DispatchtheThe newsletter for Watco Companies, LLC and Watco Transportation Services, LLC September 2013, Volume 14, Issue 9
Greens Port Industrial Park's
new Crude by Rail Terminal
- ready for business
Big things are happening at Greens Port Industrial Park (GPIP) in Houston Texas. For the past few weeks, 29 new team members have been in train-ing mode as they prepare for the start-up of the Greens Port Crude by Rail (GCBR) Terminal. The GCBR Terminal project aligns itself with the Watco Customer First Foundation Principles of improv-ing Customer satisfaction, improving profitability, and doing both over the long-term by providing a solution for our Customer Mercuria in the Hous-ton market. The terminal is part of the Watco and Kinder Morgan joint venture (KW Express), and is an excellent characterization of GPIP’s development as a one-stop-shop for customer’s material handling and logistics needs.
The terminal occupies a 24 acre parcel at GPIP and includes a new loop track and rail yards. Phase I of the project is scheduled to be operational September 1, 2013 and will have two tracks with nine railcar spots each for unloading crude oil and delivery to the adjacent Magellan terminal via pipe connection. Phase II of the project is scheduled to be operational February, 2014 and will further increase the two
railcar rack-tracks to thirty-five railcar spots. At full operational capacity, the terminal will be capable of unloading 140,000 barrels per day of crude oil inbound from railcars and loading out 70,000 barrels per day of condensate. The terminal development also includes a 150,000 barrel and 100,000 barrel tank to be located at GPIP. The terminal will operate 24 hours per day, seven days per week and have the capacity to move crude oil from rail to tankage, rail to barge, rail to pipeline, tankage to rail, tankage to barge, barge to tankage, and from barge to rail.
The operations of the terminal will be safely com-pleted each day by Watco Terminal and Port Services Team (WTPS) Members. WTPS, through this GPIP based project, offers team members the unique op-portunity to be introduced to all aspects of Watco operations. The training for the GPCBR project consists of a four-week program that concentrates on familiarizing the new team members to HR-related matters, health and safety, environment issues, crude oil handling, leadership, and hands-on training at the existing ethanol terminal. Team members also learn about GPIP rail switching operations, dock
operations, facilities maintenance, railcar repair services, locomotive leasing and repair, and material handling.
Tim Holan, GPIP vice president, commented “We’re very grateful that the Watco leadership team had the vision back in 1997 to recognize the poten-tial for Greens Port. There is no other facility like it on the Gulf Coast and it showcases all of Watco’s service offerings.”
The training also details the Customer First Foun-dation Principles that are the base to achieving suc-cess at Watco. Trainers from the human resources team included; Chris Spear, Brooke Beasley, Trinity Condon, Amanda Brisbin, and Kristi Lepage. Don Latimer, Walt Irwin, Jeff Baum and Glenn Perritt were on hand to instruct the new team members on safety. Roidino Trevino conducted the rail training and Ernie Farrand was in charge of the Greens Port Dock and Security training. The Houston Terminal Team instructors were Michael Ramirez, Edward Rebolloso. Mike McAllister, GPIP’s General Man-ager for the liquids terminal operation is recognized for his leadership throughout the process and in the selection of the new team members. Phase I of the GCBR Terminal created an opportunity for 33 new team members, and as phase II operations approach in the first quarter of 2014 an additional 34 team members that will be added to cover the full scale operations.
With the GCBR project’s focus on excellence in delivery of the Customer First Foundation Principals Watco will develop further material handling oppor-tunities. GCBR adds even more to the diversification of GPIP, and further demonstrates its place in the thriving Gulf Coast market and Watco organization.
page 2Dispatchthe September 2013
Greens Port Industrial Park's Crude by Rail Terminal ready to roll
A number of factors – including communica-tion, focus and team members who have spent many years working side-by-side – have helped The Palouse River and Coulee City Railroad (PCC) reach a milestone that any industry would be proud of – five years injury-free.
PCC Team Members reached their fifth injury-free year on June 29 and celebrated the event with a banquet on Aug. 23 and a jet boat tour of the rugged and scenic Snake River in eastern Washington and northeast Oregon on Aug. 24. The ride included a lunch, as well as numerous stops along the way to view several historic sites. The Snake River cuts through Hells Canyon - the deepest river gorge in North America. Team members not only got to learn about the rich history of the region, but also saw wildlife such as bighorn sheep.
