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 Expertise |
Education |
Work History |
Career Accomplishments |
Consulting Services |
Expert Witness |
Market Research |
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| Summary of Expertise: |  |
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Expert has over 30 years of experience in the railroad and transportation industry. After serving in top management positions in Class I and Short Line railroads for many years, Expert founded Expert's Firm in 1983. His vast expertise has included involvement in some of the most pivotal events in the industry from the mid 70's through today. Work has included branch line analysis, equipment utilization and analysis, development of operating plans, market development, transportation costing, intermodal analysis, merger studies, developing short line railroads, and financial analysis. Expert serves as the Chairman and CEO of the firm, managing all major business decisions, in addition to serving as Project Manager for most projects. He is also an Operation Lifesaver Presenter for Nevada. He continues to develop a reputation as one of the most experienced, innovative, and forward thinking leaders in the field. |
| Show Secondary and Basic Areas of Expertise | |
| Localities: Expert may consult nationally and internationally, and is also local to the following cities: Reno, Nevada; Sparks, Nevada; Citrus Heights, California; Roseville, California; and Folsom, California. | |
| Education: |  |
| 1979 | MBA | Business, Transportation | San Francisco State University | Alumnus of the Year | ||||
| 1976 | BA | Business, Transportation, and Real Estate | San Francisco State University |
| Work History: | |
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(Undisclosed) | Owner | Chairman & CEO |
Expert put his rail hands-on expertise into his own consulting firm, established in 1983, accumulating over 30 years of experience in the industry. Work has included branch line analysis, equipment utilization and analysis, development of operating plans, market development, transportation costing, intermodal analysis, merger studies, developing short line railroads, and financial analysis. Expert serves as the Chairman and CEO of the firm, managing all major business decisions, in addition to serving as Project Manager for most projects. He is also an Operation Lifesaver Presenter for Nevada. |
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Arkansas Midland Railroad | General Manager |
Expert was responsible for the overall operations of a $5 million short line railroad which includes 131 miles of track, 37 employees, and 21,000 annual carloads. The maintenance of way, maintenance of equipment, operations, marketing and agency departments reported to Expert. In addition, Expert was responsible for all purchasing activities and real estate transactions. |
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Transportation Marketing Services, Inc. | Consultant |
Expert was responsible for achieving revenue and profit objectives of the firm as directed by the President. His duties included market development, strategic planning, equipment analysis, physical distribution analysis, branch line acquisition analysis, competitive analysis, market research, contract rate negotiations, sales development, operations analysis, and development of business plans. He prepared testimony, traffic and revenue projections diversion estimates, and traffic flow analyses for the Anschutz Corporation and Rio Grande Industries in their acquisition of the Southern Pacific Transportation Company. Clients included the government, shippers, transportation companies, and port authorities. |
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Southern Pacific Transportation Company | Marketing Services Department, Intermodal Department, Market Planning Department | Various |
In the Marketing Services Dept., Expert was responsible for achieving revenue and profit objectives for the corporation as directed by the Assistant Vice President - Marketing Services. His duties included developing agreements with other railroads, developing a network of short-haul TOFC trains, and evaluating the competitive environment and implications for the corporation. He was involved with branch line sales and agreements, working with both investors and financiers to develop short line railroads. He handled SPTCo's application for trackage rights in the Union Pacific-Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad merger including a traffic flow analysis, diversion estimates, and revenue projections. In the Intermodal Dept., Expert was responsible for special studies on all aspects of domestic and international TOFC and container traffic as directed by Assistant Vice President - Intermodal. His duties included contract development and negotiations, developing and analyzing costs, developing and analyzing various markets, and pricing, representing approximately $500 million in annual revenue. In the Market Planning Dept., Expert was responsible for the market development and pricing of the aggregate and cement commodities representing approximately $80 million in annual review. He was originally hired as Assistant Manager, Market Development - Bulk Services (May 1981-July 1982), and promoted to Product Manger, Marketing & Sales - Aggregates and Cement (July 1982-1985). His duties included forecasting and analyzing of product market with objective of expanding SPTCo's market share, reducing operating costs, and increasing profit margin. Additional responsibilities included negotiation of contracts with customers, developing and analyzing costs, and commercial decisions involving equipment allocation and acquisition. In response to the Staggers (4R) Act, directed marketing efforts in aggregates/ cement from traditional single car rate to unit train contracts generating a 20% increase in SPTCo's share in the western railroad market. Over a three-year period, this represented a net contribution turnaround from an $8 million loss to a $5 million profit.
