FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE


Lake Geneva, Wisconsin—November 29, 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, will host a two-day meeting on Wednesday and Thursday, January 11–12, 2012 at Marriott’s Oak Brook Hills Resort in Oak Brook, Illinois. This will be the group's 238th meeting.

"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.
 

Wednesday, January 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, January 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”. Click to make hotel reservations, or call Nicole Ellickson at 630-850-5537.

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