“I am just extremely proud of our team on the PCC and their safety record. We are now closing in on six years of injury-free work and that is some-thing to be proud of no matter what industry you are in,” Bill Brown, PCC general manager, said.
Brown said he attri-butes the PCC’s stellar safety record to many fac-tors, including long-term team members who do a fantastic job of looking out for each other, daily job briefings, excellent communication and a true commitment to
ensuring everyone goes home safe to their families at the end of the day.
“I am just very proud of the PCC team. It is an un-believable accomplishment to go five years injury-free,” said West Region Director of Operations Jerry Carter. “This is a testament to the power of a great team. Each and every team member on the PCC is serious about safety and their record proves it. They do a great job of taking the Watco Customer First Foundation Principals to heart and it shows in everything they do.”
Brown noted that he and his team are now work-ing hard to ensure they will reach their six-year injury-free benchmark and are already making preparations for that celebration.
Team members on the PCC are: AJ Mee, locomo-tive mechanic; Zac Parker, locomotive mechanic; Kent Ainsworth, engineer/conductor; Joseph Ben-nett, train master; Larry Smith, engineer/conductor;
Scott Winther, conductor; Ty Gatlin, track foreman; Justin Alznauer, track la-borer; Rick Swinney, track inspector; Scott Lynas, track foreman; Jeremy Hund, track foreman; Bill Brown, general manager; Stacy Grant, assistant general manager; Dan Garrett, roadmaster; Lo-ren Parr, chief mechanical officer; Kim DePratt, Cus-tomer service; Ted Kadau, marketing; and Tabitha Hansen, clerk.
PCC celebrates five years injury-free
Members of the PCC Team back on land following a boat ride to celebrate five years injury-free.
Greens Port Team Members receive rail training to pre-pare for operations at the GPCBR Terminal.
2014 CALENDAR CONTESTPhotographers get ready, the 2014 Calendar Contest
contest is underway. Photographs must include Watco properties as the subject matter. They can include trains, mechanical shops, terminal facilities and ports. When sending in your entry include where and when the photo-graph was taken. Newer photos are preferred but historic photos will be considered as well. Submissions must be received no later than September 30, 2013.
Send photos to [email protected].
Upcoming Watco U Courses: 201 September 17-19101 September 24-26
RAIL Course of the Month: “Establishing Team Goals and Responsibilities”
Experiential Education Model at Watco
by Nick WeberTraining and Development Specialist
How many of us have found ourselves “zoning out” or even falling asleep in a training class? The subject matter may be very important or even really interest-ing, but after sitting down for a few hours staring at a screen or listening to a “lecture”, you find yourself checked out and not able to catch or understand the information presented to you. From my own observa-tions, this happens quite a bit and I’m guilty of this as well. (This may partially help explain my seven and a half years in college.)
This is why I prefer to teach others (and favor to be taught too) with an Experiential Education approach to learning. While there is no denying that clear and specific details or theory must be communicated verbally, this shouldn’t be the only way we present material to others and assume they will retain it. Also, visual stimuli is another important useful tool, but think about how much you like staring at PowerPoints, graphs or text all day in a meeting or training. I be-lieve to fully grasp a new concept or understand a new idea a third approach must be incorporated as well if we really expect others to remember and practice what we are trying to convey.
The process that I use in training others is a 4 step progression:
1. Design. This phase involves the upfront ef-
forts by the trainer to set the stage for the experience. Included in this phase are safety considerations, the specification of learning objectives, rules and guide-lines and answering any questions to be sure partici-pants have a clear understanding of the challenge. This step is related to the participants at Watco of the importance of a safety briefing that must be done daily before any action can occur.
2. Plan. The team decides how much time they need for this step, but the trainer must not let this go too long. Some teams can over plan leaving minimal time for the challenge leading to their performance suffering. As a trainer, it is not your responsibility to tell the team how to solve the problem or overcome the challenge. It is also not the trainer’s job to be sure everyone’s ideas are heard and all team members know what the plan is or understand it. These concepts are the team’s responsibility and are a critical part of the debriefing process later.
