These models were in the area of rate litigation, abandonments, pro forma network changes, infrastructure changes, truck cost trade-offs, and short line studies; and were capable of cross linking the STB's batch URCS costing program and internal management costs. Among the models is the one set up for the publicized "Empire Link" program. These models allowed for a rapid response to many complex situations.

Mr. Holland has a BBA form the University of Cincinnati (native city) and a MBA from Virginia Tech. He and his wife Martha (aka "Chief dispatcher") now reside year round in their house of 12 years in Rockland, Maine having retired May, 2009. He currently is VP and serves on the board of directors for Midcoast Habitat for Humanity, having concluded a six year term on the Roanoke Valley Habitat for Humanity Executive Board of directors. He is a life member, board of director, engineer, and treasurer of the Brooks Preservation Society (current operators of the B&ML railroad properties) and serves on the Board of Directors for the Maine Rail Group (MRG). He also belongs to the Boothbay Village Model Railroad club, and the WW&F two foot gauge railroad museum, and is a member of the Maine Better Transportation Association.

Bob has registered Moose Path Consultancy, LLC (a Maine company) to take on consulting assignments post retirement primarily in the field of transportation. Bob produced the verified statement for alternative transportation and assisted in the area of URCS related costs in connection with the successful MM&A Aroostook abandonment filing. He is currently developing strategic cost models for a regional railroad and has addressed the fall 2010 ASLRRA on use of URCS and pro-forma cost models to compete with railroads.

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Edward L. Hollingsworth
Director - RFEngineering
Union Pacific Railroad
Technology Track 703
Narrowbanding - It's Here! The Class I's Are Implementing It in 2011. Are You Ready?

Ed Hollingsworth has been with the Union Pacific Railroad for over 20 years, focusing primarily on the design and support of wireless communications systems. He has worked within UP and at the industry level on the radio spectrum narrowbanding effort, including the areas of technology and migration. He currently serves as Chair of the AAR's Wireless Communications Committee (WCC), a rail industry group dealing with wireless technology and interoperability.

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Michael B. Hunter
Partner
Williams, Venker & Sanders LLC
Legal Track 302
What Every Employer Should Know: Return to Work Issues

Michael Hunter focuses on product defense, insurance and commercial litigation. He has tried numerous cases to jury verdict and many additional non-jury matters. His trials include disputes over business relationships, insurance contracts, personal injury and property damage. Michael represents companies in the manufacturing, insurance, utility, transportation and healthcare industries. He has defended the design of pharmaceuticals, automobiles, and a variety of products used in the manufacturing, medical, construction and transportation industries. Outside the courtroom, Michael advises clients on a variety of litigation-related topics. He has assisted clients in dealings with federal regulatory agencies. He has helped clients develop insurance procurement practices and procedures, prepare insurance and indemnity provisions and administer vendor contracts. He has conducted arson and fraud investigations for a variety of insurance companies and has advised clients on implementation of accident and claim investigation procedures. Michael represents clients in courts across the Midwest, including state and federal courts from Michigan to Kentucky and Ohio to Kansas. University of Missouri, Columbia School of Law, J.D., 1996 and University of Missouri - Columbia, B.A., 1993.

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Todd A. Hunter
Director of Marketing & Sales
North Shore Railroads
Marketing Track 503
Transloading Success Stories

Todd Hunter is Director of Marketing for the North Shore Railroads. Todd oversees business and industrial development, marketing, and sales for the six separate short line railroad companies operated by the North Shore Railroad Company. Todd started with North Shore Railroads over 15 years ago in customer service. Prior to that his career was in the food industry in both retail and wholesale including a 10 year stint with the Campbell Soup Company. Todd serves on a variety of county boards and steering committees as well as Pennsylvania state transportation Committees. During Todd's tenure in marketing at North Shore Railroads, they have been awarded numerous honors including three ASLRRA Marketing Awards, the 2004 Railway Age Short Line of the Year, and Norfolk Southern's Marketing awards for five years. A native of the Altoona, PA area Todd currently lives in Williamsport, PA area with his wife and two daughters.

