Fast trackers

Railway Age’s inaugural Fast Trackers—10 Rising Stars Under 40, are ten individuals under the age of 40 who have made an impact in their respective fields or within their company.

After nearly three months and 57 entries later, Railway Age editors, along with judges Nick Little, Managing Director of Michigan State University’s Railway Management Program and Ronald L. Batory, President and Chief Operating Officer of Consolidated Rail Corporation, have selected the winning 10 in Railway Age’s inaugural Fast Trackers—10 Under 40 contest. Representing the “best of the best,” these rising stars are making an impact in their respective fields.

“I enjoyed taking part in the judging and am impressed to see so many good, younger people in the industry today; it bears well for the future,” said Little, adding that a common thread among the winners is their management style, which is “centered on mentoring others with open communication to engender trust, yet supported by decision-making capability and responsiveness to internal and external ‘customer’ requirements. Alignment with their organization’s business model and values is also a recurring theme. Support for both the railroad community and the society in which they live comes through in a surprising number of activities these young people are able to do, yet they still accomplish making an impact in their jobs.”

Entries, who had to be under the age of 40 as of Jan. 1, 2016 and located within the 50 states, Washington, D.C., Canada and/or Mexico, came from freight or passenger railroads, suppliers and consultants/contractors and were judged on criteria that included industry experience and education, leadership skills, industry contributions, and community service involvement.

This year’s 10 finalists will be recognized at the annual Railroader of the Year Dinner, which will take place on March 15, 2016 at the Union League of Chicago, honoring Railway Age’s 53rd Railroader of the Year, BNSF President and CEO Carl R. Ice.

WINNERS:

Joe Brosseau, 34

Principal Investigator II, Transportation Technology Center, Inc.

Brosseau currently leads the largest research and development program in North America for the development, improvement, simulation and testing of the industry’s $10 billion Positive Train Control (PTC) implementation initiative. He and his team have contributed significantly to this monumental effort through a number of key research programs, as well as through the development of a test facility for the technology and all of its elements at TTCI, while working with stakeholders, both public and private. Brosseau specifically led the development and evaluation efforts for an operationally efficient braking enforcement algorithm for PTC, one of the key technological challenges for this initiative. He is also TTCI’s leading expert in Train Operations and Energy Simulator modeling and provides important industry leadership and expertise whenever this type of analysis is called for. Brosseau has established himself as the “go to” resource for this technical function and has often been called upon to provide clarity and guidance in decision-making.

Josh Connell, 36

General Manager, Genesee & Wyoming (Puget Sound & Pacific Railroad and Cascade & Columbia River Railroad)

Connell has proven results in both Class I and short line environments. He began his railroad career as a conductor with CSX and moved up through the ranks, earning managerial responsibility for groups as large as 368 people and budgets well over $3 million. He now oversees two Genesee & Wyoming railroads. Since joining Genesee & Wyoming in 2011, Connell has worked injury-free. Under his leadership, the Puget Sound & Pacific Railroad has remained injury-free for more than 1,000 days, while the Cascade & Columbia River Railroad has gone more than 1,100 days without a single reportable injury. In addition, Connell was able to significantly reduce operating costs at Puget Sound & Pacific through October of 2015. Connell is also an active volunteer for Operation Lifesaver (OLI), working diligently to educate the general public on rail crossing safety. This year alone, he and his team have shared the OLI message with more than 1,000 people in the area.

Anthony Fazio, 36

Manager of Track Design, SEPTA

Fazio has always led an extensive construction and maintenance program to ensure the railroads he has been employed by stay in a state of good repair. He is involved with AREMA and was involved in the construction of NJ Transit’s Hudson-Bergen Light Rail line. During his time at Amtrak, he led a team that developed a new temporary passenger platform for stations on Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor and implemented this design in the field. Fazio leads by example and is the first person to be out with the workforce in all types of weather to make sure that jobs are done safely and properly. He has always responded to any railroad emergency. After Superstorm Sandy hit New York, Anthony was the lead manager responsible for pumping out the East River Tunnels and worked around the clock with his crew for four days to ensure that the tunnels were cleared. Fazio was nominated for the Amtrak President’s Award for his efforts. Additionally, at Amtrak, Fazio worked with his crew to increase Portal Bridge’s reliability rate from 80% to an unprecedented 99%.