3. Activity. The important implication of this phase is that the experience is a structured and closely-monitored one. While the given instructions by the trainer are left open to group interpretation, anything seen as unsafe or seeing the potential in the near future of an unsafe act or movement must be the most impor-tant factor for the trainer to control. This is the “learn-ing by doing” process where many times the team practices trial and error procedures and involves a high level of active involvement. In this step, the team must work through strengths and weaknesses of individuals,
implement and adjust the plan, and continue to com-municate throughout the activity to reach the desired goal. Celebration of success post activity is vital too.
4. Debrief. This important process includes 3 parts:
• An in-depth look of how the team met success with the things they did well.
• The problems they encountered while over-coming the challenge or figuring out the problem.
• The ability to relate the experience and what was learned back to real world application and what takes place in the work environment.
The trainer provides the guidelines and tools for the debrief session, but the team identifies examples of each of the three steps. It is important for the trainer
to give positive reinforcement and have the team elaborate on key points in this part. However, it is not the role of the trainer to tell the group what they did well, where they made mistakes and how they should use this information for future reference. If the chal-lenge is not concluded with a quality debrief session that allows the team to reflect on the experience and come up with how to apply or relate it to their every-day life, then it is a standalone activity experience that more than likely will not lead to the desired learning outcomes.
With Kolb’s Cycle of Experiential Learning model, we see how important the Debrief phase is in helping the learner be able to apply what they have experi-enced. This cycle should not be seen as a one-time experience, but something to be continuously adapted and applied to how we approach the challenges we face daily.
The next time we try to teach our team members a new concept or idea, I highly recommend incorporat-ing this learning model in how you train them. I be-lieve that it not only is more effective in helping them understand the problem or challenges we face and has a more long lasting impact, but also is plain fun and more stimulating than sitting in a classroom or meet-ing room for long periods of time.
As Senor Sophocles’ once said, “One must learn by doing the thing, for though you think you know it-you have no certainty, until you try.”
the crossingwhere learning meets leadership
page 3Dispatchthe September 2013
Several member of the Watco Team recently finished their completion requirements to pass the Watco U 101 and 201 courses. Those completing the 101 course were: Lonny Nelson, treasury analyst, Corp., Pittsburg, Kan.; Alicia Stimpson, asst. purchasing manager, WTS, Twin Falls, Idaho; Travis Schnelle, trainmaster, KORR, McPherson, Kan.; Jennifer May, rev. acctg asst. manager, Corp., Pittsburg, Kan.; Bobbie-Sue Langford, fleet management specialist, Corp., Pittsburg, Kan.; Donta Davis, car repair foreman, SLWC, Oklahoma City, Okla.; William Burt, human resource manager, WTS, Birmingham, Ala.; Mark Hagen, shift supervi-sor, WTPS, Refugio, Texas; Anwar Aiken, general manager, ABSR, Tuscaloosa, Ala.; James Lloyd, EHS manager, WMS, Hockley, Texas; Christa Steege, pur-chasing clerk, WTS, Twin Falls, Idaho; April Summit, mgr. revenue acctg, Corp., Pittsburg, Kan.; Brenna Christian, collections administrator, Corp., Pittsburg, Kan.; Adrian Morgan, VP of quality, Corp., Waycross,
Ga.; Todd Trammell, trainmaster, SKOL, Winfield, Kan.; Derek Nyman, foreman, WSOR, Janesville, Wisc.; Chris Jacobson, roadmaster, WSOR, Janesville, Wisc.; and Heather Dunagan, railcar specialist, Corp., Pittsburg, Kan.
Completing the Watco U 201course was: Lisa Butts, mgr. of car acctg, Corp., Pittsburg, Kan.; James Fuchs, general manager, WSOR, Horicon, Wisc.; Sue Immel, human resource manager, WSOR, Horicon, Wisc.; Chad Taylor, asst. general manager, SKOL, Cher-ryvale, Kan.; Dave Hackbarth, chief mechanical officer, WSOR, Horicon, Wisc.; and Daniel Garrett, roadmas-ter, GRNW, Lewiston, Idaho.
Following each course students are assigned Cap-stone/Stretch Assignments to complete within a given time frame. Upon successful completion of the assign-ment the student is issued a certificate of completion for the coursework. Congratulations to all the listed team members who completed their courses.