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Kevin E. Kautzman
Director Network Control Systems
BNSF Railway
Technology Track 704
Positive Train Control: The Latest Developments, Technology and a More In-Depth Look at the Locomotive Segment

Kevin Kautzman 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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Len Kellermann
Director Regional and Shortline Development
CSX Transportation
Marketing Track 504
Recession Marketing - What Kind of Opportunities Are Out There?

Len Kellerman began his railroad career as a Management Trainee in the Commercial Department with the Chessie System Railroads in December of 1981. In his 29 years with CSX, Len has held several Sales & Marketing positions in the Minerals, Agricultural Products, and Chemicals Business Units at CSX. Between 1983 and 1985, he was an Account Executive in Cincinnati, OH responsible for the Procter & Gamble, Armco Steel, and Kroger accounts. In 1985 and '86, as CSXT was in the throes of combining the Chessie and Seaboard System properties, Len managed the liquid grain products markets for the combined entity, a $50 million market at the time. In 1986, Len was promoted to Director of Grain Marketing, and until 1996 directed the sales, marketing, pricing and promotional efforts associated with the export and domestic processing grain markets. Len became Director of Marketing-Chemicals in 1996, and in preparation for the Conrail acquisition, was moved into the Director of Chemical Sales role in 1998. Leading up to June 1999, Len and his team were responsible for influencing a smooth commercial transition for the CSXT / Conrail Chemical customer base in the Eastern US. In 2002, Len assumed his current role as Director - Regional & Short Line Railroad Development. In this capacity, the majority of Len's work involves maintaining and improving the business relationships CSX has with its short line partners. He also assists with cross-functional business process improvements and influences profitable growth in joint-line business. Over the last 9 years, volume growth in CSXT's short line business has exceeded overall growth rates achieved by CSXT, with a banner year in 2004 when short line volume growth was 14%. Len graduated from Duke University in 1981, majoring in Management Sciences and "minoring" in golf. After playing competitively in college, he now loses consistently to his two teenage sons (Dan and Pete). Len and his wife, Vivian, reside in Jacksonville, FL.

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Michael Kraeski, P.E.
Partner & Office Manager
Environmental Resources Management
Technology Track 706
Biofuels and Alternative Fuels: Past, Present and Future

Michael Kraeski is a Chemical Engineer and Partner with Environmental Resources Management in their Denver office. He has more than twenty two years of environmental experience, and has served railroads on a variety of projects throughout this time. While much of his focus has centered on remediation technology selection, design, and implementation, Mr. Kraeski has also designed and installed wastewater treatment systems, managed large decontamination and demolition projects, and addressed various environmental compliance issues. Recently, Mr. Kraeski has supported a major US airline in formulating their strategy for integration of alternative fuels, including environmental, sustainability, and certification factors.

After receiving his degree in Chemical Engineering from the Colorado School of Mines, Mr. Kraeski served as a design engineer for a major petroleum refining company, and as a product development engineer for IBM.

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Gary Kujala, P.E.
Senior Vice President Operations
Xorail
Engineering & M-O-W Track 103
What Exactly Does PTC Mean to a Small Railroad

Gary Kujala is the Senior Vice President Operations at Xorail. He has 35 years of Communications and Signal Engineering experience with Xorail, CSX Transportation and its predecessor Consolidated Rail Corporation. Prior to coming to Xorail in 2008, Gary worked in several different positions at CSX Transportation during the years 1996 thru 2008. While there he served as the General Supervisor of Signal Maintenance, Manager of Signal Maintenance Engineering, Manager of Interlockings and Programming Projects, General Manager of Signal Engineering and lastly as the Director of Transportation Projects. From 1976 thru 1976, he was employed with Consolidated Rail Corporation and held positions to increasing responsibility within the Communications and Signal department.

