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| Norfolk Southern Corporation | Volume 5, Issue 6, June 2005 |
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Inside newsbreak: NS employees honored as safest for 16th consecutive year Mulligan receives Harold F. Hammond Award At 175, Norfolk Southern runs strong, Goode tells shareholders Galanko, Kesler named to new posts NS Exhibit Car visiting 18 communities Do you own a piece of Norfolk Southern history? NS awards 10 scholarships to children of employees
NS Newsbreak is published monthly by Norfolk Southern's Public Relations department, Three Commercial Place, Norfolk, Va. 23510-9224.
Editor Questions and story ideas can be delivered to the editor via MEMO ID aljust, e-mail at aljust@nscorp.com, phone 757-823-5205 or fax 757-533-4874. Employees interested in new personnel appointments, recent retirements, Quality Achievement Awards and archived issues of Newsbreak can be found on MEMO bulletin boards Appoints, RETIREMT, QAWARDS, 40YEARS and NEWSBRK, respectively, or on the Web here. |
NS employees honored as safest for 16th consecutive yearNorfolk Southern employees took top safety honors for the 16th consecutive year as the company received the E.H. Harriman Memorial Gold Medal award for 2004. In all, 12 railroads with the best employee safety records — as documented by the Federal Railroad Administration — were recognized at a ceremony in Washington, D.C. Gold, silver and bronze medal awards went to companies in three groups of railroads, and to a fourth group of switching and terminal companies. NS took top honors in Group A, comprising the largest line-haul railroads. The silver award went to Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway for the second consecutive year. Union Pacific Railroad took the bronze. “I am honored to accept the Gold Harriman Award for 2004,” Tobias said. “This award is very special to Norfolk Southern. It validates and recognizes our sustained commitment to safety as the first priority of our corporate vision. “The Harriman ceremony is a time to acknowledge the accomplishments of every railroader in America . Each of you representing every one of your co-workers should take special pride in what you are doing. You are improving our railroads through various activities such as safety committees, safety awards celebrations and security awareness initiatives. You are striving to provide a safe, secure and reliable transportation network at a time when our customers and communities need us like never before. “Continuous improvement must be the commitment of every railroader. We are all getting better each year. We have made tremendous progress in eliminating accidents and injuries. But we should not be satisfied with any progress that stops short of zero incidents and zero injuries. That’s what we are all working for,” Tobias said. U.S. Rep. Spencer Bachus of Alabama and Ed Hamberger, president and chief executive officer of the Association of American Railroads, also expressed their congratulations to all the winners. The annual rail employee safety awards were founded in 1913 by the late Mrs. Mary W. Harriman in memory of her husband, Edward H. Harriman, a pioneer in American railroading. For many years, the program was sponsored by two sons, E. Roland Harriman and the Hon. W. Averell Harriman, both now deceased. The awards are administered under the auspices of the E.H. Harriman Memorial Awards Institute with support from the Mary W. Harriman Foundation. Mulligan receives Harold F. Hammond Award
A fourth-generation railroader, Mulligan has served as chairman of his terminal’s safety committee seven of the eight years he has been a member. “I want to be a good example,” Mulligan said. “I want to walk the walk, not just talk the talk.” Among his accomplishments, he works with terminal employees to identify safety issues and with supervisors to resolve those issues. He also has facilitated safety workshops for train and engine service employees for the past two years. “Tom is one of the most dedicated safety people I have ever met,” said Jerry Bean, engineer. “He’s number one.” In addition to his dedication and commitment on the job, Mulligan has worked with NS customers to make their operations safer. He worked with a local industry to develop plant switching procedures that served as a model for the company’s switching operations at its plants throughout the US and Europe. “His involvement in wanting to see safety improved at our plant was really a big help,” said Randy Neumayer, senior vice president transportation, ADM. “Once we got the systems in here, we tailored every plant to the same switching standards. It started here in Decatur , and now it’s all over the United States and Europe .” Mulligan’s dedication to safety does not stop at the terminal. He gives Operation Lifesaver presentations to employees of other companies regularly. He organized an annual Santa Train, worked within the community to teach students and others about safety issues and helped other companies promote safety. “I think what finally makes people realize how serious