Watco U students complete 101 and 201 courses
Looks like someone didn't egg-actly protect their egg when attempting to solve the egg drop problem. Travis Herod, director of safety, watches as Bob McElwee, 101 instructor, tests the eggs.
page 4Dispatchthe September 2013
Richard (Rick) Dale Boehler, 56, passed away July 31, 2013, at his home in Clarkston, Wash. He was born July 23, 1957, to Richard Boehler and Marlene (Roberts) Boehler in Sandpoint, Idaho. He attended school in Orofino and
Lewiston. He then traveled around working in the Tri-Cities before meeting Melanie Shute in January 1982 in Kennewick. They were married June 27, 1982, in Colstrip, Mont.
Rick worked as a journeyman cement finisher for 23 years. He then went to work for the Great North- west Railroad as an engineer/conductor; his last day on this job was July 12, 2013.
He grew up in the Lutheran Church and also at-tended the Assembly of God church. He was an avid fisherman and loved to be on the water.
He is survived by his wife, Melanie; son Ricky Boehler and Ally Alexander; daughter Larissa and Ter-ry Bailey; grandchildren Kenisha and Laurelie Bailey, Angelina, Michael, Drake, Aiden and Landon Boehler;
mother Marlene Boehler; brothers Allen Boehler, Tim and Chris Boehler and Donald and Andrea Boehler. He was preceded in death by his father, Richard Boehler; uncle Lonny Roberts; aunt Jo Ann Roberts; father-in-law Laurel Shute; mother-in-law Joy Shute; and grandparents Glenn and Dorothy Roberts.
Visitation was held August 5th at Mountain View Funeral Home in Lewiston, Idaho and the memorial service was August 6th at Mountain View Funeral Home.
Team Members lose battle to cancerRichard (Rick) Dale Boehler - Great Northwest Railroad
Richard "Rick" Dale Boeher
Dispatchthe The Dispatch welcomes and encour-ages input from all readers. If you
are interested in submitting articles, story ideas, photos and announcements (wedding, birth, etc.) e-mail them to:
[email protected] or mail to: Tracie VanBecelaere , Watco Companies315 W. 3rd Street, Pittsburg, KS 66762
Watco's Western Australia Rail Team Member Jared Housen and his family went all out to show their support for their favorite footy team, the Geelong Cats. Jared and his family dressed up in matching cat outfits made by his wife Nong and attended the August 17 game against the West Coast Eagles.
The Housen's were treated with getting to see their Cats totally destroy the Ea-gles. The family braved bouts of torrential rain to watch the match between the two rivals.
When Watco first showed interest in operating rail in Western Austra-lia one of the concerns of the growers was the possibility of losing service at some of the smaller locations if a new operator took over. The growers concerns were herd and the opposite has happened, smaller elevators are now
receiving cars that haven't had trains through for several years. Maya is the most recent of these towns that has once again started loading cars out of their fa-cility. Maya hasn't had a train go out since January of 2011.
The CBH and the Watco Teams spent some time before service was
restarted going over how to best manage the site to improve loading rates and how to improve shunt and transit times.
Rod Bently, WWAR Operations Zone Manager, said, "The end result was to lift more tonnes out of Maya in a reduced time frame (train cycle time) than previously experienced, a fantastic result for us all. I am very proud of the Watco and CBH teams in the joint effort in achieving what we all want and that is to challenge how we go about what could be seen as a normal days effort in loading at a site to how can we get the best result by communicating and challenging each other."
The Watco crew put in place for the initial loading and return of train paths were: Sam Jackson, site shunt/load crew; Bill Lyon, site shunt/load crew; Bill Doig, incoming / outgoing crew; and Mark Milne, incoming / outgoing crew. The CBH crew included Doug Brenton, Greg Buchannan, Mick Loveridge, John Pendergrast, and Kevin Dawson.
Duncan Gray, CBH Zone Manager - Geraldton, said, "Team work makes the dream work, and I am as pleased as punch that we have achieved some outstanding results from day one. Every one of the Watco and Geraldton Zone staff need to be congratulated for this outstanding result."
Western Australia townsees first train in years
The first train out of Maya, Western Australia, after several years without train service.
Feline family cheers on Cats
Above: WWAR Team Member Jared Housen and his sons supporting the Geelong Cats. Right: Housen holding his son Adriel and son Ethan, wife Nong and eldest son Tristan prepare for the Cats game.