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Thomas A. Leopold
Director of Safety, Operating Procedures & Evaluation
Anacostia Rail Holdings
Operations & Safety Track 604
Behavioral Based Safety: A Good Fit for Short Lines

Thomas Leopold is Director of Safety, Operating Procedures and Evaluation for Anacostia Rail Holdings. Tom has a Masters' Degree in Safety, is a Certified Safety Professional (CSP) and has 29 years' experience leading safety in the rail, aerospace and defense industries. In the rail industry Tom has supported safety in various leadership roles at Burlington Northern, BNSF, Kansas City Southern and for the last five years at Anacostia Rail Holdings. Tom currently provides support to six Anacostia Rail Holdings locations throughout the United States. He is an active member of the ASLRRA Safety and Training Committee and a member of the Railroad Advisory Board at Johnson County Community College in Overland Park, Kansas. Tom and his wife Beth live in Lenexa, Kansas and are loyal Jayhawk basketball fans. Tom's favorite word is "Passion" and his favorite phrase is, "Nothing great in this world has happened without passion."

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J. Randal Little
Director - Operations
Railway Claim Services, Inc.
Operations & Safety Track 606
Prompt and Appropriate Response to Accidents & Incidents - It Could Be Critical to Your Railroad's Survival

J. Randal Little began his railroad employment with the Illinois Central Railroad in 1976, after having been recruited by IC to go in their management training program. With the passage of the Railroad Revitalization and Regulatory Reform Act (4-R) and then the Staggers Act, and subsequent deregulation of the rail industry, Randal remained in the claim department, where he was a claim agent in Memphis and Baton Rouge. He was promoted to Regional Claims Manager in Belleville, Illinois, then to Assistant General Claims Manager in Memphis, then head of the claim department in 1985. He served as the IC's Chief Claims Officer until 1989 when he left to found Railway Claim Services, Inc. in Homewood, Illinois (a suburb of Chicago). Today Railway Claim Services, Inc. provides TPA and claims management services to over 300 railroads throughout North America, all of the insurance companies insuring railroads, and over 100 railroad related businesses. RCSI provides railroad employee (FELA), crossing accident, trespasser and third party claims management, Jones Act, Longshore, Federal and State Workers Compensation throughout the USA. Additionally RCSI has provided disaster claims management handling for the largest and most complex disaster claims for railroads over the last twenty years. RCSI is the contractual disaster claims management company for NS, CSX, CN, CPR, BNSF, and KCS, in addition to RCSI's other service clients.

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T.H. Lyda
Attorney
Burns White, LLC
Legal Track 304
An FRA Update: The Number of Proceedings Are Escalating

A litigator with more than 18 years of experience, T.H. Lyda concentrates his practice in occupational disease, toxic tort and products liability litigation. As Co-Chair of the Firm's Transportation Practice Group, T.H. represents Class I and short line railroads in a variety of business and legal matters across the country. He advises his clients on risk management and risk avoidance techniques, regulatory compliance issues, FELA and proposed legislation. With an active caseload of several hundred cases, T.H. has extensive experience litigating repetitive stress injury and occupational illness cases throughout the eastern US. He serves as National Coordinating Counsel for two Class I railroads with respect to their occupational illness dockets. T.H. has litigated numerous environmental and personal injury cases on behalf of manufacturers and distributors, including claims of brain damage, pulmonary disease and various cancers due to alleged chemical and toxic exposure. Prior to joining the Pittsburgh office of Burns White, T.H. practiced in Atlanta where he focused his practice in products liability and toxic tort matters representing large, self-insured companies. He also handled general insurance defense matters. T.H. teaches "Pennsylvania Practice and Procedure," a continuing legal education course, on behalf of the Pennsylvania Bar Institute, and is an invited speaker to Transportation Industry Conferences on a national level.

