FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE


Lake Geneva, Wisconsin—June 16, 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—is accepting final reservations for its 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.

"The final arrangements have been made and we've got a great program for our attendees," said MARS president Randy Worth. "In addition to an all-star line-up of panelists, our registrants are a 'who's who' of midwest and national rail shippers. There are a limited number of registrations still available."

Opening Remarks
Randy Worth, president, MARS

Where We Are and Where We Are Headed
Keynote Speaker: Justine Fisher, VP, high-yield research, Goldman Sachs
   
Mexico: The Story Behind the Headlines
Speaker: Mick Fenley, AVP sales operations and customer solutions, Kansas City Southern
                                                              
Current Rail Regulatory Landscape                                            
Speaker: Myles Tobin, partner, Fletcher & Sippel, LLC
                                                                                        
Rail Security, Terrorism, Hazardous Materials                          
Speaker: Judy Fadden, global security manager, General Mills
Speaker: Thomas Farmer, AVP, security, AAR

Speaker: TBA, transportation security admin
Speaker: Melissa Baysinger, office manager, Martrex

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



Update on The Bakken Oil Shale

Speaker: Denis Smith, VP, marketing, BNSF

Rail Service Contingency Plans
Speaker: David Grewe, director, CTCO
Speaker: John Orrison, AVP service performance, BNSF
Speaker: Mark Hinsdale, AVP network & interline strategies, CSXT
                                           
Rail Freight Equipment Supply & Quality
Speaker: Jim Cowan, president, American Railcar Industries

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