RSI offers benefits to REMSA members
Because REMSA is a member of the Railway Supply Institute, the product of the recent merger between the Railway Progress Institute and the Railway Supply Association, REMSA members enjoy many benefits. While most REMSA member companies would not be interested in exhibiting at an RSI trade show, they can and do receive other benefits through REMSA's membership in RSI. For example, RSI has 13 project committees, which serve the RSI membership in a variety of areas. The committees, which address such issues as the safe transportation of hazardous materials, passenger transportation and grade crossing safety, actively monitor all legislation affecting the industry and take an active role in ensuring that the supply industry's voice is heard as legislation and regulations are drafted and debated.
RSI's annual "Selling to the Railroads" and its newly initiated "Selling to the Passenger Railroads" conferences, as well as the RSI annual meeting, provide the opportunity to learn more about operating practices at various railroads and to establish key relationships with the railroads. RSI also sponsors other conferences and events for members to gain exposure in the industry.
The RSI staff has almost 100 years of cumulative experience in working with Congress, the U.S. Department of Transportation and the railroad and supply industries. Through RSI, members are kept up to date with the latest events in Washington, D.C., as well as the latest technology and research in the industry by such publications as the RSI member-only legislative and regulatory bi-weekly electronic newsletter and the RSI printed quarterly newsletter.
"As one of the stronger trade associations in the United States, RSI has close relationships with other industry-related associations, including the Association of American Railroads, the American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association, the American Public Transportation Association, Operation Lifesaver, the High-Speed Ground Transportation Association, Coalition Against Bigger Trucks, and the American Passenger Rail Coalition.
These relationships have served to solidify the industry's positions on various issues and have led to overall unity within the industry," said Tom Simpson, executive director Washington for RSI. "As a member of RSI, you are part of a highly influential coalition."
Three Candidates Seek Seats on REMSA Board
Three candidates are seeking election to the REMSA Board of Directors. Elections will be held at the REMSA annual meeting, which is to be held this year at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, October 7, at the Palmer House Hilton in Chicago, during the AREMA Annual Conference & Exposition.
In accordance with the Association's Bylaws, by secret ballot, the REMSA Board nominated the three candidates for director who will be presented for voting by representatives of REMSA member companies at the annual meeting. The three are seeking to fill three vacant director positions with terms that will expire in 2006.
For those unable to attend the meeting, proxies are available for active REMSA members only through the REMSA office. Only the official REMSA company representative may sign the proxies. Proxies must be submitted by September 19.
The three candidates are:
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Walter J. Barry, Director of Sales & Marketing, HiRAIL Corporation
Walter Barry started his railroad career with the Illinois Central Gulf in 1977. He went to the supply side in 1982 with Teleweld, Inc. In 1989, he joined HiRAIL as sales manager and in 1993 was named director of sales & marketing. In 1998, Barry participated with two other employees in a management buyout of HiRAIL. Barry received a B.S. in Civil Engineering from the University of Notre Dame in 1975 and an M.B.A. from DePaul University in 1979. He is a member of AREMA and NRC. |
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Ronald Olds, Northern Region Sales Manager, Plasser American Corp.
Ronald Olds began his career with Plasser American in 1976 as a Field Service Representative. In 1979, he was promoted to Sales and Service Manager, Canadian Division. In 1998, Olds was promoted to his current position of Northern Region Sales Manager. He is active in several associations, including AREMA, where he is currently a member of Committee 27-Maintenance of Way Work Equipment. |
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Thomas P. Smithberger, Senior Vice President and National Director Railroads, HDR Engineering, Inc.
