FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Lake Geneva, Wisconsin—May 24, 2011 (James Street Media Services)—The Midwest Association of Rail Shippers (MARS), one of five regional associations under the umbrella of the North American Rail Shippers Association, has announced the initial speaker panels for a two-day meeting on Monday and Tuesday, July 11–12, 2011 at the Grand Geneva Resort in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. This will be the group’s 237th meeting.

“We are thrilled to have attracted a roster of all-star panelists, befitting our top-level attendees,” said MARS president Randy Worth. “This year’s Keynote Speaker is Justine Fisher, vice president, high yield research, Goldman Sachs, who will set the tone for our theme, ‘Railroading 2011, Transitioning to the New Normal’.”
 
Monday’s activity will be the annual Scholarship Golf Outing. On Tuesday there will be an all-day program which includes the following participants, as well as others yet to be announced:

Legislative Report
Jim Giblin, associate, Transystems, Inc.  
                                                              
Current Rail Regulatory Landscape                                                    
Myles Tobin, partner, Fletcher & Sippel, LLC
                                                                                        
Rail Security, Terrorism, Hazardous Materials                          
Judy Fadden, global security manager, General Mills
Thomas Farmer, assistant vice president, security, AAR

Luncheon Keynote Address
Terri Carter, export services and compliance manager, Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations

Rail Service Contingency Plans
David Grewe, director, CTCO
John Orrison, AVP service performance, BNSF
Brian McDonald, GM customer service, CSX
                                           
Rail Freight Equipment Supply & Quality
Jim Cowan, president, American Railcar Industries
                          
Update on the Bakken Oil Shale
Denis Smith, vice president, marketing, BNSF

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, use the following link or call 262-248-8811. https://booking.ihotelier.com/istay/istay.jsp?groupID=577070&hotelID=73001

About The Midwest Association of Rail Shippers
The Midwest Association of Rail Shippers (MARS) is one of five regional North American associations under the North American Rail Shippers (NARS) national organization. Headquartered in the Chicago area, MARS provides an open forum for discussion and resolution of rail transportation issues by bringing railroads, shippers, receivers, and rail supply companies together twice annually for formal meetings in the Chicago area. To review our most recent meeting summaries and to inquire about MARS membership, please visit the MARS website at www.railshippers.com, and click on the Midwest tab.



MEDIA CONTACT
Lisa Longtin
Phone: 563-264-4382
Email: lisa_longtin@grainprocessing.com