Dale Craig Phillips, 51, of Saint Joseph, Missouri, formerly of Stanberry Mo., passed away Thursday, August 8, 2013 at his home with his family by his side. Dale was born September 5, 1961 in King City, Mo, son of Rozella (Duley) and
Carl G. Phillips. He graduated from Stanberry high school 1979.
He was working at the Stillwater Central Railroad, Oklahoma City, Okla, at the time of his death. He also formerly worked at Herzog St. Joseph, Mo. He spent most of his working life on the railroad and traveling across the United States. He will be greatly missed by the "Ole Railroaders". Dale enjoyed hunting and fishing and most of all the time he spent with his faithful com-panions, Rex, Gracie and Sam, they will be lost without him.
On May 4, 1996 he married the love of his life Sheila Garrett in St. Joseph, Mo, she survives of the home. He was preceded in death by his parents, and a brother,
Doyle A. Phillips. Survivors include, wife, Sheila of the home, three sons Cory Phillips, Ryen Phillips, and Micah Phillips, three step-sons, Dustin (Sarah) Smith of Buffalo, Mo, Troy (Linzee) Smith of Elkland, Mo., and Jeremiah Sweet of St. Joseph, Mo., a step-daughter, Marie Scurlock of St. Joseph, Mo., a brother, Darryl (Lorraine) Phillips of Toolie, Utah, and a sister, Carolyn (Leon) Messner of Albany, Mo as well as grandchildren, Ethan, Draco, Drew, Tristian, Mela, Kayleigh, Carley, Charlie, and one on the way in November, and several nieces, nephews, and many close friends.
Funeral services were held on Saturday, August 10th at Rupp Funeral Home, with Pastor Jack Conard officiating.
Dale Craig Phillips - Stillwater Central Railroad
Richard "Rick" Dale Boeher
Congratulations to the following team members celebrating their anniversaries!
1 Year: Neil Arredondo, Matthew Austin, Randy Blackwell, Ramon Bryant, William Burt, Jason Cal-houn, Jacob Demond, Kim DePratt, Leslie Dodd, Nicole Doell, Billy Edwards, Ishmael Elkamil, Geoff Elkins, Jeffrey Ellison, Matthew Fellers, Charles Foster, Matthew Foster, Jacob Friel, Laramie Gah-man, David Giertych, Daniel Gorseth, Kevin Harris, Stetson Haverkamp, Benjamin Hoover, Joe Irving, Ashlee Kobylinski, Donald Kopsie, Don Latimer, Christopher McVey, Leonidas Mejia Escobar, Ken-neth Merritt, Susan Mielnik, James Mobley, Kory Phillips, Craig Rasmussen, Samuel Renteria, Gilber-to Rivera, Lori Sharp, Amber Shouse, Hayden Slade, Eric Stagner, Jamaal Terry, Dwayne Tucker, Jenna Vulgamore, Bradley Whisenant, Kris Winkels, Clint Woods, Rito Zertuche, Grasiela Zubeldia2 Years: Robbie Aucoin, Aron Autio, Demarcus Braxton, Harold Brown, Bill Brown, Colten Bustos, Arthur Clark, Aaron Doyle, Ernie Farrand, Jason Hatcher, Jaron Haynam, Byron Herron, Fred Hin-son, Justin Hoggle, Edward Hutsky, Ashley Jarvis, Willis Maruna, Albert Merritt, Faredin Muedini, Donald Myrick, Matthew Nelson, Carlos Ortiz-Chacon, Frederick Parsons, Brittany Peery, Kenneth Rasmussen, Scott Sears, Steve Sheldon, Garrett Vratil, Nathan Weber, Adam Weddle, Christopher Wiworski, Ernest Wulf3 Years: Benjamin Beers, Damien Cantrell, Bobby Garmon, Michael Girdner, Cedric Graham, Scott Hopkins, Andrew Johnson, Steven Johnson, Mat-thew Kerns, Michael Kerns, David Mathews, David Miller, Kandace Miller, Andrew Moots, JaCorey Murray, Jeffery Nadeau, Clinton North, Bradley Shows, Schyla Slade, Michael Smith, George Stautz, Benjamin Tarran, Dusty Tenney, Peter Tietjen4 Years: Lewis Barlow, Marcus Curran, Gary Doherty, Craig Dutenhafer, Duane Helms, Troy Johnson, Curtis Joyce, Brecken Larson, Mark Miller, Raymond Pericola, Michael Reeves, Chadd Thi-mesch, Cody Winkleman, Efren Zuniga5 Years: Daniel Archer, Robin Combs, Jeffrey Dick, Janet Gordon, Michael Hankins, Milo Jackson, Kevin Kennison, Joseph Lapierre, Zachary Luckie,