Thomas Smithberger would bring 27 years of railroad engineering experience to the REMSA Board. Previously, he was a REMSA Director from 1998 to 2000. His background includes six years with the American Railway Engineering Association, an AREMA predecessor, and the Association of American Railroads as Director of Engineering, 11 years with the USX Railroads and 10 years with HDR. He is a Registered Professional Engineer and civil engineering graduate of Ohio State University. Smithberger is active in industry association leadership and technical work as a former AREMA Director-Passenger & Transit 2000-2002, AREMA Committee 17-High Speed Rail and former Chairman and Member of TRB Committee A2MO1-Railroad Track Structure System Design. |
Five Deserving Students Each Win $2,000 REMSA Scholarships
REMSA's Scholarship Committee selected five students to receive $2,000 awards to help pay for college expenses. "The group of 12 eligible applicants this year was very good," said Richard Jarosinski of Portec Rail Products Inc., chairman of the committee. "The top five scholarship winners were scored very close to each other. They also exhibited a good command of the essay subject, which was the possible advantages and disadvantages of privatizing Amtrak. The Scholarship Committee wishes all 12 of the applicants the very best and encourages all of them to keep up the good work in school."
In addition to Chairman Jarosinski, this year's Scholarship Committee included Robert Andrews of Rocla Concrete Tie, Inc.; Dick Carlson of Unit Rail Anchor Co., Inc.; Ron Olds of Plasser American Corp.; and Paul Wilson of Loram Maintenance of Way, Inc.
In 2003, 12 candidates representing 10 REMSA member companies competed for the scholarships. Of the five the committee selected to receive awards, three had earned REMSA scholarships in last year's competition. In order to be eligible, a candidate must be an employee or the spouse, son, daughter, grandson or granddaughter of a current employee of a REMSA member company. Each candidate must be enrolled and in attendance at the time of application as a full-time college student at an accredited two-year college offering an associate's degree or an accredited college or university offering a bachelor's degree. In addition, the candidates must demonstrate successful completion of the previous year of study and a willingness to continue.
Each year, entrants are required to complete an essay on a topic chosen by REMSA as part of the competitive process. This year's topic was, "Give the pros and cons of keeping Amtrak a government-supported entity vs. privatizing the entire operation."
The committee also asked the applicants to write a narrative about present and future studies, research projects or school activities, post-graduate plans and why the applicant thought he or she deserved the scholarship.
The 2003 REMSA Scholarship winners are:
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James Freitag. A mathematics/economics/physics major at the University of Illinois, James is the son of Joan Freitag of Hanson-Wilson Inc. |
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Michael Bock. A repeat winner and the son of Nick Bock of Kerr-McGeeChemical LLC., Michael is studying industrial engineering and management at Oklahoma State University. |
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Christopher Chambers. Also a repeat winner, Christopher is studying biology and chemistry at West Virginia Wesleyan College. He is the son of Anthony Chambers of the Burke-Parsons-Bowlby Corp. |
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Peter Horst. A computer engineering student at Concordia University, Peter is the son of Fred Horst of CANAC Inc. |
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Edward Zuppio. A 2002 REMSA Scholarship winner and the grandson of James Toomey of HNTB Corporation, Edward is a finance major at Boston College. |
REMSA Member Profile
Osmose Railroad Division
Osmose has long been a leader in the research and development of new products and services in all areas of wood preservation technology as well as utility and railroad asset management. Because of the company's commitment to quality, technical support and service, Osmose has built an impressive network of suppliers and customers throughout the United States and in more than 30 countries around the world.
Osmose is a privately owned corporation. A large portion of the company is held by its employees through an Employee Stock Ownership Plan. Osmose Railroad Services, Inc., has been at the forefront of railroad bridge repair in the United States and Canada since the mid-1950s. The company is one of the nation's largest railroad bridge repair companies, serving Class 1, regional and short line railroads. Osmose is also one of the few companies with experience working on all three types of bridge structures: wood, steel, and concrete.
Lowest cost repair methods"Our business focus is directed at providing our customers with the lowest-cost repair methods while minimizing traffic interruptions," said Harry Holekamp, president. "This approach carries over to our response to bridge emergencies. Our experienced repair crews tackle jobs both large and small with the hands-on support of our in-house engineering staff. Combining cost-effective repair techniques with a strict adherence to safety ensures each job is done right the first time.
"Our engineering staff can provide design and detailed inspection services, making Osmose a one-stop shop for all bridge repair needs," Holekamp said.
"If heavier axle loads require an evaluation of key bridge components, we can provide guidance along with bridge-specific solutions." Osmose also offers a wide variety of products designed to help with bridge inspection and repair.
