A One-of-a-Kind Watco Terminal and Team

How well do you know Watco? If you consider yourself a wiz, then it will be easy to answer this question: Which Watco terminal features the only remaining geodesic dome in the United States?

For those who answered Wood River Transload Terminal in Illinois, that is correct.

Photo above, from left to right: Driver Paul Voss, Terminal Manager Kim Gardner, Switch Operator Robert Luster, Crew Lead Vincent Deering, Operator Johnny DeLeonyPena, Customer Service Representative Marge Miles, Operator Derick Handegan, Driver Thomas Reinhardt, and Driver James Maddux.

‘The dome,’ as local team members call it, was formerly a railcar mechanical shop. Now it’s primarily used for warehouse space and to transload soda ash from railcar to truck.

“The dome is truly unique and stands out in the community,” Terminal Manager Kim Gardner said. “We’ve repurposed the space to match the needs of our customers.”

From an operational perspective, handling soda ash in the dome is helpful. That’s because this particular commodity can be compromised if exposed to inclement weather like rain or snow.

Operator Johnny DeLeonyPena recalls working around the weather to transload soda ash at a previous Watco location before joining the Wood River team.

He said, “Before I joined Wood River, I worked all hours of the day and on weekends to make up for time lost from weather. Now because of the dome, we no longer must stop operations when it’s raining. Wood River is the only facility in the country that loads ash regardless of weather conditions.”

The dome isn’t the only reason this terminal stands out. The Watco team members at this location are standouts, too.

Gardner said, “We have a great group of people here. Between all of us, we have a wealth of knowledge and experience. I look forward to growing this team and the services we provide."

Aside from their typical workday, Wood River team members also help support the community they serve. Just last month the team took part in two community initiatives.

The first was donating beverages to a local Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E.) fundraiser. Local team members also dug into their pockets to purchase back-to-school supplies for the local school district.

“It’s an honor to help in any way we can,” DeLeonyPena said. “Our team is special in that we always want to lend a hand.”

The Wood River team delivered beverages and school supplies for their community. Share how your team gives back to the community, email marketing@watco.com.