Agenda

Monday, November 3

12:00 p.m.-6:30 p.m. — Registration

12:00 p.m.-4:00 p.m. — Sponsor/Exhibitor Setup

3:00 p.m.-5:00 p.m. — Short Line Safety Institute Board Meeting

4:00 p.m.-5:00 p.m. — Networking Happy Hour - icebreaker activities provided by the Young Professionals Committee

5:00 p.m.-6:30 p.m. — Opening Reception with Sponsors

Tuesday, November 4

7:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. — Registration

7:00 a.m.-8:00 a.m. — Networking Breakfast with Sponsors

8:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. — General Session

• 8:00 a.m.-8:05 a.m. — Announcements: Otis Cliatt, II, President, Pacific Harbor Line, Inc.
   
• 8:05a.m.-8:15 a.m. — Welcome: Matt Walsh, Executive Vice President, Global Corporate Development, Genesee & Wyoming Railroad Services, Inc. and Chairman, ASLRRA Board of Directors
   
• 8:15 a.m.-8:30 a.m. — Pacific Region President’s Awards
   
• 8:30 a.m.-9:30 a.m. — Short Line Leaders Panel
  Moderator: Chuck Baker
  Panelists: Matt O’Kray, VP, Commercial, Transtar, LLC, and Ryan Ratledge, CEO, Pinsly Railroad Company
  
  Hear from executives from a large holding company, a medium size railroad, and a small railroad. Baker will ask about current events, business development and much more.
   
• 9:30 a.m.-10:00 a.m. — Class I Update: Union Pacific
  Kenny Rocker, Executive Vice President, Marketing & Sales, Union Pacific
   
• 10:00 a.m.-10:30 a.m. — Networking Break with Sponsors
   
• 10:30 a.m.-11:00 a.m. — Class I Update: CPKC
  Coby Bullard, Senior Vice President — Merchandise, Energy, Transloads, CPKC
   
• 11:00 a.m.-11:30 a.m. — A Business Plan for Safety
  Tom Murta, Executive Director, Short Line Safety Institute and
  Sam Cotton, Director - Safety Culture Programs, Short Line Safety Institute
  
  An overview of the SLSI Safety Culture Assessments, Leadership Development courses and HAZMAT Training activity. Special focus on the “Business Plan for Safety” the most prevalent opportunity identified in the decade of operation.
   
• 11:30 a.m.-12:00 p.m. — Class I Update: BNSF
  Mark Ganaway, General Director, First and Last Mile, BNSF

8:30 a.m.-11:45 a.m. — FRA Open Office Hours

An opportunity for short lines to sit down with FRA CRISI program staff to discuss their currently-funded projects or planned applications, one-on-one or in small groups.

12:00 p.m.-1:00 p.m. — Networking Lunch with Sponsors

1:00 p.m.-1:50 p.m. — Breakout Sessions:

• Technology with Roadway Maintenance Machines (RMM)
  Tim Presser, (RWP/RMM) HQ Specialist, Federal Railroad Administration
  
  This presentation will discuss recent fatalities involving RMMs and Roadway Workers, and technologies being utilized to prevent these fatalities, including development of future technologies.
   
• Managing Media Interest in a Post-East Palestine World
  Tom Ciuba, Vice President of Communications, Genesee & Wyoming Services, Inc., Jessica Kahanek, Assistant Vice President, Communications, AAR and Amy Krouse, Senior Vice President, Communications, ASLRRA
  
  A rise in the public’s general interest in freight railroading is at a level not seen in quite some time. At this session, expert media managers will cover the latest trends, the need for education on the benefits of rail to the national economy and discuss how to control the spin — particularly in your community.
   
• Economic Development Programs and Working with your State DOT
  Julia Fisher-Cormier, Commissioner, Office of Multimodal Commerce, Louisiana Department of Transportation
  
  You will hear from the Louisiana Department of Transportation on the importance of partnering with your DOT on economic development projects and grants, and from short line economic development leaders on how they are working with their states to turn dirt and get projects moving.

1:00 p.m.-2:45 p.m. — FRA Open Office Hours

1:55 p.m.-2:45 p.m. — Breakout Sessions:

• Transloading: Getting Started, Getting Profitable
  Moderator: Blake DeNoyer, Rail Advisory Group Leader, Lockton
  Panelists:  Dan Price, Senior Vice President Operations, Jaguar Holdings, Tim Naprstek, Owner, RailHeads Consulting Solutions and Frank Forlini, Managing Director M&S, Spokane, Spangle & Palouse Railway and Omaha Track, Inc.
  
