People News: BNSF, Patriot Rail, ARRC, STV

BNSF's Cary Hutchings is honored with the Michael P. Hickey Award from the IAMC. (Photo Courtesy of BNSF via LinkedIn)

BNSF’s Cary Hutchings is honored with the Michael P. Hickey Award. Also, Patriot Rail names Jennifer Crotty Assistant Vice President Business Development; Alaska Railroad (ARRC) names Brian O’Dowd Director Engineering Services; and STV welcomes Robert J. Spillar, PE, as Senior Vice President, National Director of Smart Cities.

BNSF

The Industrial Asset Management Council (IAMC), an industrial and manufacturing real estate trade association, honored BNSF Director of Economic Development Cary Hutchings with the Michael P. Hickey Award for “upholding the highest standards of ethics and integrity, giving back to the industry, working to make the world a better place, serving and mentoring others.”

“For more than 24 years, Cary has been a dedicated economic development practitioner,” IAMC said in presenting the award. “The characteristics he exhibits in his professional life—loyalty, patience and the ability to support others in achieving their best—naturally extends to people outside of his work environment.”

“Cary embodies all of these qualities, and I could not be more pleased and proud that he was recognized with this award,” said IAMC President and CEO Tate Godfrey.

Patriot Rail

Patriot Rail announced July 11 the appointment of Jennifer Crotty as Assistant Vice President Business Development. She will be responsible for the sales and account management of Patriot Rail’s eastern railroads and supporting business partnerships at the company’s Lakeshore Railcar and Tanker Services in East Chicago, Ind. Crotty brings more than 22 years of business expertise to Patriot Rail and is a “proven leader with extensive knowledge in logistics, strategic partnerships and sales,” the company said.

“Jennifer brings business expertise and a strong understanding of the logistics environment to the Patriot Rail team,” said Patriot Rail CEO John E. Fenton. “Her managerial experience and understanding of the current business climate and customer needs makes her an asset to our team. We look forward to Jennifer further elevating Patriot Rail’s performance to serve customer needs and growth goals.”

Prior to joining Patriot Rail, Crotty served as National Account Manager at Milestone Equipment Holdings where she onboarded customers, including global 3PL providers, retailers and manufacturers. She also served as the National Account Manager at Canadian Pacific, where she focused on energy, chemical and plastics accounts, and as Regional Account Manager, handling a commodities portfolio of carload and intermodal traffic.

“My goal is to make an immediate and positive impact on the Patriot Rail team and the customers we serve,” said Crotty. “I am grateful for the opportunity to work with an organization that values safety and operational excellence, and I am committed to driving long-term safe and sustainable growth initiatives for Patriot Rail.”

ARRC

ARRC promoted Brian O’Dowd, PE, to Director of Engineering Services, effective July 11. O’Dowd replaces veteran railroad employee Christian Ryll, who retires after nearly 33 years.

O’Dowd has more than 10 years of experience delivering multidiscipline projects throughout Alaska as a project manager, asset owner, contractor and consultant. His strong background in infrastructure includes construction and maintenance projects for railroads, airports, harbors, pipelines, roadways and vertical buildings. Over the years, he has filled diverse roles–from project and construction management to strategic and cross-functional team collaboration, risk assessment and cost estimation, and legal and regulatory consulting.

O’Dowd’s considerable record and experience, both at the railroad and with previous employers, made him the clear choice to fill the position, according to ARRC Vice President and Chief Engineer Brian Lindamood. “We recognized Brian’s promising career potential early on when we hired him as an engineering intern in the mid-2000s. He’s lived up to that potential, and we’re very pleased to see him advance within the railroad.”

Following graduation from the University of Alaska Anchorage (UAA), O’Dowd managed and directed projects for engineering firms R & M Consultants and The Hamilton Companies. Returning to the Alaska Railroad as a Project Manager in 2018, he was promoted to Senior Project Manager in 2021.

O’Dowd earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering from UAA, is a certified professional engineer licensed in Alaska, and a member of American Railway Engineering and Maintenance-of-Way Association’s (AREMA) Seismic Design for Railway Structures and Structures Maintenance & Construction committees.

“The railroad’s engineering services department works throughout ARRC to develop and maintain our vast infrastructure. Brian’s intra-department experience is a great advantage in supporting our capital investment and infrastructure improvement plans and projects. Plus, his years in the private sector provides reliability and range to Brian’s abilities,” added Lindamood. “Brian’s leadership will provide a seamless transition as the newest member of our executive management team.”

STV

Multidiscipline engineering design firm STV named on July 11 Robert J. Spillar, PE, Senior Vice President and National Director of Smart Cities. Spillar will lead STV’s new smart cities practice, “a fully integrated suite of thinkers, planners, finance experts, designers, procurement and grant consultants, digital technologists and program managers, part of the firm’s advisory services offerings.” He will be based in Austin, TX.

In this new role, Spillar will advise public and private clients on urban strategies, including long-range budget development and cost/revenue options, as they consider different approaches in mobility, social infrastructure, urban solutions, decarbonization and public resources management. He will integrate his knowledge of urban development, technology and financing to help clients preserve existing community resources (i.e., placekeeping) and develop new ones (i.e., placemaking).

“We are excited to welcome a national thought leader of Robert’s caliber to STV’s team,” said Marcos Díaz González, STV Executive Vice President for Advisory and Program Management Services. “He brings a unique perspective at the intersection of mobility, technology and public space. His expertise will directly benefit our clients as they explore forward-looking policies and planning, innovative funding solutions and multi-faceted delivery programs for their urban infrastructure challenges.”

Spillar has more than three decades of public and private sector experience at the forefront of transportation and smart solutions for city and state governments. Most recently, he served as Director of Transportation for the City of Austin where his accomplishments included more than $1 billion in successfully approved mobility bonds; adoption of the Austin Strategic Mobility Plan; full modernization of the municipal signal system; development of a state-of-the-art mobility management center (MMC); and the establishment of a parking management program and full modernization of the City’s on-street managed parking system. He also served as Director of Traffic Management for the City of Seattle and held management positions in the private sector.

A registered professional engineer in Texas and Washington, Spillar earned his Bachelor of Science in civil engineering with honors from the University of Texas, Austin, and his Master of Science in civil engineering from the University of Washington, Seattle. He has served on the boards of MOVABILITY and the National Association of City Transportation Officials and the Research Advisory Committee for the Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI).