Watco
A field of wildflowers greets an Austin Western Railroad rock train as it passes through McDade, Texas. Photographer: Jacob Caas
Safety Anniversaries
June 1 – Cincinnati Switching (OH) – 10 years
June 5 – Deer Park Switching (TX) – 3 years
June 13 – Houston TPC Switching (TX) – 10 years
June 13 – Columbus Dedicated Terminal (MS) – 2 years
June 15 – Industry Marine Terminal (PA) – 4 years
June 16 – Lubbock & Western Railway (TX) – 3 years
June 17 – Ghent Marine Terminal (KY) – 1 year
June 20 – Alabama Southern Railroad (AL) – 1 year
June 22 – Memphis Channel Avenue Marine Terminal (TN) & Memphis Dock Street Marine Terminal (TN) – 4 years
June 22 – Dallas Mobile Repair (TX) – 4 years
June 24 – Chicago Marine Terminal (IL) – 3 years
June 26 – Vicksburg Southern Railroad (MS) – 1 year
June 27 – Queens Dedicated Terminal (NY) – 8 years
June 29 – Brooklyn (Hamilton) MTS Dedicated Terminal (NY) – 1 year
Safely Improve Every Day
Ready to Ditch Tobacco?
Team members and their family members enrolled in a Watco health plan have access to Quit for Life. This free resource offers:
· Coaching
· Customized plan to stop smoking
· Gum and patches*
Complete the smoking cessation program by December 31 to be eligible for a reduced health insurance premium in 2025. Learn more about Quit for Life at quitnow.net.
*If you qualify based on daily usage
GeoConnect Website Now Features Property Search
Watco has expanded its GeoConnect website, adding a new property-search function. The addition allows customers and prospective customers to find buildings and land that Watco has available and get information about the offerings.
“Our customers now have direct access to details about property we have for sale or lease, or a Watco-served property like an industrial park,” said Luke Bellamy, director of Industrial Development. “Customers can see these locations on a map and find out details about the properties, and they can see who to contact to explore how we can help them develop their business.”
The new functionality complements two previously established GeoConnect features. In late 2022, Watco launched GeoConnect with the ability to search for railcar storage. Last spring, the company expanded it to feature sites that offer transloading and material handling & storage. Now, in addition to those services, the site shows Watco properties that are for sale or lease or are Watco-served.
In the past, Watco had all these services in place but had not centralized them and offered them through a web-based, searchable, map-centric tool.
“Prior to GeoConnect, we lacked a centralized database for managing and showcasing available locations,” said Curt Frazier, senior vice president of Real Estate and Industrial Development. “So that’s the main issue we needed to address, and GeoConnect has enabled us to do just that. It has allowed us to publish a comprehensive portfolio of available properties. This not only benefits the public, but also serves as a quick resource for our internal team members.”
My Health Novel Serves Up an Ace in Team Member’s Healing
After a wrist injury sidelined Watco team member Jeff Huser from playing tennis, he knew he needed to seek medical attention. He turned to physical therapy first.
Months of in-person rehabilitation sessions proved successful – Huser regained 50% of motion in his right wrist. But he still wanted to keep making progress.
That’s when he tried My Health Novel.
Team members and their dependents, ages 18 years or older, who are enrolled in a Watco health plan have access to this free online resource. Four supplemental benefit programs are offered through My Health Novel, including one on Musculoskeletal Health that’s designed to help alleviate joint and muscle pain and increase mobility for participants.
Huser said, “I decided to give the MSK [Musculoskeletal Health] program a shot. And I was pleasantly surprised at how easy it was to enroll.”
It only takes a few minutes to sign up for a My Health Novel program by following these steps:
· Log in to Blue Cross Blue Shield’s My Health Toolkit
· Select Wellness & Care Management and then My Health Novel
· Select your top health goal and take a short assessment
· Get matched with an online program that works for you
After enrolling in the program, Huser connected virtually with a physical therapist and received a customized plan to help him in his recovery. He was also provided a tablet and wearable motion sensors to track progress and ensure he was doing the exercises correctly.
After six weeks on the program, Huser noticed the range of motion in his wrist continued to improve.
“I had low expectations,” said Huser. “But My Health Novel exceeded them. It was effective in helping me return to the tennis court.”
SKOL Bridge Earns RT&S Top Projects Honor
watch the video
Blistering heatwaves, short construction windows, and complex logistics made the demolition and replacement of the South Kansas & Oklahoma Railroad’s (SKOL) Cow Creek bridge a challenge, but the SKOL team and their contractors successfully rose to the occasion. Their efforts recently earned a spot on Railway Track & Structures’ Top Projects list.