Dave Hill, 30

Assistant Division Engineer, Amtrak B&B, Mid-Atlantic Division

Hill began his career in the Amtrak management-training program and has worked diligently to bring the railroad’s 100-year-old-plus infrastructure to a state of good repair. One example would be the extensive work being done to maintain the Civil War-era Baltimore & Potomac (B&P) Tunnel. Hill has been giving back to his railroad community by mentoring new hires and insuring that they are familiar with and working safe along the right-of-way. Hill, a licensed civil engineer with a degree from the University of Pittsburgh, says his goals are to achieve promotions and to eventually become the Vice President of Operations at Amtrak. He leads a workforce of about 85 skilled workers, each of whom he knows personally, and his number one priority is their safety. Hill is one of a handful of very young managers who had to prove himself by working harder and smarter. This has made him become very proficient and respected in his current position.

Erich Leonard, 35

Manager Locomotive Systems Development, New York Air Brake

Leonard has contributed to the rail industry at large—and to rail safety in particular—in several noteworthy ways. First, he has made significant engineering contributions at NYAB, specifically as lead system engineer on the development of a new brake system for passenger locomotives, where he developed and personally oversaw the system’s successful installation and track testing on the first Amtrak vehicles. He also led the effort to adapt this same system for the India locomotive market, introducing the system’s various innovations to a global market. Leonard also developed a new rubber component for the NYAB locomotive braking system, which led to the successful extension of a federally mandated overhaul interval for an important customer. Additionally, Leonard developed a new engineering calculation tool on his own initiative, greatly simplifying the work required to apply brake systems to locomotives. Leonard has been awarded one U.S. patent and is a primary inventor on three pending U.S. patents, including one for a Configurable Locomotive Brake Controller.

Daniel Lyons, 26

IT Support Specialist, Consolidated Rail Corporation

Lyons has designed and built a mobile workforce to enable employees to work remotely from multiple platforms. He is an influential team member of Conrail’s PTC Design and Implementation Team and has helped to upgrade the Conrail network, which included security and reliability resulting in up-times of close to 99.8%. Lyons runs IT training seminars at every level of the company and has created an IT disaster recovery plan for continued train operations in case of an emergency. He holds two Cisco certifications and a continuing education degree in Railway Management from Michigan State University. Lyons is well organized and goal-oriented. He is currently earning an MBA from LaSalle University, with the goal of advancing his career. His commitment makes it clear that he wants to lead Conrail into the next generation of technology. Lyons expresses a passion to keep up with industry standards to ensure Conrail is equipped with the most effective technology and has expressed a desire to one day lead the company’s IT department

Torrey Swan, 33

Director, Marketing & Pricing, Energy, Chemicals, Canadian Pacific

By coordinating with internal and external stakeholders in the development of CP’s frac sand franchise from 2012 to 2014, Swan worked diligently to place the railroad in a position to capitalize on the movements of frac sand with the increase of demand in the energy sector. His ability to move the business from single car loadings to unit train loadings put both the shipper/customer and CP in a position to capitalize on efficiencies, thus allowing both parties to be more competitive in their marketplaces. Swan is a firm believer in an efficient supply chain and takes every opportunity to speak at industry conferences relating what he has learned. Swan’s leadership was also evident prior to joining CP. While working on his Master of Business Administration degree, Swan received both the Alberta Graduate Award and the Dr. G. Barry Melon Graduate Award. He also recieved the Global Energy Management and Sustainable Development Scholarship program, which earned him $10,000 towards his education.

