CHICAGO—March 18, 2025 (James Street Media Services)—The North American Rail Shippers Association (NARS) will host its annual meeting May 7–9, 2025 in Chicago, and it promises to be one of the premier networking opportunities in the rail shipping industry.

NARS will welcome back Chicago’s own Dilla Thomas to kick off the event with his engaging brand of storytelling about Chicago history. Dilla has become a Chicago media sensation, amassed hundreds of thousands of followers on social media, and has also appeared nationally on both The Today Show and The Kelly Clarkson Show. Also new this year will be a special tour and networking event on Wednesday, May 7 starting at 12:30 p.m. It focuses on the history of Chicago and Chicago pizza, as well as visits to three Chicago neighborhood pizzerias.

"Chicago and NARS are intrinsic to the North American railroad industry," said NARS President Kate Bourgeois. "This meeting is a natural place for our annual gathering of leaders who come to share insights and learn from peers. This year’s program already includes a virtual ‘who’s who’ of presenters and participants, and we look forward to a great event in Springtime Chicago."

The agenda is still being finalized for the three-day meeting, and it is expected to add major shippers and other industry experts. Speakers include:

Ed Elkins, Chief Marketing Officer, Norfolk Southern
Patrick Fuchs, Chairman, Surface Transportation Board
Anthony Hatch, Founder & Analyst, ABH Consulting
Joe Hinrichs, President & CEO, CSX
Eric Starks, Chairman & CEO, FTR
Todd Tranausky, Logistics Procurement Manager, AmSty
John Turner, Senior Vice President of Operations, Union Pacific Railroad
Tom Williams, Executive Vice President & Chief Marketing Officer, BNSF Railway
Rebecca Wingate, CREATE Program Manager, Association of American Railroads

NARS Annual Meeting Details
Dates
Wednesday–Friday, May 7–9, 2025

Location
Swissôtel Chicago
323 East Upper Wacker Drive
Chicago, Illinois
Book online using the group rate of $289 until Tuesday, April 15, 2025 or our block is full.

Cost
$575 registration fee until April 9, 2025. On April 10, registration increases to $625.

Registration
• Online conference information and registration
• Email: nars@railshippers.com

• Phone: 872-212-4134

About The North American Rail Shippers Association
The North American Rail Shippers Association (NARS) is comprised of a network of five regional North American associations including the Pacific Northwest Association of Rail Shippers (PNWARS), the Midwest Association of Rail Shippers (MARS), the Southwest Association of Rail Shippers (SWARS), the Northeast Association of Rail Shippers (NEARS), and the Southeast Association of Rail Shippers (SEARS). Headquartered in the Chicago area, NARS brings together representatives from this network of more than 7,000 members of the rail shipping and railroad community in an annual forum which enables open discussion of rail transportation issues. For more information, please visit the NARS website at www.railshippers.com.

Note to editors and reporters: Please let us know if you would like free registration to attend the meeting.

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Bill Fahrenwald
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