Shields Named a Railway Age ‘Fast Tracker’

Brent Shields has been named to the annual Railway Age list of 25 Under 40 “Fast Trackers.”

Shields is one of 25 to receive this year’s award, which the magazine says is given to those “who have made an impact in their respective fields or within their company.” The Watco SVP of environmental, health, & safety said that upon learning of the honor, he “felt grateful and humbled.”

Multiple team members shared their thoughts about Shields for his nomination. They cited his contributions to company safety policies and his involvement in pulling safety data together to make it visible in Watco’s key data source, Power BI. They also said Shields had concentrated a lot of effort on the Path Forward program, which strives for uniformity across Watco locations when it comes to safety compliance.

Shields came to Watco in 2017 as an environmental manager responsible for seven Southern states. He served as a safety director, assistant vice president, and vice president before being named senior vice president in 2024. He is among five from Watco who’ve been recognized as a Fast Tracker since 2021.