The bridge, just southwest of Pittsburg, Kansas, on the SKOL Gorilla subdivision at mile post 59.6, is the main connection to several local customers and a Class I interchange. It plays a critical role in providing service to a new soybean processing plant. But many components of the bridge were more than 100 years old and needed to be upgraded to safely handle 286,000-lb. traffic.
Material began arriving in June 2023, but the majority of work was completed in two short windows on July 11 and August 22. The ten wooden spans of the 385-foot bridge were demolished and replaced with precast concrete by contractors with the track only being out of service for two days. The two steel center spans were rehabilitated at night when trains weren’t running.
All the coordination and planning were put to the test during the August construction. It was one of the hottest days Kansas had seen in years. Temperatures reached 104 degrees, with the heat index soaring to 125. This, combined with the surrounding trees and low-lying area near the creek, turned the work site into an oven.
The team responded by bringing in temporary shades, large fans, and shifting schedules so the most demanding work could be done at night when temperatures dropped to 90 degrees. This approach worked. The main contractor, Kraemer North America, assembled the final seven spans of precast concrete. Kelly-Hill laid the ballast and surfaced the new track. B&L Trenching hauled and loaded the ballast and helped with dirt work. Martinus Bottom Line provided flagging services. And it was all completed within the allotted 36-hour window.
“I was very impressed by the organization and safety coordination between Kraemer and their subcontractors during bridge construction and changeouts,” said Cameron Ginther, Watco director of rail infrastructure. “The professionalism and timeliness by Kraemer to work through project hurdles made it easy for us to continue safe and reliable service to our customers and Class I partners in southeast Kansas.”
Recognizing Three Difference Makers
What does it take to make an impact at Watco?
Watco’s second group of Be the Difference award winners of 2024 are Ty Fuller, Dusten Coleman, Giovanni Soto, and Chris Blackman. Join us in congratulating them on their outstanding efforts, for which each recipient earns $250.
“This quarter’s winners and nominees do what matters every day,” said Dan Smith, Watco CEO. “That made selecting the winners a difficult task. We appreciate all the nominations. Please keep them coming so we can continue to tell these great stories, and congratulations to the recipients.”
Now Accepting Q3 BTD Submissions Through August 30.
Nominate a team member at watco.com/btd or email btd@watco.com
One Watco Award - Given to an individual or group of team members whose teamwork generates an exceptional result for a Watco customer.
When a Watco terminal in Louisiana needed specially qualified crane operators, Ty Fuller and Dusten Coleman answered the call. They alternated traveling from their terminal in Texas to help keep freight moving.
Keep reading to learn how they made a difference.
Extra Mile Award - Given to an individual or a group of team members who go above and beyond the call of duty at work or in the community.
Even after operations came to a close at his previous location, Watco team member Giovanni Soto stepped up to ensure a customer received much-needed product. He stayed after hours to manage one last switch.
Continue reading about our newest Extra Mile Award winner.
Chris Blackman
Kansas & Oklahoma Railroad McPherson (KS)
Safe Performance Award - Given to an individual or group of team members who take action to ensure safety for fellow team members, customers, suppliers, property, or community.
Trainmaster Chris Blackman was leaving his son’s baseball game when he came across a car accident. He sprang into action, fashioning a splint for the passenger’s leg and then pulling her from the smoking car
Read more to learn more about how he responded.
Giovanni Soto Greens Port Houston (TX)
Ty Fuller and Dusten Coleman Port Arthur Dedicated Terminal Port Arthur (TX)
Add the Agawa Canyon Tour Train to Your Travel Bucket List
Here’s your chance to take in the beauty Northern Ontario offers by riding Watco’s Agawa Canyon Tour Train. This year’s tour season kicks off August 1.
This all-day rail adventure takes passengers on a 114-mile journey through the Canadian wilderness to reach its ultimate destination – the Agawa Canyon Park. Accessible only by train, the park features walking trails, three waterfalls, and a 250-foot-high lookout point.
Last year, Senior Real Estate Analyst Teri Kinyon traveled to Sault Ste. Marie to experience the train
tour. She said: “The views were absolutely stunning. I lost count of the many lakes we passed on the train ride. Just when I thought the views couldn’t get better, they did.”
New this year to Watco’s passenger train is the Stone Gardner theater car. This rear coach features a panoramic window and theater-style seating for passengers to get an even better view of the great outdoors. For more information on this one-of-a-kind tour experience, email contact@agawa.com
This upcoming tour season also marks 32 years of working for the train for Marilyn Ambeault. Over the years, she’s played many different roles from working at the gift shop to serving as a manager on duty. In 2016, her daughter Lindsay Ambeault followed in her mom’s footsteps by joining the tour train.
Train tickets are available through October 14. Purchase yours online at agawatrain.com or by calling (844) 246-9458.