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Dan McCabe
Director - Finance & Technology
Tacoma Rail
Finance & Administration Track 205/Marketing Track 505
Developing a Railroad Costing Model for Short Lines and Its Impact on Business Decision Making

Dan McCabe is the railroad's manager of the Finance and Technology section. He manages the car hire, demurrage, budgeting, cost of service rate modeling, tariffs, grant requests, invoicing and technologies. He has received three national awards on behalf of Tacoma Rail for his work in the railroad technology field. His work in writing grant applications has successfully garnered millions of dollars in grants and Rail Bank loans. He started working for Tacoma Rail in 2002 after completing a bachelor's degree in computer science from Western Washington University.

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C. Scott Muir
Government Relations Representative
Norfolk Southern Corp.
Legislative & Regulatory Track 401
Truck Size and Weights: Something Wicked This Way Comes
Legislative & Regulatory Track 402
Reauthorization of Federal Transportation Programs - A New Majority, New Principles
Legislative & Regulatory Track 403
What to Do When Local and State Issues Become Your Issue

Scott Muir hired into Norfolk Southern's Research and Tests Department in 1988, holding a number of positions of increasing responsibility including Chemist, Manager of Chemical Technology and Assistant Manager Diesel Shop before joining the staff of the NS Washington Public Affairs office in July 2000. The current responsibilities include coverage of state relations in Delaware, Maryland and New Jersey, and leading the eastern regional team of state Resident Vice Presidents and contract consultants covering FL, GA, NC, NY, PA, SC, VA, and WV.

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Michael Murphy
Account Executive, Commercial Transportation
Esri
Technology Track 705
GIS, GPS, and Tagging: A Review of the Latest Technology and Uses

Mike Murphy started in transportation as a customer of the railroads, where he spent 7 years in various positions with the Hub Group, Inc. in Chicago, IL. He moved to Houston in 1998 with the Mechanical (Locomotive) department of Union Pacific Railroad. During his 10 years at UP, he also spent time in the operating department as a Director of Six Sigma for the Southern Region and in Industrial Product and Chemical Sales. He joined Esri in June of 2008 in his current role as the Sales Lead for the Freight Railroad industry in the US.

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John M. Newman
AVP Network & Industrial Development
Union Pacific Railroad
Marketing Track 504
Recession Marketing - What Kind of Opportunities Are Out There?

John Newman is Union Pacific's AVP Network and Industrial Development. As such, John and his team are responsible for UP's short line commercial relationships, the Company's industrial development function and ocean port infrastructure planning. John's twenty-year tenure with UP includes various positions in the marketing and finance functions. He holds engineering and MBA degrees from the University of Michigan.

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Adam E. Nordstrom
Partner
Chambers, Conlon & Hartwell & ASLRRA Lobbyist
Legislative & Regulatory Track 402
Reauthorization of Federal Transportation Programs - A New Majority, New Principles
Legislative & Regulatory Track 404
A New Track for Tax Credits

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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Tom Owen
VP - Marketing & Sales
Pinsly Railroad Company, Inc.
Marketing Track 503
Transloading Success Stories
Marketing Track 506
Social Networking and the New Handshake: How Can It Work for My Company?

Tom Owen joined Pinsly Railroad in June 2007, serving as the VP of Marketing & Sales. Prior to joining Pinsly, Mr. Owen served for five years at RailAmerica holding various roles in commercial leadership, acquisitions and divestitures, fleet management, and field operations support. He previously served CSX Transportation and its predecessors for 16 years in various capacities. Tom was also CSXT's first participant to a one year international Executive Exchange Program where he served as the Commercial Manager for British Steel in Wales, United Kingdom. In his current role as Pinsly's VP Marketing & Sales Mr. Owen has Commercial responsibilities for the company's seven railroads located in Arkansas, Florida, and Massachusetts, as well as the company's Railroad Distribution Services warehouse/distribution subsidiary. Mr. Owen received his B.S. degree in Industrial Management from the Georgia Institute of Technology and his M.B.A. degree from the Fuqua School of Business at Duke University.