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Western Pacific Railroad | Transportation Department | Staff Director |
Expert's responsibilities included both staff and direct line supervision of railroad operations. Staff position reported to Director-Operating Administration. Responsibilities included projecting and monitoring of annual system operating budget of $70 million; in-depth analysis of operating expenses; working with line managers to determine and coordinate individual terminal and district costs with overall system forecast; presentation of budget variances to Vice President-Operations; and providing guidelines and requirements for the programming of departmental reports. This line position reported to Division Superintendent. Expert was responsible for directing rail operations in the district between Oakland and Stockton - the fastest growing region on the railroad, which generated $15 million in gross revenue with an operating budget of $2.2 million. The territory comprised a variety of rail operations; main and branch line, industry and road switching, interchange, and joint facilities. Expert coordinated schedules, assignments, and train performance to customer requirements with other departments of the railroad (i.e. Sales, Car Distribution, Train Operations/Dispatching, Roadway, and Mechanical). He also supervised train and engine operating employees within the district in addition to 20 station employees. |
| Career Accomplishments: | |
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Associations/Societies Expert and his firm are members of the American Association of Railroads, National Industrial Transportation League and the Transload Distribution Association. |
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Professional Appointments Expert is on the Board of Directors for Sierra Northern Railway. He is the financial advisor for Kalthoff, LLC and trustee of the Kalthoff Trust. |
| Government Experience: | |
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Washington State DOT | On Call Rail Operations & Engineering Team | Expert provides rail operations expertise to this team, working on a variety of rail projects throughout the state. Expert has been involved with rail relocations, vendor evaluations, rail line valuations, traffic development and financial analysis. | |||
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Southern California Association of Goverments | Inland Port Feasibility Study | He is the rail expertise behind the consultant team, providing rail negotiations with Class 1 carriers and detailed comparative operational scenarios for proposed routes and alternatives. | |||
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Texas DOT | Rail Infrastructure | His firm is the Rail Consultant for the Cintra Zachry team leading the TTC-35-Trans-Texas Corridor Project. Expert and his firm are involved in rail operations and partnership development for the joint use corridor, including agreement negotiations, traffic development, operational plans and scenarios, and infrastructural design. | |||
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Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority | Economic Impact to Shippers for Discontinued Rail Service | He has performed extensive rail customer interviews, developed current and projected traffic transportation costs and revenue, competitive analysis between modes and business evaluations. |
| Consulting Services: | |
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Escondido Branch Economic Impact Analysis for North County Transit District and BNSF Railway: The NCTD proposed to close the freight operations in the 22-mile corridor between Oceanside and Escondido, CA while the transit line was being constructed for 3 years. He investigated the economic impact to shippers and the BNSF Railway, including extensive interviews and financial analysis. He came up with a solution that allowed freight operations to continue while the transit line was constructed under a multi-use authority, benefiting all parties involved: BNSF, shippers, NCTD, and communities along the corridor. |
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Terminal and Yard Operations Analysis for BNSF Railway: He conducted physical inspections, developed marketing plans, and financial and economic analyses for major BNSF terminals across the United States: West Seattle, WA, Denver, CO, Quad Cities, IA, Fargo, ND, Kansas City, MO, Memphis, TN, Oklahoma City, OK, Omaha, NE, and Dallas, TX. Each operation evaluation has included a site inspection, customer interviews, financials and economics, traffic and operations review, and development of economic analysis to determine asset disposition [3rd party operated portions, contract switchers, short line operators]. Analysis involved working closely with multiple departments within the BNSF organization, making recommendations for restructuring and assisting with implementation. |