  Transloading represents an opportunity to move your short line operation to the next level. This diverse panel will cover aspects of conveyance, facility footprint, emissions, long-term planning and some legal considerations.
   

• Managing CRISI Projects from Announcement to Completion: Tips and Tricks from the Railroad Perspective
  Moderator: Adam Nordstrom, Principal, Viking Navigation, LLC
  Speakers:  Justin Bentaas, Program Analyst & Development Associate,  Mickelson & Co, Joey Evans, Director Business Support & Development, TNW, Tres Myer, VP Operations, Rio Grande Pacific and Brady Peters, Division Engineer, OmniTrax
  
  Obtaining a CRISI grant is a trajectory changing event.  This panel will highlight successful CRISI project awardees who will provide lessons learned and cautionary tales about managing the project, while running a railroad!

• FRA: Trending Short Line Defects and Violations
  Steve Dupont, Deputy Railroad Administrator, Federal Railroad Administration

2:45 p.m.-3:15 p.m. — Networking Break with Sponsors

3:15 p.m.-4:05 p.m. — Breakout Sessions:

• Wood Railroad Ties: End of Life Cycle
  Frank Forlini, Managing Director M&S, Spokane, Spangle & Palouse Railway and Omaha Track, Inc., and Michael Rerucha, Senior Director of Business Development, Omaha Track, Inc.
  
  A frank discussion about what happens to wood railroad ties after they are removed from their initial use in the rail infrastructure. We'll discuss the downstream uses, the challenges of disposal and what to do if you spot a unicorn.
   
• FRA: CRISI Grants
  
  Hear from the CRISI program team at FRA on program basics, plus drill-downs into selected topics of interest.

4:10 p.m.-5:10 p.m. — Sandhouse Meetings

• Central Region Railroad Sandhouse Meeting
• Pacific Region Railroad Sandhouse Meeting
• Supplier Sandhouse Meeting, immediately followed by Supplier Committee Meeting

Wednesday, November 5

7:00 a.m.-10:00 a.m. — Registration

7:00 a.m.-8:00 a.m. — Networking Breakfast with Sponsors

8:00 a.m.-11:00 a.m. — General Session

• 8:00 a.m.-8:05 a.m. — Announcements: Kristin Bevil, General Counsel & Chief Legal Officer, Pinsly Railroad Company
   
• 8:05 a.m.-8:15 a.m. — Association/Rail Industry Update: Chuck Baker, President, ASLRRA
   
• 8:15 a.m.-8:30 a.m. — Central Region President’s Awards
   
• 8:30 a.m.-9:15 a.m. — FRA Updates and Priorities
  Drew Feeley, Acting Administrator, Federal Railroad Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation
   
• 9:15 a.m.-10:00 a.m. — Railroads as Partners in Progress: Driving Economic Growth
  Tomeka Bryant, General Manager, New Orleans Public Belt, Kate Luce Bourgeois, President & CEO, Mississippi Export Railroad, Jack Fernandez, VP of Operations, BWC Terminals and Kelly DiMarco, Director of Economic Development & Tourism – Plaquemines Parish
  
  Selling the value of rail is a constant pressure. This panel session will discuss educating communities on the value of rail, enlisting the support of economic development corporations, shippers, elected officials and more.
   
• 10:00 a.m.-11:00 a.m. — Legislative, Regulatory and Legal Panel
  Nicole Brewin, Vice President, Congressional Affairs; Jo Strang, Senior Vice President, Safety, Regulatory, & Environmental Policy; and Sarah Yurasko, Senior Vice President & General Counsel, ASLRRA
  
  ASLRRA Legal, Legislative and Regulatory Staff will discuss current events and recent updates from Washington, D.C. Overview of recent changes in federal and state regulations. Predictions on upcoming regulatory trends and potential legislative actions.
   

8:00 a.m.-10:15 a.m. — FRA Open Office Hours

12:30 p.m. — Golf Tournament at English Turn Golf & Country Club (shotgun start)

GOLF OUTING:

English Turn Golf & Country Club
Wednesday, November 5
12:30 p.m. shotgun start