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Foster J. Peterson
Director, Safety & Operating Practices
East Chattanooga Belt Railway
Finance & Administration Track 206
The Train Is Unstoppable and Denzel Is Nowhere to Be Found (Are You Ready?)

Foster Peterson has been involved in the railroad industry since the 1980's, both at short line railroads and as a railroad consultant. He works for the Tennessee Valley Railroad and its subsidiaries (East Chattanooga Belt Railway, Hiwassee River Railroad and Tyner Terminal Railroad) as Director, Safety & Operating Practices, where he is responsible for the operating and safety rules training of their operating, mechanical, and engineering employees. He is also a certified locomotive engineer and Designated Supervisor of Locomotive Engineers.

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David L. Powell
VP - Motive Power
Genesee & Wyoming, Inc.
Technology Track 701
Gensets: Locomotives of the Future

David Powell currently serves as Genesee & Wyoming Inc.'s Vice President - Motive Power & Environmental. David has worked for 39 years in the rail industry and is currently responsible for all aspects of GWI's global locomotive fleet management as well as all environmental-related matters within the GWI rail holdings company. He began his career in the mechanical departments of the Lehigh Valley Railroad in the early 1970's which later became part of Consolidated Rail Corporation (Conrail) in 1976. David held senior level mechanical positions in the 1990's with two South American start up railroad privatizations; FEPASA in Santiago, Chile and NCA in Rosario, Argentina. He later became Vice President at National Railway Equipment Company in Chicago during the mid-1990's. He also served as Vice President-Mechanical for several US regional railroads including the Delaware & Hudson Railway and New York, Susquehanna & Western Railway in upstate New York. In 1998 David served as Managing Director and consultant with UniRail LLC, a New York-based railroad management and investment advisory firm. David is a member of the Association of American Railroad's Rail Safety Advisory Committee, the AAR Locomotive Technical Standards Committee, the AAR Environmental Affairs Committee, and the SAE TC7 Bio Fuels Committee. He has been a member of the Locomotive Maintenance Officers Association (LMOA) since 1977.

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Michael Rennicke
Vice Preisdent & GM
Pioneer Valley Railroad Co., Inc.
Legislative & Regulatory Track 403
What to Do When Local and State Issues Become Your Issue
Legislative & Regulatory Track 404
A New Track for Tax Credits

Michael Rennicke received a Bachelor Degree in Business Management from the University of Notre Dame while spending his summers as a brakeman while in college for the New Haven Railroad and Penn Central. Presently he holds the position of Vice President and General Manager for the Pioneer Valley Railroad and manages the Massachusetts Region of the Pinsly Railroad Company. His previous work history includes working 10 years in various managerial positions with Roadway Express throughout New England. He was involved in the start-up of Roadway Package Systems (RPS) which ultimately became FedEx Ground. Over the last several years he has held a variety of operational and managerial positions with truckload, distribution and LTL carriers throughout the Northeast including Coles, Viking and Pottle's Transportation. Michael and his wife, JoAnn, live in Southwick Mass. They have a son, daughter and two grandsons who live in Queens and Long Island, NY.

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J.R. Sampson
AVP - Safety & Rules
OmniTRAX, Inc.
Conductor Certification Training
Operations & Safety Track 605
FRA Conductor Certification: A Review of the Regulation and Q&A

J R Sampson is Assistant Vice President, Safety and Rules for OmniTRAX. JR began railroad career with the Missouri Pacific in 1976, in Carthage, MO. as a brakeman. In 1988 he started with Jackson Jordan managing rail maintaince crews on several railroads in U. S. and Canada until joining RailTex in 1992 as a Trainmaster / Rules Trainer. JR later worked for RailAmerica before joining OmniTRAX as Director, Safety and Operating Practices, JR has served on the GCOR committee since 1995 and as Vice Chairman since 1999. He participated in the AAR's post 911 Railroad Anti-terrorism Task Force and is Chairman of the ASLRRA's Safety and Training Committee.JR has been married to his wife "Davan" for 40 years, has three grown children and three "Grand" Grandchildren and he presently resides in Arvada, CO.