Katie Theis, 38

Project Manager/Lead Planner, HNTB

Believing rail-based initiatives have a unique opportunity to profoundly impact community development, Theis focuses on leveraging the value of rail, at both the local station area level and as part of a greater regional system, to provide meaningful change. She brings that perspective to all of her projects. This is evident in her role in managing the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey’s PATH Extension to the Northeast Corridor Rail Link Station. Theis established a bi-weekly stakeholder steering committee meeting and with her perspective and experience, she will ensure that the project improves the region’s robust transit infrastructure and transit connectivity, increases rail capacity, provides transit redundancy and opens access and economic opportunities to locally disadvantaged communities. Theis’s career has been centered upon creating sustainable communities through the integration of transportation and urban planning. She is co-chair of the American Planning Association’s Metro Chapter Urban Design Committee and a founding member of HNTB’s Women’s Outreach Network.

Roquita Coleman-Williams, 38

Solutions Manager, CN Railway

Williams is celebrating her 18th year as a logistics professional. She began her career with UPS, where she served in various sales and marketing management roles. In 2008, Williams joined the CN’s Supply Chain division, a unique and progressive team focused on international supply chain innovation. In 2011, she extended her career to serve as the first African American President of the Memphis World Trade Club. She has been recognized nationally as a Rising Star of North American Railroads and Next Generation of Freight Leaders. Most recently, Williams was appointed by former Memphis Mayor AC Wharton and the Memphis City Council to the Memphis Area Transit Authority’s Board of Commissioners. She is responsible for governing policy for a $60 million public transit system that in undertaking a major overhaul of its historic Memphis trolleys and developing its Central Station. Williams is a frequent volunteer, mentor and motivational speaker whose wish is to encourage and motivate the next generation

Caroline Woyer, 31

Assistant General Solicitor, Norfolk Southern Corporation

Woyer is part of a team that helps defend Norfolk Southern (NS) when all manner of suits are filed against the company so that the railroad can continue to provide safe and efficient transportation to its customers. She is responsible for managing and overseeing a litigation docket in which millions of dollars can be at risk and must exercise keen judgment and make hard decisions regarding litigation strategy and valuation to protect NS assets. Woyer works closely with NS’s mechanical and transportation departments regarding event recorder data and systems/processes for capturing and retaining the data; specifications for new PTC event recorders; and training for road foreman. She was designated as the key lawyer for grade crossing matters and works closely with the railroad’s operating and labor relations departments to ensure the company is in compliance with the Federal Railroad Safety Act’s whistleblower provisions. Woyer was recently elected as the 2015-16 Eastern Vice President of the National Association of Railroad Trial Counsel.

JUDGES:

Ronald L. Batory

President & Chief Operating Officer, Consolidated Rail Corporation

Batory has more than 44 years of field and system experience in the railroad industry. He spent the first 23 years of his career working for eastern and western Class I railroads in addition to assisting a court-appointed trustee’s successful oversight of a regional railroad bankruptcy. In 1994 he was appointed President of The Belt Railway Company of Chicago, a jointly owned switching and terminal subsidiary of the then-nine competing Class I carriers. His leadership in serving BRC’s owner railroads in the Chicago Gateway led to CSX and NS later recruiting him to Conrail in preparation of the STB approved partitioning of eastern carrier and establishing what is now commonly known as the Shared Assets Areas. Accomplishment of providing a plane of equality for joint competition later favored him in being appointed to his current position.

Nick Little

Managing Director of Michigan State University’s Railway Management Program & Assistant Director of Executive Education Programs, Eli Broad College of Business in East Lansing, Mich.