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Airport Industrial Park Analysis for Memphis Regional Chamber and Tennessee Valley Authority: Inventory of all roadways, railways, and structures in the 1440 acre industrial park, including inspecting the condition and capacity of each transportation system. The study also included interviews with the largest customers within the park [20-30 customers] to discover issues and concerns, and determine the park's competitive position in the area and regionally. Determined economic impact on the community, including jobs, community revenue, and security issues. Recommendations for improvements to both grow business and improve transportation service based on findings. He worked closely with all government officials, economic development agencies, customers, property owners, and BNSF Railway to coordinate the progress of the study, and completed this project in 7 months instead of the 3 years originally estimated by the RFP. |
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California Inter-Regional Intermodal Shuttle (CIRIS) project for CalTrans, San Joaquin Valley Council of Governments, Port of Oakland and Port of Stockton: Project objective is to explore the feasibility of creating an Intermodal shuttle train from the Port of Oakland to an inland port in order to reduce congestion at the port, truck traffic on the highways, and promote import/export business from the central valley. He is most heavily involved in exploring possible rail routes and alternatives along the corridor between the two ports, and analyzing the economic feasibility of each operational option, choosing the appropriate rates, and assisting with Class I contacts and possible negotiations. |
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Equipment Planning, Strategic Partnership Development, Rail Analysis and Operations Agreements for Kelly USA, Inland Port in San Antonio, TX: The Greater Kelly County Development Authority created this Inland Port from the ground up called Kelly USA in San Antonio Texas to handle the growing demand and opportunities with multi-modal logistics in the central United States and growing trade flowing across the Mexican border. He has assisted the development of the port by assessing the rail and intermodal access, traffic analysis and market development including a competitive analysis, assisting with equipment planning and lease negotiations, negotiating participation with Class I rail carriers, and developing strategic partnerships with shippers and service operators to make the inland port a success. |
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| Expert Witness: | |
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Expert provided expert witness services for multiple cases including accident, injury, fatality, condemnation, loss of business, labor hearings, transportation cost damages, appraisals and rail evaluations for settlements. He provided documentation, inspections, depositions and testimony.Testified or Deposition 2000-2001 – Pacific Coast Building Products Company (PABCO) - Patent Infringement case. Attorney: Ned Gelhaar of Boutin Dentino Gibso Digiusti Hodell & West in Sacramento, CA. Case # 793288-5 Superior Court of State of California. 2003 – Albany and Eastern Railway Company (AERC) Verification of value of rail line for divorce settlement. Attorney: Gilbert Feibleman of Feibleman and Case Attorneys in Salem, OR. No Docket # provided to RII. 2004 – Oregon Pacific Railroad (OPR) Verification of value of rail line for divorce settlement. Attorney: Brett Engel of Stahancyk, Gearing, Rackner & Kent in Portland, OR. Case # DR02-04-788 in Circuit Court of State of Oregon, County of Clackamas. 2007-2008 – Norfolk Southern Railroad – Property and train delay damages – Attorney: Jeff Hienrichs of McLeod and Heinrichs in St. Louis, MO. Case # 06CH-CC00011 in the Circuit Court of Chariton County, State of Missouri. 2008 – Coos-Siskiyou Shipper Coalition – Challenge of rail service and common carrier obligation Emergency Service Order request – Attorney: Tom McFarland of Thomas F. McFarland, PC in Chicago, IL Docket # 35175 with US Surface Transportation Board. Additional expert witness services that did not end up requiring testimony but included reports, inspections, research or advisory and were settled or are current and deposition/testimony are pending: 2004 – Amtrak – Rate case. Attorney: Ronan McHugh of Thelen Reid & Priest LLP in Washington DC No Case# (Case settled). 2005 – Amtrak – Loss of revenue case. Attorney: Kalea of Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr (provided services for another RII representative who testified). 