Tom is about safety is not his statements, but when they see him out there working, when he takes time to take them aside and give them advice, give them direction, tell them better and safer ways of doing things,” said John Friedmann, Illinois division superintendent. At 175, Norfolk Southern runs strong, Goode tells shareholdersWith success built on safety, service and “the finest, most talented team in the business, Norfolk Southern has showed its ability to move the freight profitably for our investors and efficiently for our shippers,” David R. Goode, chairman and chief executive officer, told the company’s shareholders at their 23rd annual meeting May 12, in Norfolk . Tracing the beginning of its service to a predecessor railroad in 1830, Goode said, “Norfolk Southern marks its 175th anniversary as a company that has stood the test of time. We are running strong, and we are handling growing volumes of business and have a strong and expanding base in the transportation business.” In official business, stockholders re-elected four directors: Gerald L. Baliles, a partner in the law firm of Hunton & Williams and former governor of Virginia; Gene R. Carter, executive director and chief executive officer of the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development; Charles W. Moorman, president of Norfolk Southern Corp.; and J. Paul Reason, president and chief operating officer of Metro Machine Corp. Stockholders also approved amendments to the company’s Long-Term Incentive Plan and Executive Management Incentive Plan and ratified the appointment of KPMG LLP as auditors. Galanko, Kesler named to new postsIn a realignment of Finance Division responsibilities, Norfolk Southern named William A. Galanko vice president financial planning and Robert M. Kesler Jr. vice president taxation. Both are headquartered in Norfolk and report to James A. Hixon, executive vice president finance and public affairs. Galanko joined NS in 1990 as general tax attorney and was named vice president taxation in 1999. He holds an undergraduate degree from West Virginia University , a law degree from The College of William & Mary, and a master of law in taxation from Georgetown University . Prior to joining NS, he worked for several years in the Office of Chief Counsel, Internal Revenue Service, in Washington . Kesler joined the company in 1991 as general tax attorney after serving with the U.S. Tax Court, Kaufman & Canoles law firm and the IRS. He holds an undergraduate degree from Washington & Lee University , a law degree from The College of William & Mary and a master of law (tax) from New York University . NS Exhibit Car visiting 18 communitiesThe Norfolk Southern Exhibit Car will tour the company’s rail network from New York to Georgia in 2005, making stops in 18 communities where it will be open to the public. The car’s 10-state itinerary will include a special five-city whistle-stop train operated by NS to promote safe transportation of hazardous materials. The Exhibit Car is a rebuilt passenger rail car with interactive displays highlighting NS’ transportation network. Among the displays, guests can take the engineer’s seat of a locomotive simulator and operate throttle, brake and horn. Some 1.5 million people in more than 360 communities have viewed the traveling showcase since 1971. Remaining visits are as follows:
Do you own a piece of Norfolk Southern history? Here’s your chance to show it off2005 marks NS’ 175th year, with our roots reaching back to 1830 and the first run of the “Best Friend of Charleston” on the South Carolina Canal & Rail Road. In observance of that, permanent historical exhibits are being designed for the ground floor of the Norfolk headquarters building, and we are calling on employees, retirees and friends of the company to identify items for display. The exhibits will focus on the history, culture and employees of NS, Southern, N&W and Conrail and will be open to employees and the public. To complement the company’s existing artifacts, we need tools, clothing and uniforms; items from offices and shops; signs; maps; ads; programs from special events; journals and correspondence; photos, slides and negatives; films; audio and videotapes; scrapbooks; memorabilia; magazines and news clippings; and employee publications. Use your imagination – although we will have to be selective in what we use, the more items you make us aware of, the more interesting story we can tell. At this point, don’t send anything. Just give us a brief description of the item you might donate or loan, including its age, condition and any interesting background associated with it. Send your info to museum@nscorp.com or Museum, c/o Norfolk Southern Corp., Three Commercial Place , Norfolk Va., 23510-9217. Call Frank Brown of the Public Relations Department at 757-629-2714 (microwave 629-2714) with questions. Once we’ve evaluated everyone’s input, we may contact you to discuss using your piece of history and how we might credit you for your contribution. NS awards 10 scholarships to children of employeesTen sons and daughters of employees will receive college