While in high school in Britain, Little started his career with clerical and operating internships at Plymouth on British Rail’s Western Region in the early 1970s. He won a scholarship program with the British Railways Board that gave him a supply management degree plus training in all aspects of BR’s organization. Little then spent 15 years with BR in many locations including Derby and London. In 1995, Little came to MSU, initially for a year on loan to work on a research program, but he stayed to follow his passion of helping to develop future generations of expert managers and leaders with deep business knowledge and experience. He took charge of MSU’s Railway Management Certificate Program in 2013.

RUNNERS UP:

Benjamin Banks, Mgr. Industrial Products, BNSF

Rachael Crandley, Associate Director of Business Development and Planning, Conrail

Sarah Drane, Mgr., Union Pacific

Timothy Francis, VP of Marketing, Herzog

Zachary Garner, President & CEO, VisioStack Inc. B

Brian Hadley, Director, Safety & Security, Herzog

Steve Hart, Assistant Mgr., Conrail

Darrell Krueger, Engineer II, Lab and Testing Services, BNSF

Nicole McGann, Safety Compliance Analyst, Metra

Justin Vonashek, Chief Safety, Security, Emergency Preparedness, and Regulatory Compliance, Keolis Commuter Services

HONORABLE MENTIONS:

Maeghan Albiston, Director Investor Relations, Canadian Pacific

Ameer Alghusain, President, American Railways J

Jacob Asbell, President, Jeff Asbell Excavating & Trucking Inc., Meridian Oil & Equipment, Compliance 1 Environmental Services, DF Rail Group, Asbell Trucking, Alpha Air Michael C. Bast II, President, Allentown & Auburn Railroad

Shannon Bailey, VP, Protran Technology (Harsco) J

Joshua Bendyk, Operations Specialist, VHB

Derick Call, Team Leader, Mechanical Engineering, New York Air Brake

Michael Childs, Mgr. Intermodal Sales, Florida East Coast Railway Hayden Cornish, Rail Industry Director, Schenck Process

Nicholas Croce, Deputy Chief Engineer, ATC, WMATA

Elizabeth Dauble, Asisstant Division Mgr., Railroad Construction Company

Nick Delmonico, Sales Account Executive, Encore Rail Systems, Inc.

Michael DiArenzo, Mgr. of Asset Planning and Administration, Conrail Arber Doci, Train Control Systems Engineer, M.C. Dean Inc.

Neil Finn, GM, Union Tank Car Company

Cody Fischer, Engineer in Training, Locomotive Systems Engineering, Canadian Pacific Railway

Deryk Gillespie, Assistant VP Planning & Analysis, Canadian Pacific

Ryan Gottsch, Mgr. Special Projects, Mechanical, Union Pacific Railroad

Casey Haddock, Project Mgr., Alstom

Jessica Havens, CEO, Diesel Supply Company

Barry Johnson, Road Foreman, Engines, LIRR

Bradford Kelley, Associate Attorney, Slover & Loftus LLP

Korey Lester, Mgr., Mechanical Engineering, BNSF Railway

Amiee Marie Martelle, President, CEO and CFO, Riverport Railroad LLC

Fred Mattison, System Train and Engine Compliance Officer, NJ Transit

Kylie McLaughlin, GM, Western New York & Pennsylvania Railroad, LLC

Joel McNeil, VP of Business Development, Brookville Equipment Corporation

Max Medlin, Operations Mgr., North Shore Scenic Railroad

Jonathan Michel, Senior Industrial Designer, RailPlan International, Inc.

Jonathan Mudronja, VP, Leasing, Midwest, SMBC Rail Services

Mark Pinske, Senior Staff Engineer, McMillen Jacobs Associates

Jarad Prescott, Senior Project Mgr., GSS, Inc.

Clint Reilly, Manufacturing Engineer, NYAB

Brian Smith, Quality Assurance and Warranty Mgr., WMATA

Daniel Stout, VP, STX Corporation

James Tylick, Corridor Superintendent California Division, BNSF Railway

Ann Waters, Assistant VP Mechanical, Railroad Engineering Services, Genesee & Wyoming Inc.