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Alfred M. Sauer
Vice President
East Penn Railroad, LLC
Marketing Track 503
Transloading Success Stories
Marketing Track 504
Recession Marketing - What Kind of Opportunities Are Out There?

Al Sauer began his career with the NYS&W and D&H Railways. The D&H was purchased by Canadian Pacific Railway in 1990, and Mr. Sauer held positions of increasing responsibility within CP's marketing department until his departure in 1995 to join RailAmerica, Inc. Mr. Sauer served in positions of increasing responsibility as RA grew to become the largest short line railroad company in the industry. His last position with RailAmerica was as Senior VP Marketing - Chief Commercial Officer, where he was responsible for commercial activities for all of RailAmerica's short lines throughout the US and Canada. Mr. Sauer left RA in 2004 to serve as SVP Marketing & Strategic Planning of OmniTRAX, Inc. At OmniTRAX, he was responsible for the commercial activities for 17 short line railroads throughout the US and Canada, the Port of Churchill, MB, and for OmniTRAX's acquisition program. Mr. Sauer left OmniTRAX to found Regional Rail, LLC in 2007. Regional Rail acquired East Penn Railroad LLC in August of 2007, and the Middletown & New Jersey Railroad LLC in April 2009. Regional Rail operates 120 miles of track in 3 states, in is pursuing several additional rail and rail related acquisitions. Al received his BS in Transportation and Distribution Management from Syracuse University. Al currently lives in Pennsylvania with his wife Tammy and their two daughters.

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Mark Schmidt
AVP - Short Line Development
BNSF Railway
Marketing Track 501
Short Line Best Practices - What Do Class I's Look for in a Short Line Partner

Mark Schmidt was appointed as assistant vice president, Shortline Development in January 2004. As a direct report to Dean Wise, vice president, Network Strategy, Schmidt oversees 19,000 miles of shortline operations connecting with BNSF, touching revenues of over $2.86 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, Locomotive Planning; locomotive supervisor; and car supervisor. Prior to joining BNSF, Schmidt served as a production engineer for Phillips Petroleum.

Education

Bachelor of Science, Mechanical Engineering, University of Missouri - Rolla
Master of Management, Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University

Affiliations/Community Involvement

Member, Institute of Industrial Engineers
Member, Operations Research Society of America
Board of Directors, National Kidney Foundation of North Texas
Board of Directors, Treasurer, Southlake Lacrosse Association

Personal

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

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Dr. Patrick Sherry
Associate Professor and Director of Training
University of Denver
Operations & Safety Track 602
Lessons Learned: Putting the Research in Fatigue Management to Work in the Small Railroad Industry

Dr. Patrick Sherry is a professor with a specialization in intermodal transportation and occupational psychology at the University of Denver. Since 2003 he has served as the Director of the National Center for Intermodal Transportation and as a member of the Board of Directors of the Intermodal Transportation Institute at the University of Denver. In addition to scientific research he has consulted extensively with Fortune 500 transportation companies throughout the US and Canada in the areas of safety, human resources, and leadership training. He has conducted research in the area of human factors related to the hours of service for the transportation industry. He developed and validated an assessment battery for selecting and hiring managers in a large rail transportation company and is currently working on a documentary film and a book describing state of the art intermodal transportation solutions in the Western United States. Dr. Sherry has been extremely active in the identification and development of leaders in business and industry. His book on training and development needs of leaders in the transportation industry and 150+ articles and scientific papers have influenced thousands of professionals and students. Applying cutting edge behavioral science to training and education he was a co-founder of the Pioneer Leadership Program - an on-campus training program that had the highest enrollment of students on campus. In addition, he directs and evaluates potential participants for the Founding Fathers Project, an in-depth study of 40 CEOs and leaders of transportation companies. Most recently Dr. Sherry co-authored a study on the workforce development needs of professional in the transportation industry. Dr. Sherry has addressed the US House of Representatives' Committee on Transportation & Infrastructure and identified five major challenges facing the US transportation system.

