People News: Watco, AITX

Watco Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer Stefan Loeb (pictured) has been appointed to STB's Railroad-Shipper Transportation Advisory Council.

Watco Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer Stefan Loeb has been appointed to the Railroad-Shipper Transportation Advisory Council (RSTAC). Also, AITX welcomes Timothy Jones as Plant Manager of AITX Clinton, Ind.

Watco Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer Stefan Loeb has been named the newest member of RSTAC, a Surface Transportation Board (STB) advisory committee that “provides advice on regulatory, policy and legislative matters, as appropriate, to the STB Board Members, the Secretary of Transportation, the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, and the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee,” Watco announced in the January issue of its newsletter The Dispatch.

STB Chairman Martin Oberman appointed Loeb in December to fill a vacancy on the 15-member council that consists of senior officials representing large and small shippers, and large and small railroads. Loeb holds one of the positions advocating for small railroads.

“Representing Watco on RSTAC is a real honor,” said Loeb. “Interacting with the top industry regulators and customers on the multitude of topics brought forth to the STB puts us in a great position to help move the industry forward to the benefit of our customers and overall industry.”

“Stefan will be outstanding in this role,” said Watco CEO Dan Smith. “His familiarity with our diverse customer base gives him visibility into the various needs, challenges, and service solutions required to provide impactful rail service. He can bring that knowledge into the RSTAC discussions.”

RSTAC meets quarterly, and Loeb attended his first meeting December 7-8 in Washington, D.C.

Watco Executive Chairman Rick Webb is a past RSTAC member.

AITX recently announced that Timothy Jones has joined the company as the new Plant Manager of its Clinton, Ind., repair facility. In his new role, Jones will lead the company’s efforts to scale the capabilities of AITX’s Clinton location, which already offers mobile repair and railcar storage services. The growth strategy, AITX says, will include adding light, medium and heavy railcar repairs for shippers on the CSX delivery line.

Jones brings more than 20 years of railcar repair experiences to AITX with a successful track record in plant management, revenue growth and scalable processes. He is a certified welder (AWS) and a Six-Sigma Green Belt with expertise across multiple car types, including pressure differential (PD) covered hoppers, covered hoppers, box cars and gondolas.

According to AITX, Jones has managed multiple repair facilities throughout his career, with several years focused on businesses and rail traffic shipping through the geographic areas of Indiana and neighboring states. Most recently, he served as General Manager of Cathcart Rail’s Indiana repair locations. Prior to that, Jones held Plant Management and Quality Assurance leadership roles for Appalachian Railcar Services, where he successfully led safety, quality, compliance and production. At Harbor Rail Services, Jones was both Plant Manager and Shop Supervisor, helping make instrumental strides in production, time-management efficiencies, and talent management across hiring, onboarding and mentorship.

“Our commitment to being a best-in-class railcar service provider starts with hiring the best people who share our values around safety, quality and integrity,” said AITX SVP Railcar Services John Ward. “Tim is a natural fit for our team. He has proven experience in the region and across a wide-range of car-types and customers. His leadership across team building, compliance, and quality are directly in-line with what AITX stands for. We are happy to have Tim on-board.”