CHICAGO — CEOS of four of the six Class I railroads are currently scheduled to appear at the annual meeting of the North America Rail Shippers, set for May 24-26 in Chicago.
Katie Farmer of BNSF Railway, Joe Hinricks of CSX Transportation, Alan Shaw of Norfolk Southern Railway, and Lance Fritz of Union Pacific Railroad are on the agenda, along with Dean Piacente, CEO of short line holding company OmniTRAX. The full agenda is still being developed.
“This year may be one of the most entertaining, diverse, informative, and timely conferences NARS has had in recent history,” NARS President Bruce Mann said in a press release. “From a new CEO to an outgoing CEO, short lines, leasing companies, the always-informative Tony Hatch, a D.C. update, and a don’t-miss oral history of Chicago—this is a meeting you don’t want to skip.”
Registration is $575 through May 10, $600 thereafter; more information and registration is available here. The conference is being held at the Marriott Marquis Chicago; hotel reservations are available here, with a discounted group rate available before May 1.
The event is held in conjunction with the annual Traffic Club of Chicago Dinner and Golf Outing, which requires separate registration, available here.
The North American Rail Shippers is a network comprised of five regional associations: the Pacific Northwest Association of Rail Shippers, or PNWARS; the Midwest Association of Rail Shippers, MARS; the Southwest Association of Rail Shippers, SWARS; the Northeast Association of Rail Shippers, NEARS, and the Southeast Association of Rail Shippers, SEARS. NARS brings together more than 7,000 members from these five groups. More information is available at the NARS website.