TIE-GARD™ preservative for adzed ties helps extend tie life."TIE-GARD preservative gel can be applied with a simplified application machine manufactured and marketed by Racine Railroad Products," Holekamp said.
"Currently, Racine is selling this machine to various railroads for use in their rail-relay gangs."
Sodium fluoride is the active ingredient in TIE-GARD preservative gel. After it is applied, the substance moves into checks and old spike holes to combat tie decay. Among its advantages are that it is easy to apply, not affected by rail heaters, cleans up with water and can be used in any type of weather. This EPA-registered preservative carries a commercial-use label and typically does not require special permits or a restricted-use applicator's license.
"The machine can easily treat 40 ties per minute using an 'electric eye' to read the ties," he noted.
"One 30-gallon drum of preservative gel can treat approximately one side of one-mile of track. Railroads are continuing to focus on methods that can extend the service life of existing ties during rail relay and TIE-GARD preservative gel is fulfilling this need."
Holekamp continued: "Osmose is proud to be a member of REMSA for a number of reasons. Foremost are the relationships we have developed with the suppliers to the railroad industry. Clearly, we are not alone with our concerns regarding the ever-changing market for the products and services we deliver. REMSA is our partner in helping to navigate the inter-relationships between our customers."
As a member of REMSA, we can count on the pooling of common interests to help lobby our customer base on issues that affect all participants in the supply industry. REMSA helps Osmose communicate better with our customer base by understanding their needs, while the railroad industry gains a better understanding of how their actions impact our marketing decisions."
Profile
Robert L. Nash
General Manager Signals and Communications, Canadian Pacific Railway AREMA President 2004Robert L. Nash accepted the gavel from Richard L. Keller as the seventh President of AREMA since the organization's inception in 1997. He is the first C&S railroader to hold AREMA's top office."Our past presidents, who include Phil Ogden, Darrell Cantrell, Dave Kelly, Mike Roney, Mike Armstrong and, most recently, Rich Keller, laid much of the groundwork for my upcoming term," Nash said. "We, as an organization, owe a debt of gratitude to these men who have so ably led us this far. I am honored to have been chosen to serve AREMA as its president for the upcoming year.
"Nash began his railroad career in the summer of 1976 with Canadian Pacific Railway, working part-time in train operations at Windsor Yard in Windsor, Ontario. This continued for five years during the summers while he obtained his Bachelor of Applied Science degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Windsor, graduating in the spring of 1981. He then joined CPR full-time and has been with the company over the past 22 years.
Nash's entire full-time career has been within the Signals and Communications Department, where he is currently General Manager Signals and Communications, a position held for the past seven years. He is responsible for strategic planning, visioning and process management within signals and communications.
In 1987, Nash joined the Association of American Railroads Communication and Signal Division and became chairman of Technical Committee E (now AREMA Committee 37) in 1989, serving as the Committee¹s chairman for two years.He became a member of the C&S Committee of Direction in 1992 and also served on the Planning and Assignment Committee until 1997, when the AAR C&S division merged with AREMA. Nash has been on the AREMA Board since its inception, having been a director in the C&S Functional Group for two years, vice president for three years and senior vice president of AREMA this past year.
"During my term, I plan to continue in the direction set by our past presidents, as well as to break some new ground," he noted. "This year will mark a new venture in which AREMA and the Railway Systems Suppliers, Inc., will hold co-located events at the Gaylord Opryland Hotel in Nashville, Tenn., in May 2004. AREMA will hold a C&S Technical Conference on Monday and Tuesday and RSSI will hold its Annual Exhibition on Wednesday and Thursday. This is an exciting opportunity to leverage the AREMA C&S conference and the RSSI exhibition to provide added value to both organizations¹ members. I also plan to update our AREMA strategic plan with the help of the Board, to ensure it continues.
