MRL Promotes Three

Montana Rail Link (MRL) has promoted Joe Racicot, Jim Lewis and Ross Lane to Vice President positions. Racicot previously served as General Counsel and Chief Administrative Officer, and has been promoted to Vice President Administration and General Counsel. Lewis previously served as Chief Sales and Marketing Officer and has been promoted to Vice President Sales and Marketing. Lane previously served as Chief Communications Officer and has been promoted to Vice President Corporate Relations.

Joe Racicot joined MRL as General Counsel in 2015, providing in-house legal counsel. Prior to 2015, Racicot was Associate Counsel for Washington Corporations for seven years. Additionally, Joe served as the Confidential Assistant to both the Deputy Administrator for Nuclear Nonproliferation and Deputy Under Secretary for Counterterrorism, for the National Nuclear Security Administration of the U.S. Department of Energy. Racicot holds a Bachelor of Arts in History from Carroll College, along with a Juris Doctorate from the University of Notre Dame Law School. He is a member of the State Bar of Montana.

Jim Lewis joined MRL in 2009 as Director of Sales & Marketing and was promoted to Chief Sales & Marketing Officer in 2013. He is responsible for overseeing business development for Montana Rail Link. With more than 30 years of experience in railroad, truck, warehousing, transloading and third-party logistics throughout North America, Lewis “has the knowledge and ability to connect Montana shippers with domestic and international markets,” MRL noted. Lewis holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Carroll College in Helena, Mont., and is involved with many industry related committees and councils within the railroad industry and the State of Montana.

Ross Lane joined MRL as Chief Communications Officer in January 2019 and has responsibility for all internal and external communications, public and government affairs and serves as the primary spokesman for the organization. Prior to joining MRL, Lane served as Regional Director Public Affairs for BNSF Railway with experience in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana and Wyoming. Lane has also served in a variety of roles including Executive Director of a conservation organization, Chief of Staff to the House Minority in the Montana State Legislature, and as Political Liaison for U.S. Senator Jon Tester’s 2012 re-election campaign. Lane holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of Montana, and a Master of Public Administration from Montana State University.

“Montana Rail Link is well-positioned for growth and remains an industry leader in terms of safety and service,” said Montana Rail Link President Derek Ollmann. “From the ballast line to the leaders of this company, we have the right people in place to achieve great things. I’m thankful for Joe, Jim and Ross as we begin an exciting new decade at MRL.”