Swezey Appointed as Miner President and General Manager

John Swezey, President and General Manager, Miner Enterprises

Railcar component manufacturer Miner Enterprises, Inc. on Oct. 20 announced that John Swezey has been appointed as the company’s President and General Manager, effective Nov. 1.

Swezey, who currently serves as Head of Miner subsidiary Powerbrace Corporation, will take over duties from Ric Biehl, who is retiring after more than 47 years with Miner.

“Leaders like Ric Biehl are difficult to come by, and equally hard to replace,” said Swezey. “Under Ric’s leadership, Miner has grown its global presence and reputation for providing innovative, engineering-driven solutions for many of the toughest challenges in railcar performance.”

Since 2011, Swezey has served as General Manager and then President and General Manager of Kenosha, Wis.-based Powerbrace, a manufacturer of lockrods, compression latches, swing door securement products, hinges and hardware for railroad rolling stock and highway trailers. In addition, Powerbrace designs, manufactures and fabricates Miner-branded outlets gates, brake beams and other railcar components through its Rail Products Division facility in Saltillo, Coahuila, Mexico. Its Miner Grating Systems unit in Dallas, Tex., produces premium industrial grating systems and specialty running boards for all types of railcars.

“Under John Swezey’s leadership, I’m confident Miner will continue to deepen our collaborative relationships within the railroad industry,” Biehl remarked. “His engineering expertise and command of manufacturing technologies, inventory optimization and data-driven distribution systems will benefit Miner and its customers in countless ways. I couldn’t be leaving the leadership team in better hands.”