Charles McLean, Todd Poland, Kenneth Ross, Lori Vaden6 Years: Dale Cross, Timothy Dykes, Gary Graham, Claude Lamb, Misti Lewis, Patrick Lewis, John Ne-pote, Brian Robinson, Jamie Wilson7 Years: Cale Burton, Nancy Dickey, James Hagans, Marco Jamerson, Thomas Laugavitz, Megan Mc-Daniel, Brent Meado, Bill Miller, Michael Pyeatt, John Weitzel8 Years: Jonas Colley, Matthew Davis, Randy Davis, David Gallien, Annetra Garcia, Matthew Hare, Mark Harrington, Allan Roach, Lonnie Stamper, Kari Stephens, Reynaldo Vargas, Steve Westfall, Thomas Williams, Steve Yates9 Years: William Balzen, Charles Clay, Brandon Craddock, Stacy Grant, Sheldon McClain, Artis McGinnis, David Perry, Thomas Ritchie, Daniel Turberville, Joseph Walker10 Years: Matthew Bachtel, Randal Lewis, William Lockwood, Timothy Parker, Gary Vaughn11 Years: Terry Holloway, David Showalter12 Years: Chuck King, William Patterson, Gary Rosenow13 Years: Ramon Castro, Theron Pope, James Yon14 Years: Roger Miller15 Years: James Bailey, Eric Davison, Lawrence Swenson16 Years: Jackie Brady, Paul Conner, Richard Gru-ber, Dena Patterson, Alforenza Ray, James Seiler17 Years: Robert Brooks, Kenneth Fletcher, An-thony Johnson, Stephen Sams, Larry Smith, Rick Swinney18 Years: Brad Hayes20 Years: Danny Sepulvado22 Years: David Tarwater23 Years: Manuel Marceleno, Pete Wilczewski24 Years: David Appleman, John Nims, Richard O'Connor, Joseph Wagner25 Years: Gary McKern26 Years: Timmie Benson, Eric Davis, Cathy Shaffer27 Years: Steven Fox, Timothy Goeden30 Years: Rodney Campbell33 Years: Alfred Anderson, Fred Porter34 Years: Robbie Meshell35 Years: Ray Lee, Cas Love44 Years: William Weichel
BirthsJerrick Audie VanBecelaere
Crezentia VanBece-laere and Danny Davis are proud to announce the birth of a son, Jer-rick Audie.
Jerrick was born on July 7 and weighed 8 lbs., 13 oz., and was 20 1/2 inches long.
Jerrick was wel-comed home by siblings Jalen, 9, Janessa, 5 and Jakayla, 5.
Crezentia is the Customer Service Representative for the South Kansas and Oklahoma Railroad and works out of Pittsburg, Kan.
Jayden Paul NadeauJeff and Rachael
Nadeau are proud to announce the birth of a son, Jayden Paul.
Jayden was born on July 9 and weighed 7 lbs., 11 oz., and was 20 1/4 inches long.Jeff is a supervisor at Watco's Terminal and
Port Services Stanley, N.D. site.
Joseph Conrad and Jackson James JanikowskiJohn Jankowski and Michelle Peskie are proud to
announce the birth of twin sons, Joseph Conrad and Jackson James. The boys were born on July 18.
Joseph weighed 6 lbs., 7 oz., and was 20 inches long. Jackson weighed 6 lbs., 9 oz., and was 20 inches long.
The twins were welcomed home by big sister Emilee who is two years-old.
John is a carman at the Cudahy Mechani-cal Shop in Wisconsin.
page 5Dispatchthe September 2013
WAT CO
WO R L D
This section is dedicated to the Watco Team members to give you a chance to share what’s happening in your corner of the Watco World.
