Railroad Association Inducts Rick Webb into Hall of Fame

Watco’s Rick Webb was inducted March 25 into the Short Line Railroad Hall of Fame. He, along with two others, received the honor from the American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association (ASLRRA) at its conference in Kansas City.

Watco CEO Dan Smith introduced Webb at the conference. He said: “I can tell you that in my mind the definition of a true hall of famer is consistency. That’s what gets you into the hall of fame. And I can see no greater inductee than Rick Webb. Most people don’t realize that every single day Rick gets up, he makes sure he does one thing: He makes sure that he makes someone, or something, better.”

In accepting his award, Webb said he was humbled, honored, and thankful. He thanked and credited others: Smith, the president of the ASLRRA, customers including Class I railroads, vendors, the investors and banking team, his family, and the Watco team.

“I want to thank the Watco team, on whose behalf I’m accepting this award. The service that the Watco team provides our customers is the only way we create value for our customers. Like all short lines, we took over assets that other people didn’t want, and we turned those assets into something more valuable by focusing on the people, not focusing on the asset. We took care of the people who took care of our customers, and guess what happened to the asset? The value grew greatly.

“... I would like to thank every one of our Watco team members for all they do for our customers and giving me the opportunity to receive this award.”

The ASLRRA honor is the latest in industry recognition for Webb. In 2022, he was selected as a Railroad Innovator by Progressive Railroading and RailTrends®. In 2021, Railway Age readers voted him among the railroad industry’s Most Influential Leaders. In addition, he was the 2010 Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year for the Central Midwest Region.

Webb is one of Watco’s most tenured team members, having joined Watco full-time in 1984, not long after his parents started the company. He has held management and leadership positions in operations, purchasing, marketing, accounting and financial management. Webb served as CEO from 1998 to 2018, when he moved into his current role. Among his many achievements, he is credited with establishing Watco operations in Australia, as well as adding ports, terminals and logistics to Watco’s service mix.

Webb is a member of the board of directors of the National Industrial Transportation League and a past member and chair of the Railroad-Shipper Transportation Advisory Council. He serves on the Pittsburg (Kansas) State University Foundation Board of Trustees, Community National Bank‘s Advisory Board of Directors, and U.S. Bank’s Market Board of Directors.

Along with Rick Webb’s recognition (see previous page), Watco received several additional individual and organizational-level awards at the American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association’s (ASLRRA) 2024 Annual Conference & Exhibition. The event was conducted March 24-26 in Kansas City, Missouri.

Other Watco Recognition

The ASLRRA spotlight shone twice on Watco’s Mission Mountain Railroad (MMT). The organization’s Safety Person of the Year Award went to Samantha “Sam” Pederson, who works in railcar repair for the northwestern Montana short line. Pederson was cited for being extremely safety-aware, willing to help out in all MMT operations, and for community involvement that included coaching soccer and stopping at an auto accident where she ended up performing CPR.

And the MMT received the ASLRRA Business Development Award. A series of events had threatened the railroad’s survival and by 2023, the owner of the sole remaining MMT customer (a nearby transload yard) was retiring. The MMT took over the transload yard and began capturing truck traffic inbound from Canada and transloading it to rail, enabling the transload workers to keep their jobs and resulting in the MMT more than doubling its team. Since October 2023, the short line has increased traffic by 50% and revenue by 325%. A benefit to the community: They are able to purchase lumber directly from the MMT.

The ASLRRA Veterans Engagement Award went to the Watco Military Onboarding and Hiring program for efforts to recruit and hire members of the U.S. military. In 2023, Watco coached over 1,150 separating service members and veterans at in-person hiring events, military installation town halls, and virtual events. Due largely to these efforts, Watco hired 103 veterans in 2023 and contributed to the ultimate success of employment for hundreds of transitioning military members across the nation.

Railway Age also presented awards at the event, and Watco’s Eastern Idaho Railroad (EIRR) received an Honorable Mention for Short Line Railroad of the Year. The EIRR completed a $9.4 million infrastructure project in 2023 benefiting the railroad and the customers and communities it serves, and in the past five years, the railroad has added nearly 11,000 carloads and several customers.

“I’m always incredibly proud of our team,” said Watco CEO Dan Smith. “Everyone honored has worked very hard, and I know they’re grateful to be recognized by the ASLRRA and Railway Age.”