New Arrivals
Marcus Allen Thompson
Matthew Thompson and Cheyanne Sanders announce the birth of their son, Marcus Allen Thompson, born on May 28, 2024. Marcus weighed 6 pounds, 7 ounces and was 18 3/4 inches long.
Matthew is an engineer/conductor at the Memphis Switching location in Tennessee. Grandpa Michael Hernandez is the location manager at the Memphis Switching location.
Griffin Marley Ginther
Cameron and Marriah Ginther announce the birth of their son, Griffin Marley Ginther, born on April 19, 2024. Griff weighed 8 pounds, 8 ounces and was 21 inches long. His arrival was welcomed by his sisters Fern, 4, and Lorraine, 2.
Cameron is the director of rail infrastructure in Pittsburg, Kansas.
1 Year:
Team Member Anniversaries
Congratulations to the following team members celebrating July anniversaries:
Joe Adame, Steven Albers, Noland Ange, Jinny Billings, Lawrence Black, Matthew Boden, Troy Bootsma, Brock Breitenstein, Austin Brinson, Carson Bryant, Eric Cerven, Brad Coleman, Frank Cooper, Bobbi Copenhaver, Cynthia Corona, Kip Croft, Jacob Dearman, Chanse Dowell, Tyler Dunsworth, David Elson, Edgar Enriquez, Bruce Evans, Martyn Ferry, Meghann Gallagher, Darrion Garcia, Kye Gibson, Michael Gillette, Joseph Glaser, Jordan Goecks, Bryar Green, Torrey Green, Hadley Grende, Brady Haggard, Sienna Hamersley, Trysten Hoke, Matthew Holbrook, Ronald Homuth, Carter Hooyman, Tyler Howard, Jajuan Hunter, James Jacks, Ernest Johnson, DeAndre Joseph, Madalyn Kerfoot, Paul Leatso, Kieshawn Malone, Tyler Manharth, Turi Mellor, Malcolm Milverton, Logan Minor, Buddha Mishra, Matthew Naumovski, Travis Ozanich, Miguel Paz-Ramirez, Aaron Pena, Tomas Perriam-Denton, Dion Perry, Kerry Pies, Seth Rhoads, Anthony Richardson, Brian Riggins, Scott Shannon, Armand Slaughter, Merrill St Clair, Alexander Tenfel, Mary Tomas, Bradley Vinson, Jordon Walsingham, Dustin White, Vernell Wilkerson, Jason Williams, Zhaviaun Wilson, Jacob Woodard, Scott Wylie, Ty Ybarra
2 Years:
Christopher Anderson, Aaron Baumgarden, Darrell Bradley, Jacob Brooks, Brandon Brown, Earnest Brown, Sylvia Budart, Jance Burris, Allan Childers, Jay Coomes, John Cooper, Sonja
Davidson, Andrew Davis, Charles Delgado, Kyle Dighton, Adam Doyle, Major Dunbar, Trinity Duos, Bianca Gomez, Magally Gonzalez, Edwin Green, Brandi Hawkins, Kaylynne Hill, Jennifer Hillis, Lee Jimmerson, Michael Jones, Danielle Lawler, Seth Lorio, Vern Lucas, Curtis Mack, Victoria Martinez, Joel Micale-David, Caleb Mills, Charles Morganson, Kevin Nolan, Anthony O’Brien, Adam Paliga, Norman Pattison, Codi Ramzy, Joel Sciba, Stephen Shepherd, Tiffany Smith, Charles Teeters, Daniel Toskovski, Marco Trejo-hernandez, Linwood Williams, Jesse Ybarra
3 Years:
Lachlan Barnes, Jacob Bennett, Isaiah Casas, Dylan Coles, William Crane, Dallas Decuir, David Delgado, Joseph Duscheck, Robert Ford, Earl Gresham, Gunnar Gronberg, Janice Haley, Jenifer Heffernan, Jorge Hernandez, Levi Hester, Aaron Hughes, Jessica Johnson, Matthew Jones, Rodolfo Lopez, Johnathan Mathis, Spencer McHugh, Jordan McKinnon, Justin Mcleod, Erik Mendoza, Timothy Merideth, Lisa Miller, Manuel Montoya, Andrew Moran, Parker Neu, Alexandra North, Jakson Pavlovich, Emiliano Perez, Mason Ray, Dusty Richardson, Michael Romo, Juan Romo Jr, Mitchell Rowe, Joseph Schlaff, James Stone, Jeanette Streets, Jakob Tobler, Jason Washburn, Toby Woolcock, Gus Zschech
4 Years:
Ellison Champagne, Raymond Cotterill, Steven Cottom, Michael Harper II, Jason Norris, Jaime Olivares, Dustin Parrish, Bradly Shobert, Howard Wilkerson
