Falcone joins Railroad Financial Corp.
Rail equipment finance veteran Andrew J. Falcone has joined Railroad Financial Corp. as a Vice President, based in Boston.
Finance/Leasing
Baun joins MULR as CCO
Rail industry veteran Theodore W. “Ted” Baun will be joining MUL Railcars, Inc. (MULR), a subsidiary of Mitsubishi UFJ Lease & Finance Company Limited (MUL), as Chief Commercial Officer, effective July 1. He will be responsible for fleet utilization, revenue generation and customer support operations, as well as “playing an integral role as part of the corporate leadership of MULR in planning and architecting the growth of the platform and the fleet as we drive toward our near-term objective of having a 25,000-car portfolio by the end of 2020,” the company said.
Siemer named Heartland Rail VP Leasing
Rail industry equipment leasing and finance veteran Matt Siemer has joined Heartland Rail LLC as Vice President of Leasing. He has extensive experience in the industry, beginning at The David J. Joseph Company and then CIT Rail.
Greenbrier acquiring ARI
In a transaction valued at $400 million, the Greenbrier Companies, Inc. (GBRX) has entered into an agreement to acquire the manufacturing business of American Railcar Industries (ARI) from ITE Management LP (ITE), the hedge fund that bought ARI from investor Carl Icahn in December 2018. GBX said the result will be “a larger U.S. railcar manufacturing footprint, adding ARI’s two manufacturing facilities in Arkansas. It will employ more U.S. workers at cost-competitive and flexible facilities, with a more-efficient delivery model throughout North America, due to lower transportation costs.”
Rail freight traffic: What’s going on here?
We traditionally have reported the Association of American Railroads weekly compilation of freight traffic statistics as “straight news,” with commentary restricted to what the AAR may include in the release, which is rare. In this case, there’s a lot going on here, enough to warrant some analysis. The figures are all here, along with supporting charts. But don’t take them at face value.
RSI joins the “Boxcar Blues” chorus
Railway Age Contributing Editor Jim Blaze is not the only one singing the boxcar blues (“I’m singin’ the boxcar blues” article, March 26). Members of the Railway Supply Institute Equipment Leasing Committee (ELC) have also identified the looming boxcar shortage as a significant issue that needs to be addressed.
REF 2019 roundup
If you missed this year’s Rail Equipment Finance Conference held in La Quinta, Calif., you may have missed the best rail equipment and finance program ever assembled in one location. Never fear, here is the “Financial Edge” annual summary of key takeaways from the speakers gracing the podium at REF 2019.
Greenbrier receives $450MM in orders, previews FY2Q financials
The Greenbrier Companies announced March 22 that it had received orders for 3,800 new railcars with an aggregate value of nearly $450 million during its fiscal second quarter ended Feb. 28. At the same time, the company announced preliminary financial results for its fiscal second quarter.
Belke joins Strategic Rail Finance
Strategic Rail Finance (SRF) has named rail industry veteran Carl Belke as Executive Consultant in the firm’s Freight Rail Business Advisory practice. Belke has 45 years of freight rail experience in management, strategy, engineering, operations, government advocacy and public policy.
Matt Rose at REF 2019: It’s about growth—not cutting
RAIL EQUIPMENT FINANCE 2019, LA QUINTA, CALIF, March 5: BNSF Executive Chairman Matt Rose, nearing retirement, shared his views on the rail industry with Railway Age Editor-in-Chief William C. Vantuono and more than 400 attendees at Railroad Financial Corporation’s annual conference, organized by RFC President and Railway Age Financial Editor David Nahass and his staff. Rose talked extensively about Precision Scheduled Railroading (PSR), business growth, advanced technology and other topics.