Jerrick Audie VanBecelaere
SEPTEMBER ANNIVERSARIES
Joseph Conrad and Jackson James Janikowski
Jayden Paul Nadeau
WeddingsManz-Kerkman
Katrina Ann Manz and Clinton Robert Kerkman were united in marriage on August 10, 2013 at Vic-tory International Fellowship in Brookfield, Wisc.They honeymooned in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
The newlyweds are diehard Green Bay Packer fans and look forward to the upcoming season. They will reside in Greenfield, Wisc., which is just outside of Milwaukee, Wisc. Clint is the EHS Coordinator at the Mechanical Services in Cudahy, Wisc.
Three Watco short lines, the Baton Rouge Southern, the Louisiana Southern and the San Antonio Cen-tral , recently hosted TRANSCAER training events. TRANSCAER (Transportation Community Aware-ness and Emergency Response) is a voluntary national outreach effort that focuses on assisting communities to prepare for and to respond to a possible hazardous materials transportation incident. The Chlorine In-stitute was responsible for organizing the training and costs associated with the training.
Each location hosted a separate event and emergency responders such as state police, fire department per-sonnel and EMT's attended the one-day events. Topics covered at the training were: Chlorine Safety, Tank Car
Anatomy and ERG, Cylinders and A-Kits, Ton Con-tainers and B-Kits, and Tank Car Valves and C-Kits.
It's very important that first responders know the equipment they will be working on in the case that they would ever have to respond to a spill or leak. The class provided them with the knowledge to safety react to a situation and feel more comfortable in doing so.
Brit Sonnier, Baton Rouge general manager, said, "We were there to support the trainers and do what we could to make things go smoothly. The training was excellent and the attendees were very pleased with the topics that were covered. The hands on experience was invaluable and one of the biggest takeaways from the training."
Dispatchthe
315 W. Third StreetPittsburg, KS 66762www.watcocompanies.com
PRST STDUS POSTAGE
PAIDPRADMAR CORPThe newsletter for Watco Companies, LLC and Watco Transportation Services, LLC
September 2013, Volume 14, Issue 9
Responders had the opportunity to work with the equipment in order to gain a better knowledge of how to react to an emergency.
Southern railroads host TRANSCAER training
Communication, focus and team commitment paid off in a big way for Watco Team Members on the Mis-sion Mountain Railroad (MMT) in northwest Mon-tana recently.
On April 24, the MMT commemorated two-years of injury-free work. Team members on the MMT and from the Watco regional office in Burley, Idaho, celebrated the safety milestone with a guided fish-ing trip on scenic Flathead Lake near Columbia Falls, Montana, on Aug. 11. During the trip, Team Members landed a nice haul of Mackinaw, a hard-fighting lake trout.
“Everyone got to catch some fish. We had a lot of fun,” Kyle Jeschke, MMT general manager, said of the event. Jeschke estimated that Team Members landed approximately 25 fish, with a few lunkers in the group.
“I’m so proud of the MMT team. This is a huge ac-complishment,” Jerry Carter, West Region director of operations, said. “This is a testament to the teamwork and leadership. Each team member takes safety very seriously and applies the Watco Customer First princi-
pals daily in everything they do.”When asked what his team does to stay focused on
safety, Jeschke noted that it’s all about commitment and communication.
“It takes a team commitment,” he said. “We commu-nicate with each other every moment of every day. The entire team is committed to safety and staying focused. We conduct our job briefings and work together to keep each other safe.”
And, Jeschke noted that his team is already looking forward to celebrating their three-year injury-free goal.
“For three years injury-free we are planning to work with a dude ranch and go horseback riding into the mountains,” he added.
Team Members on the MMT are: Lucas Cummings, conductor; Michael Kruse, conductor; Michael Sackett, conductor; Scott Vincent, track laborer; Dyllan Vin-cent, track supervisor; Douglas Krattiger, chief me-chanical officer; Kyle Jeschke, general manager; Scott Adams, marketing; Nickol Corr, clerk and Jenna Duesi, Customer service.
MMT celebrates two year injury-free anniversary
Back row (l-r): Bo Fox, West Region Track Q&A; Paul Watland, West Region property manager; Dyllan Vin-cent, MMT track inspector; Mike Kruse, MMT conduc-tor; Kyle Jeschke, MMT general manager; Nickol Corr MMT clerk , Scott Vincent, MMT MOW labor, Scott Adams, West Region Track Engineer. Bottom row (l-r) Brandi Krattiger, Doug Krattiger MMT CMO, Corbin Banner and Sean Corr, EIRR Asst, roadmaster.
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