"On the personal side, Nash said: "I have been happily married to my wife Barb for 23 wonderful years. I have two children Kristen and Will. Kristen is in third year University, studying to become a schoolteacher, and Will is in grade 12 this year and plans on a career in engineering. My hobbies include golfing and fishing. I am also on the Board of Directors for the Calgary Dream Centre, a non-profit, faith-based organization devoted to reaching the homeless of Calgary. The Mission of the Calgary Dream Centre is to help our clients restore their dignity, discover their destiny and to realize their dreams by putting them through a one-year, life-changing program to make them productive citizens once more.
"Nash also coaches his wife¹s Ringette Team. Ringette is played on ice and is similar to hockey but uses a straight stick and rubber ring instead of a puck and hockey stick."
I am pleased to say that, thanks to the joint efforts of AREMA Past President Richard Keller and REMSA President Dennis Wilcox, AREMA and REMSA have agreed to a plan for future joint conferences and exhibitions," he noted. "Beginning in 2006 in Louisville, REMSA will now be holding a trade show in conjunction with the AREMA conference every even-numbered year. AREMA will continue to hold the AREMA Conference & Exposition in the odd years. This is a very positive move for the industry.
"I am very encouraged by the support for AREMA from REMSA, as the supply industry trade association, and from the supplier companies in general," he added. "This is an excellent example of the spirit of cooperation that is needed in the industry. We look forward to a continuing close working relationship with REMSA and its members."
Events to Note
October
October 5-8 AREMA 2003 Annual Conference & Exposition. Palmer House Hilton. Chicago, IL.
Website: http://www.arema.org.
During the Conference, the following Committees will meet:
October 4-5: 24-Education and Training and 27-Maintenance of Way Work Equipment.
October 5: 5-Track, 6-Building & Support Facilities, 10-Structures, Maintenance and Construction, 11-Commuter & Intercity Rail Systems, 12-Rail Transit, 14-Yards & Terminals, 16-Economics of Railway Engineering & Operations, 17-High Speed Rail Systems, 18-Light Density & Short Line Railways, 33-Electric Utilization, 43-C&S Maintenance Steering Team.
October 8: 41-Track Maintenance.
October 8-9: 38-Information, Defect detection and Energy Systems. For more on committee meetings, call 301-459-3200.
October 6-8: International Rail Forum. Palau de Congressos del Catalunya, Barcelona, Spain. Contact: Alison Burguess. Phone: +34-91-799-45-00.
Website: http://www.masnou.net/rmp.htm.
October 15-17: The Crane & Hoist Conference & Exhibition and Lift Expo. Radisson O'Hare, Chicago, IL. Phone: 360-834-3805.
Website: http://www.CHC2003.com.
October 21-24: Railway Tie Association Annual Convention, Charleston, SC.
Website: http://www.rta.org.
Fall AREMA Committee 30-Ties. TBA, in conjunction with RTA meeting.
Fall AREMA Committee 34-Scales. TBA.
November
November 3-5: Fundamentals of Railroad Engineering©. Madison, WS. C. Allen Wortley, 800-462-0876.
E-mail: wortley@engr.wisc.edu.
Website: http://epdweb.engr.wisc.edu/webF246.
November 3-6: Railroad Environmental Conference 2003. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Urbana, IL. Kim Hagemann, 217-244-0841. Fax: 217-244-0815.
E-mail: rrec@cee.uiuc.edu.
November 6-7: Effective Contracting for Railroad Track Work©. Madison, WS. C. Allen Wortley, 800-462-0876.
E-mail: wortley@engr.wisc.edu.
Website: http://epdweb.engr.wisc.edu/webF246.
November 16-19: APTA Light Rail Conference. Portland Hilton, Portland, OR. Cara Reve,202-496-4874.
November 17-19: AusRAIL Plus 2003, Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre, Darling Harbour, Australia. Peter Lagios, +61-2-9080-4307
E-mail: registration@informa.com.au
January 2004
January 4-6: NRC 2004 Conference and Exhibition, Orlando, FL. 800-883-1557.
Website: http://www.nrcma.org.
January 25-27: RailtecMèxico 2004, World Trade Center, Veracruz, Mexico. 312-642-0628
or 800-530-0728 from the U.S.; +52-442-224-1262 from Mexico.
Website: http://www.railtec.com
