
UNION PACIFIC CHAIRMAN JAMES R. YOUNG NAMED RAILROADER OF THE YEAR
Written by William C. Vantuono, Editor-in-Chief“As Jim Young so aptly puts it, ‘Union Pacific has evolved from the company that built America by building the first transcontinental railroad to one that today is critical to the global supply chain,’” said Railway Age editor-in-chief William C. Vantuono. For his vital role in that evolution, he is a deserving recipient of our Railroader of the Year award. Under the leadership of Young and such key team members as Jack Koraleski, the current President and CEO, UP recently has started to see what its franchise can deliver for customers, employees, communities, and shareholders. Leading up to its 150th anniversary have been such mile-markers as record full-year earnings in 2010 and 2011; record capital investment in 2010, 2011, and again in 2012; and record levels of customer satisfaction since 2009.”
“I am honored to accept the railroader of the year award on behalf of all Union Pacific employees,” Young said. “Very few companies have achieved 150 years in business, and the best part about it for Union Pacific is despite all our incredible accomplishments during the past century and a half, we think our best years are still ahead of us.”
Jim Young is Railway Age’s 50th Railroader of the Year. He is the sixth Union Pacific recipient, preceded by Frank E. Barnett (1975), Robert M. Brown (1978), Mike Walsh (1991), Richard K. Davidson (2003), and William E. Wimmer (2007). Modern Railroads magazine founded the award, one of the most prestigious in the railroad industry, in 1964 as the “Man of the Year.” Railway Age acquired Modern Railroads in 1991 and has presented the award annually since then. Young will be honored on March 12, 2013, at Chicago’s Union League Club. Railway Age will tell the story of Jim Young and the organization he leads at Union Pacific with a cover story in the magazine’s January 2013 issue, which will also be available online at www.railwayage.com.
About Union Pacific
It was 150 years ago that Abraham Lincoln signed the Pacific Railway Act of July 1, 1862, creating the original Union Pacific. One of America’s iconic companies, today, Union Pacific Railroad is the principal operating company of Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE: UNP), linking 23 states in the western two-thirds of the country by rail and providing freight solutions and logistics expertise to the global supply chain. From 2000 through 2011, Union Pacific spent more than $31 billion on its network and operations, making needed investments in America’s infrastructure and enhancing its ability to provide safe, reliable, fuel-efficient, and environmentally responsible freight transportation. Union Pacific’s diversified business mix includes Agricultural Products, Automotive, Chemicals, Coal, Industrial Products, and Intermodal. The railroad serves many of the fastest-growing U.S. population centers and emphasizes excellent customer service. Union Pacific operates competitive routes from all major West Coast and Gulf Coast ports to eastern gateways, connects with Canada’s rail systems and is the only railroad serving all six major Mexico gateways.
About Railway Age
Railway Age (www.railwayage.com) is a monthly trade magazine circulated at the management levels of North American freight and passenger railroads. Founded in Chicago, Ill., in 1856, it is the transportation industry’s longest-running trade publication. Railway Age is published by the Simmons-Boardman Publishing Corp., New York, N.Y.
Supplemental information
Railroader of the Year recipients under Modern Railroads
1964: D. W. Brosnan, Southern Railway System
1965: Stuart T. Saunders, Pennsylvania Railroad Co.
1966: Stuart T. Saunders, Pennsylvania Railroad Co.
1967: Louis W. Menk, Northern Pacific Railway
1968: William B. Johnson, Illinois Central Railroad
1969: John W. Barriger, Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad
1970: John S. Reed, Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway
1971: Jervis Langdon, Jr., Penn Central Transportation Co.
1972: Charles Luna, United Transportation Union
1973: James B. Germany, Southern Pacific Transportation Co.
1974: L. Stanley Crane, Southern Railway System
1975: Frank E. Barnett, Union Pacific Railroad
1976: Dr. William J. Harris, Jr., Association of American Railroads
1977: Edward G. Jordan, Conrail
1978: Robert M. Brown, Union Pacific Railroad
1979: Theodore C. Lutz, Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority
1980: John G. German, Missouri Pacific Railroad Co.
1981: Lawrence Cena, Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway
1982: A. Paul Funkhouser, Family Lines Rail System
1983: L. Stanley Crane, Conrail
1984: Hays T. Watkins, CSX Corp.
1985: John L. Cann, Canadian National
1986: Raymond C. Burton, Jr., Trailer Train Co.
1987: Willis B. Kyle, Kyle Railways
1988: Darius W. Gaskins, Jr., Burlington Northern
1989: W. Graham Claytor, Jr., Amtrak
1990: Arnold B. McKinnon, Norfolk Southern
1991: Mike Walsh, Union Pacific Railroad
Recipients under Railway Age
1992: William H. Dempsey, Association of American Railroads
1993: Raymond C. Burton, Jr., TTX Co.
1994: L. S. “Jake” Jacobson, Copper Basin Railway
1995: Edwin Moyers, Southern Pacific Transportation Co.
1996: Robert D. Krebs, AT&SF, and Gerald Grinstein, Burlington Northern
1997: Paul M. Tellier, Canadian National
1998: David R. Goode, Norfolk Southern
1999: Edward A. Burkhardt, Wisconsin Central Transportation Co.
2000: The Railroad Worker (award presented as “Railroader of the Century” for 2000)
2001: Michael R. Haverty, Kansas City Southern
2002: E. Hunter Harrison, Canadian National/Illinois Central
2003: Richard K. Davidson, Union Pacific Railroad
2004: Robert J. Ritchie, Canadian Pacific Railway
2005: David R. Goode, Norfolk Southern
2006: Richard F. Timmons, American Short Line & Regional Railroad Association
2007: William E. Wimmer, Union Pacific Railroad
2008: Stephen C. Tobias, Norfolk Southern
2009: Michael J. Ward, CSX
2010: Matthew K. Rose, BNSF
2011: Wick Moorman, Norfolk Southern
2012: David L. Starling, Kansas City Southern
2013: James R. Young, Union Pacific Corporation