People News: AITX, INRD
Written by Marybeth Luczak, Executive Editor
INRD is Railway Age’s 2012 and 2018 Regional Railroad of the Year. (INRD photo from 2018 Award Feature)
American Industrial Transport, Inc. (AITX) has promoted John Ward to Senior Vice President of Repair Services, and brought on a new Vice President of Repair Services and a Plant Manager in Milton, Pa. Also, Indiana Rail Road Company (INRD) has elevated Matt Haire to Assistant Vice President, Information Technology.
A nearly 45-year AITX veteran, John Ward will now oversee all 17 facilities across the company’s North American repair network. This also includes the Brookhaven, Miss., facility expansion project, slated to break ground next month.
Since joining AITX in 1978, Ward has served as Shop Supervisor, QA Supervisor, Fleet Service Manager, Plant Manager, and Director New Business Development.
Greg Gibson joined AITX in February to succeed Ward as Vice President, Repair Services. With more than 25 years’ experience across multiple industries, he served most recently as Senior Vice President of Operations for Cathcart Rail. In this position, he directed railcar repairs, train operations, railcar storage, and field services covering more than 60 sites across 23 states.
Charles Crow joined AITX this year as Plant Manager of the company’s new Milton, Pa., facility. He has 28-plus years of experience in the railcar business with a focus on repair and maintenance. He has worked at Appalachian Railcar Services and Cathcart Rail, where he was most recently Vice President of Field Services, leading 20 sites across 15 states.
“With the collection of John, Greg, and Charles, we have unmatched industry experience and expertise,” AITX President Kurt Higginbotham said. “AITX will benefit from how they lead through a strong sense of integrity and performance metrics. We are excited for this team to partner across our repair network, empower our teams, and unlock innovative customer solutions.”
At INRD, Matt Haire has risen from Director to Assistant Vice President, Information Technology. He joined the regional railroad’s IT department in 2004 as a Technology Specialist working on web development and internal web applications. After advancing to Manager of Information Technology and then Director of IT, Haire focused on implementing technologies and solutions that would increase efficiencies, reduce costs, and improve service and reliability in support of internal and external customers.
“Informational Technology is a critical component to support our operation,” said Dewayne Swindall, President and CEO of INRD, Railway Age’s 2012 and 2018 Regional Railroad of the Year. “Matt’s leadership is being recognized for his unwavering desire to lead his team that delivers top-quality support every single day.”
