Rail Transportation Consultant and Expert Witness
Technical Consultant #1716
Expertise
- Railroad transportation expert for rail shippers, railroads, public transportation and economic development agencies.
- Rail transportation consultant for private investors and other transportation service companies in the United States.
- Analysis of branch line, equipment utilization, and development of operating plans.
- Railroad market development, transportation costing, intermodal analysis, merger studies, developing short line railroads and financial analysis.
- Rail transportation expert witness.
Experience
Undisclosed Company, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, 1983 - Present
- Railway contract switching, operations and economics analysis for shippers nationwide.
- Railroad quality control, providing input for contract negotiations between Class I's, shippers and short line railroads, alternative operations scenarios and traffic development strategies.
- Expert witness services for injury, rate, equipment, right of way and contract issues.
- Project Management for Utah Coal Rail Line development; 100's of NLV and GCV evaluations for short line, regional and branch line railroads; yard and terminal operations analysis for 12 BNSF Railways' terminals nationwide.
- Contract switching, operations and economics analysis for shippers nationwide, including Procter and Gamble, Cargill Grain, AK Steel, Palladon Iron, Sierra Pacific Power, Martin Marietta Materials and Bayer Materials; and Shipper Coalition projects in California, Oregon and Utah to protect rail service for future economic development.
Arkansas Midland Railroad, Jones Mill, AR, General Manager, 1993 - 1994
- Responsible for the overall operations of a $5 million short line railroad which includes 131 miles of track, 37 employees, and 21,000 annual carloads.
- Maintenance of way, maintenance of equipment, operations, marketing and agency departments.
- All purchasing activities and real estate transactions.
Transportation Marketing Services, Inc., Pleasant Hill, CA, Consultant, 1987 - 1989
- Responsible for achieving revenue and profit objectives of the firm as directed by the President.
- Market development, strategic planning, equipment analysis, physical distribution analysis, branch line acquisition analysis, competitive analysis, market research, contract rate negotiations, sales development, operations analysis, and development of business plans.
- Prepared testimony, traffic and revenue projections diversion estimates, and traffic flow analyses for the Anschutz Corporation and Rio Grande Industries in their acquisition of the Southern Pacific Transportation Company.
- Clients included U.S. Government, shippers, transportation companies, and port authorities.
Southern Pacific Transportation Company, San Francisco, CA, 1981 - 1987
Marketing Services Department, 1986 - 1987
- Responsible for achieving revenue and profit objectives for the corporation as directed.
- Duties included developing agreements with other railroads, developing a network of short-haul TOFC trains, and evaluating the competitive environment and implications for the corporation.
- Involved with branch line sales and agreements, working with both investors and financiers to develop short line railroads.
- Handled SPTCo's application for trackage rights in the Union Pacific-Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad merger including a traffic flow analysis, diversion estimates, and revenue projections.
Intermodal Department, 1985 - 1986
- Conducted special studies on all aspects of domestic and international TOFC and container traffic as directed.
- Duties included contract development and negotiations, developing and analyzing costs, developing and analyzing various markets, and pricing, representing approximately $500 million in annual revenue.
Market Planning Department, 1981 - 1985
- Market development and pricing of the aggregate and cement commodities representing approximately $80 million in annual review.
- Originally hired as Assistant Manager, Market Development - Bulk Services then promoted to Product Manger, Marketing & Sales.
- Duties included forecasting and analyzing of product market with objective of expanding SPTCo's market share, reducing operating costs, and increasing profit margin.
- Negotiation of contracts with customers, developing and analyzing costs, and commercial decisions involving equipment allocation and acquisition.
- In response to the Staggers (4R) Act, directed marketing efforts in aggregates/cement from traditional single car rate to unit train contracts generating a 20% increase in SPTCo's share in the western railroad market.
- Over a three-year period, this represented a net contribution turnaround from an $8 million loss to a $5 million profit.
Western Pacific Railroad, Transportation Department, San Francisco, CA, 1976 - 1981
- Responsibilities included both staff and direct line supervision of railroad operations.
- Projecting and monitoring of annual system operating budget of $70 million.
- In-depth analysis of operating expenses; working with line managers to determine and coordinate individual terminal and district costs with overall system forecast.
- Presentation of budget variances to Vice President-Operations; and providing guidelines and requirements for the programming of departmental reports.
- Directing rail operations in the district between Oakland and Stockton - the fastest growing region on the railroad, which generated $15 million in gross revenue with an operating budget of $2.2 million.
- The territory comprised a variety of rail operations; main and branch line, industry and road switching, interchange, and joint facilities.
- Coordinated schedules, assignments, and train performance to customer requirements with other departments of the railroad (i.e. Sales, Car Distribution, Train Operations/Dispatching, Roadway, and Mechanical).
- Supervised train and engine operating employees within the district in addition to 20 station employees.
Honors & Publications
Academic and Professional Affiliations
- Member, Board of Directors, Railway company
- Operation Lifesaver Presenter
Awards
- Strathmore's Who's Who: This award recognizes individuals who have demonstrated leadership and achievement in their occupation, industry or profession.
- Who's Who in Young Americans and Executives and Professionals: Awards recognizes achievements in American Society and Business and Outstanding Professionals.
Publications
- Speaker and Presenter, American Short Line Railroad Association Annual Conference
- Speaker and Presenter, Transload Distribution Association Annual Conference
- Speaker and Presenter, North American Rail Shippers SWARS Meeting
Education
- MBA Business Administration, San Francisco State University, CA
- B.A. Business Administration, Transportation, San Francisco State University, CA