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Ron Sparks
Railroad Police Chief & HR Manager
Arkansas & Missouri Railroad
Finance & Administration Track 204
Liability & Property Insurance: After the Claim - What to Do (and Not Do) Now?
Legal Track 305
Dealing with Trespassers: Keeping Them Off Your Track and Out of Your Pockets

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, hazmat 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.

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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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Myles L. Tobin
Partner
Fletcher & Sippel, LLC
Legal Track 306
HOT! HOT! HOT! Legal Topics

Myles Tobin, a partner in the law firm of Fletcher & Sippel, has over 30 years of legal expertise in mergers and acquisitions, railroad regulatory compliance, and commercial transactions. Prior to joining Fletcher & Sippel, Myles was Vice President - U.S. Legal Affairs for Canadian National Railroad, where he counseled senior executives, and directed the legal affairs for 40 U.S. subsidiaries ranging from land acquisition companies, bulk terminals, and equipment leasing companies to several large and medium-sized railroads, including Illinois Central, Grand Trunk Western, and Chicago Central & Pacific. Prior to Canadian National Railroad's merger with Illinois Central Railroad, Myles served for 9 years with Illinois Central, ultimately as General Counsel. Before joining Illinois Central, Myles served as counsel for the Chicago and North Western Transportation Company. Myles specializes in transportation company-related mergers and acquisitions, rail line sales, development of intermodal facilities, marketing and transportation agreements, equipment sales, leasing and financing transactions, as well as domestic and international construction and supply contracts. He routinely obtains STB regulatory authority for major rail transactions including mergers, line sales, rail line abandonments and rights over third-party railroads. Myles represents railroads, transportation companies, shippers, state and local governments, equipment finance companies and banks with respect to transactions and disputes throughout the United States, Canada, Mexico, and parts of Western Europe and Scandinavia. Myles routinely speaks before a host of industry groups in addition to ASLRRA, including the National Grain and Feed Association, the Transportation Law Institute, the Midwest Association of Rail Shippers, and the Association of Transportation Law Professionals. He also serves on the executive boards of various associations including the Chicago Traffic Club and the Association for Transportation Law Professionals.

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Gary C. Vaughn
Sr. VP of Safety & Environmental Health
Watco Companies, Inc.
Conductor Certification Training
Operations & Safety Track 603
An Overview of FRA Accident/Incident Reporting Changes: What You Don't Do, Can Cost You

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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Jerry E. Vest
VP - Govt. & Industry Affairs
Genesee & Wyoming, Inc.
Legislative & Regulatory Track 401
Truck Size and Weights: Something Wicked This Way Comes
Legislative & Regulatory Track 403
What to Do When Local and State Issues Become Your Issue

Jerry Vest joined GWI as Vice President, Government & Industry Affairs in July of 2005. Prior to joining the company, he worked in the rail freight industry for twenty years, in marketing, sales, customer service, strategic planning, operating, and development positions. Mr. Vest worked for three Class I carriers, Conrail, CSX and CN, and was Vice President and General Manager at Great Lakes Transportation where he was responsible for the Bessemer & Lake Erie Railroad and Pittsburgh & Conneaut Dock company. Mr. Vest graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a B.S. in Business Administration and earned his M.B.A. from Indiana University.

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Joseph M. Waechter
Assistant to the Management Member
U.S. Railroad Retirement Board
Finance & Administration Track 203
Railroad Retirement - Be Prepared and Know Your Benefits Before You Retire

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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