The Midwest Association of Rail Shippers (MARS), one of five regional associations under the umbrella of the North American Rail Shippers Association, will host a two-day meeting on Wednesday and Thursday, Jan. 11–12, 2012 at Marriott’s Oak Brook Hills Resort in Oak Brook, Ill.

"The dynamics of the North American rail industry have never been more exciting in our memories," said MARS president Randy Worth. "We'll start this year's meeting with an overview from a leader who has played a central role in the industry's amazing evolution--Clarence Gooden, EVP & CCO, CSX Transportation--and in the spirit of the industry's broad scope we'll be joined by representatives of many railroads, shippers, receivers, car services, and government leaders for two days of informative and lively presentations."

The theme of the 2012 January meeting is “Changing Landscape of the Rail Industry.” MARS will also host a joint luncheon with the Chicago Transportation Club on Wednesday, January 11.

Below is a schedule in regards to the upcoming meeting.
 

Wednesday, Jan. 11, 2012


Tomorrow’s Railroad Here Today
Keynote Speaker: Clarence Gooden, EVP & CCO, CSX Transportation

Domestic Intermodal Trends
Tom Malloy, VP Policy & Communications, IANA

The Value of Transloading
Tom Myles, President, Wellsboro & Corning Railroad
Bill Lindeke, VP, Customer Development, WSI, Inc.
Charles Marias, President & CEO, Great Lakes Transload

The Process and Benefits of Rail Planning
Libby Ogard, President, Prime Focus, LLC

North American Rail Shippers Association Update
George Macko, Secretary, NARS

Joint Luncheon, MARS and Traffic Club of Chicago
Daniel R. Elliott, III, Chairman, Surface Transportation Board

Rail Success Story—The Cold Train
Steve Lawson, President, Rail Logistics/Cold Train


Legislative Update
Adam Nordstrom, Partner, Chambers, Conlon & Hartwell

Railroading 101 (101 Seminar registration required)
Program Instructor: John Schmitter, President, KEP, LLC

Thursday, Jan. 12, 2012



Shortline Report
John Hellman, President & CEO, Gennessee & Wyoming Railroad

Economic Outlook
William Straus, Sr. Economist & ECO Advisor, Federal Reserve Board, Chicago

Reciprocal Switching Considerations at STB
John Gray, Senior VP, Economics and Policy, AAR

Recovery or Recession? A Wall Street View of Recent Freight Trends
Scott Group, Director, Sr. Transportation Analyst, Wolfe Trahan

Railroading 201 (201 Seminar registration required)

Program Instructor: John Schmitter, President, KEP, LLC

Networking tables will be available for distribution of company literature. Please register for the conference online at www.railshippers.com, and click on “Midwest”.

To make hotel reservations, click this link or call 630-850-5537.