2005 – Western Farm Services – Switch Injury case. Attorney: David Kippur of Booth Mitchell Strange in Los Angeles, CA. Case # (Case settled). 2005 – Colorado and Wyoming – Job injury case. Attorney: Chip Delap of Dufford and Brown in Denver, CO Case# 04-MK-1651 (Case settled). 2005 – Current - Southeast Produce vs. Ambrosino – Transportation cost damages case. Attorney: Anna Giuliano of Wong, Wong and Associates in New York, NY. Case #28441/99 in Supreme Court of the State of New York – County of Queens (Deposition Pending). 2006 – John Miller – Railcar Injury Case. Attorney: Randy Andrus in Folsom, CA. Case # 2:06 CV-00377 FCD EFB in the United States District Court – East District of California (Case closed by judge). 2007 – Western Rail Services – Evaluation of assets for divorce settlement. Attorney: Allen Gauper of Salina, Sanger and Gauper in Spokane, WA. Case# 06-3-02220 in the Superior Court of Washington County of Spokane (Case settled). 2007-2008 – General Electric – Warranty Dispute – Attorney: Meghan Poetzle of Jenner and Block in Chicago, IL (Deposition pending). 2008 – Carl Kelly vs. City of Philadelphia, Conrail, et. Al. – Injury liability case – Attorney: James T. Vernile of Vernile Law Offices in Philadelphia, PA Case #001430 in Court of Common Pleas of Philadelphia County (Trial Pending). 2008 – Current – PR Farms, Inc. – Challenge of car repair damages – Attorney: Theodore Hoppe of Hoppe Law Group in Fresno, CA. Case # 107-cv-1639 OWW GSA United States District Court; Eastern District (Depositions pending). Rio Grande and Pacific Railroad national merger case– Verification of traffic data. Union Pacific and South Orient Express national Class I case – Loss of business case. |
| International Experience: | |
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Argentina | He was involved in the evaluation for potential purchase of major railroad. Expert traveled to the physical facilities and conducted a plant inspection and assessment. A detailed economic analysis and strategic plan were submitted. | ||
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Brazil | Ferrovia Paulista, S.A. - Expert performed Due Diligence on privatization of railroad system in Sao Paulo, Brazil. His firm reviewed and consulted on government and railroad documents. He also inspected and assessed physical facilities and equipment. Expert conducted detailed interviews with current and former railroad employees. His firm developed an operations model, market analysis, and strategic plan. | ||
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Mexico | Expert worked with Transportacion Maritima Mexicana on the privatization and acquisition of National Railways of Mexico. Managed multicultural and multi-disciplinary team in labor, financing, organizational structure, and revenue generation in privatization of railway. His firm also coordinated with the Federal Government on privatization issues, and helped identify U.S. strategic partner for TMM investment. | ||
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Mexico | Expert assisted National Railways of Mexico with privatization. Assisted Grupo Tribasa'a successful bid to acquire the Sureste Rail Line. Expert led the marketing and lobbying effort to promote Tribasa's team to federal government and organized labor. | ||
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Costa Rica | U.S. Transportation Department sponsored analysis of privatization of a railway in Costa Rica, including facility and equipment analysis, financial analysis, employee interviews, and marketing analysis of which Expert was on the team. |
| Language Skills: | |
| Chinese | He has staff who is a native speaker of Chinese. She can translate and understand spoken or written Chinese. | |
| Spanish | He has staff who have studied Spanish in college and have intermediate proficiency for spoken and written Spanish. |
| Market Research: | |
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Market Analysis is one of his firm's services. He uses qualitative interview techniques to develop target markets. He has analyzed forecasting and traffic to determine demand and competition. His products have included various rail services from car cleaning to transloading, as well as all rail equipment, from locomotives to rail car parts. |
| Additional Skills and Services: | |
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Training/Seminars Expert is Mentor for Business Management at San Francisco University. He has provided numerous training and seminars for safety, operations, STB filings, agreements and transportation industry trends. |
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Supplier and Vendor Location and Selection One of his firm's services is third party selection, including RFP development, proposal review, background research on industry reputation and interview process. |