Giving Back: It’s What We Do

(L-R): Blake Smith, Erick Desoto with the United Way, Jamie Owens, and Judson Rogers.

When emergencies occur, Watco team members step up.

That’s just what happened when Hurricane Ida made landfall in Louisiana on August 29.

To help our team members affected by this natural disaster, Watco immediately organized a T-shirt fundraiser. Through this initiative, Watco sold 846 tees and raised $2,180 in monetary contributions — for a total donation of $15,146.

That’s not all. We are proud to report our very own Watco team members rolled up their sleeves to assist those in need.

This includes the Louisiana Southern Railroad’s (LAS) General Manager Blake Smith and Roadmaster Judson Rogers from the Hodge Depot. They drove nearly 300 miles to the New Orleans metropolitan area not once but twice to lend a hand.

On their first trip, they delivered 400 gallons of gasoline and a pallet of bottled water to their friends at the New Orleans Public Belt Railroad (NOPB).

They also stopped at the house of John Neel, a former Watco team member who now works at NOPB. Smith lent his personal generator for Neel to use while his power was out.

Smith said, “We pulled up to his house, hugged his neck, and hooked up my generator for him to use.”

On their way home, Smith and Rogers knew they wanted to do more to help those in need. They quickly put together a fundraiser and collected $3,000 from local businesses, family, and friends.

One trip to Sam’s Club later, Smith and Rogers loaded a trailer with diapers, non-perishable food items, and cleaning supplies to help those affected by Hurricane Ida. Jamie Owens, a LAS Locomotive Mechanic at the Hodge Depot, joined them for their second trip down South to give donations to the United Way.

“You hear people say, ‘it’s awesome we gave back,’” said Smith. “But to us, it’s just what you do. That’s just how it is around here.”

Another group of Watco team members from Freeport, Texas, including Vice President Jason Eliot, Senior Site Leader John Mullins, and Site Leader Ricky Martinez, traveled to St. Charles, Louisiana, just 36 hours after Hurricane Ida made landfall.

Eliot said, “The destruction we saw on the drive down was really bad. More telephone poles were laying down than standing up.”

Upon arrival, the group delivered much-needed supplies including gasoline, tarps, chainsaws, water, and food to fellow team member Watco Site Logistics Operations Leader Andre Ledoux, at the Hahnville, Louisiana, facility, and a business partner in the area.

“They were happy to see us,” Eliot said. “After we unloaded the supplies, we helped cut up and haul off a tree that had fallen over from the storm. We’re glad we could help our friends.”