5 Years:
Zachary Baden, Andrew Bearden, Nicholas Brown, Caitlin Chiartano, Anthony DeLorenzo, Graeme Dunn, Caden Fritz, Michael Garcia, Kaytee Garoutte, Brandon Glover, Joshua Grimmer, Joseluis Guevara, Glen Jackson, Tyrone Jackson, Hamidreza Jadali, Troy Kutella, Trey Loya, Nickolas Manson, Steven Olsen, Dale Pape, Amie Proudfit, Caleb Ussery, Jose Valentin, Evan Walker, Courtney Wolf, Richard Womble, Alexis Worthington
6 Years:
Nabeel Alawi, Joseph Bargas, Veronica Briseno, Jeremy Brooks, Rolvin Colon Morales, Anna Conners-Williams, Ever Cornejo, Len Crescenzo, Christopher Curtis, Sky Eisme, Jonathan James, Daniel Kirton, Christopher Mayers, Lemar McConnell, Robert Murphy, Guadalupe Olvera, Bryan Passon, Pamela Ridenour, Lawrence Rizzo, Kellen See, Francisco Silva, Jeffrey Thamer, Dean Torres, Felipe VegaCervantes
7 Years:
Joshua Ahrens, Susan Brooks, Anna Chatmon, Daniel Chauvin, Christopher Cline, Ricky Davis, Erick Diouf, Joseph Donaruma, Eddy Graham, Cody Harmon, Robert Hemingway, Debbie
Team Member Anniversaries
James, Aaron Klosterman, William Kothstein, Xavier Lopez, Travis Lowder, Chris Moya, Nathan Powell, Dagen Reel, Benjamin Saenz, Joshua Strickland, Patrick Swann, Steven Thompson, Ernest Velasquez
8 Years:
Pedro Barron, Wesley Branham, Michele Briones, Matthew Budda, Brandon Burlew, Sean Cochran, Kolby DeBerry, John Escobar, Carl Foster, Aaron Freeland, Charles Hamilton, Michael Kovarek, Charles Lee, Dustin McClanahan, Herbert McKinney, Keith Myles, Keith Pittman, Brien Runyon, Charles Snyder, Alan West
9 Years:
Gregory Barnett, Cody Bell, Deena Christopher, Christopher Crumpton, Cameron Gonzales, Brad Hamlin, Gene Hernandez, Gerald Kattner, Noah Lucero, Edward McGuire, Heriberto Mendoza, Myra Shumate, Brendan Thompson, Morgan Westhoff
10 Years:
Bret Burright, George Cabrera, James Carnes, Darl Farris, Raul Gonzalez, Jeffrey Linville, Brittany Mays, Thomas Nicholson, Brock Parham, Lynda Patterson, James Welch
11 Years:
Brenda Antle, Christopher Bauder, Alan Beggs, John Gronberg, Edwardo Guerra, Nathan Holmes, Jacob Kleckner, Jacob Lipinski, David McCloud, Clayton Murray, Cody Rickman, Dane Rowe, Toni Scroggins, Bryan Waldon, David Wastak, Drew White
12 Years:
Dustin Bain, Jean Dor, Thomas Glover, Lucinda Grimes, Padmore Kufa, Michael McAllister, Jeffrey Pacheco, Ronald Perkins, Somasodwa Sibanda, Charles Teeters, Joe Via
13 Years:
Joe Araujo, John Brown, Reginald Burks, Douglas Hicks, Jacob McCullough, Ronald Miller, Freddie Rainey, Melissa Rains, Jose Rodriguez, Stacy SwinfordWalker
14 Years:
Joseph Bristow, Joe Fells, Matthew Hutcheson, Crystal Lancaster, Andrew Mitchell, Bryce Roberts, Tammy Springer
15 Years:
Alvin Bartholomew, Ryan Corder, Matthew Jackson, Gary Wagenseller
16 Years:
Garrett Bolyard, Carla Ewing, Ty Fuller, Timothy O’Shell, Judy Ozuna
17 Years:
Tandi Colibert, Bobby McFadden, Michael Milligan, Travis Thorpe, Jeremiah Williams
18 Years:
Kyle Jeschke, Matthew Lewis, Jennifer Muckala, Diana Peak, Kenneth Tober, Jeremy Tyler
19 Years:
Mitchell Hood, Cornelius Jones, Colby Jordan, Bridget Smith
20 Years: Laura Bolt, Bradley Bowden
21 Years:
Beau Embrey, Royce Price, Daniel Salazar
22 Years: Douglas Tank
23 Years: Lois Ziesenis
25 Years: Derek Damesworth, Robert Hasheider, Jerry Waun
26 Years: Scott Rudolph
27 Years: Joseph Bennett
29 Years: James Riley
30 Years: Harold Cornelius, Raymond Gray
32 Years: Joseph Leport
33 Years: Jeffrey Adams, Richard Mansfield
38 Years: David Bierman