scholarships from Norfolk Southern as part of the company’s annual scholarship program. Recipients of Norfolk Southern Merit Scholarships are: Deidre Humphrey, daughter of signal engineer David Humphrey and Rebecca Humphrey and a graduate of Fayette County High School , Fayetteville, Ga. , who will attend the Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta ; Eric Kerby, son of assistant director labor relations Dennis Kerby and Catherine Kerby and a graduate of Norfolk Academy , who will attend the Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester , N.Y. ; Timothy Reiner, son of industrial development manager Jason Reiner and Marie Reiner and a graduate of Kennesaw Mountain High School, who will attend the Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta; and Stephanie Zindren, daughter of communications specialist David Zindren and JoAnn Zindren and a graduate of Sewickley Academy, Sewickley, Ga., who will attend Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pa. Recipients of Norfolk Southern Special Scholarships are: Joyce Carbaugh, daughter of assistant to the chief operating officer Ed Carbaugh and Denise Carbaugh and a graduate of Great Bridge High School, Chesapeake, Va., who will attend The College of William & Mary, Williamsburg, Va.; Steven Clark, son of conductor Douglas Clark and Debra Clark and a graduate of Richlands High School, Richlands, Va., who will attend The University of Virginia’s College at Wise, Va.; Amanda Murgas, daughter of assistant director industrial engineering Pete Murgas and Angelyn Murgas and a graduate of Shiloh High School, Snellville, Ga., who will attend Emory University, Atlanta; Kimberly Paschall, daughter of senior general attorney Jim Paschall and Nancy Paschall and a graduate of Norfolk Academy, Norfolk, who will attend The Catholic University of America, Washington, D.C.; Kelli Sims, daughter of rate specialists Larry Sims and Patricia Sims and a graduate of Social Circle High School, Social Circle, Ga., who will attend the University of Georgia, Athens, Ga.; and Dustin Stewart, son of electrician Edward Stewart and Constance Stewart and graduate of Altoona Area High School, Altoona, Pa., who will attend Carnegie Mellon University , Pittsburgh, Pa. National Merit Scholarship Corporation, an independent, nonprofit organization, selects scholarship recipients. For detailed descriptions of the scholarships sponsored by Norfolk Southern and other corporations, refer to the NMSC Web site, Landrum, Marin receive Thoroughbred AwardTom Landrum, national account manager, Roanoke, and Craig Marin, manager transportation planning and budget, Atlanta, received Norfolk Southern’s 2004 Thoroughbred Award. The award is the highest recognition an employee can receive. It recognizes outstanding, highly visible employee contributions that have long-term significant impact on NS’ success. In presenting the awards, David Goode, chairman and chief executive officer, also acknowledged seven others who were nominated. ”Every one of you is a winner,” Goode said. “Each of you had great ideas to improve our business and you acted on them. The result of that kind of innovative thinking reaches right to our bottom line.” Landrum leads the company’s participation in the rapidly evolving market for ethanol, a gasoline additive. He has worked to provide full supply chain support for major markets in New York , including the construction of a new distribution terminal in Sewarin , N.J. , by Motiva Enterprises. Under Landrum’s leadership, the company’s ethanol volume increased by 76 percent in 2004, with more gains expected in 2005. Marin developed a scorecard tool to track variances in local expense, performance and service. The information enables rail yards to improve customer service and reduce costs. Bill Faulhaber, manager training, was nominated for his quick response to the need for increased training as business levels increased in 2004. He is responsible for planning, administration and safe operation of NS’ technical training center in McDonough, Ga. He significantly expanded the center’s capacity by adding shifts to meet the needs of NS customers. Dave Wyatt, system engineer public improvements, Atlanta , worked with local and state government in Elkhart , Ind. , to coordinate a significant grade separation. New business from Dow Chemical was the result of the work of Clinton Collins, national account manager, Roanoke , and Bill Flanagan, national account manager, St. Louis. They worked to negotiate and execute a new five-year contract with Dow that increased revenues and volumes. Heavy machinery is a growing market for NS. Greg Harkey, manager business development, Roanoke, Steve Blinn, account manager, Chicago , and Tim Mann, business solutions manager, Norfolk , developed and executed MACH ONE Machinery Service. The logistics service for export and import traffic has increased NS’ market share significantly. “Our winners and our nominees are examples of the best of Norfolk Southern,” said John Samuels, senior vice president operations planning and support. “Their ingenuity and their ability to work toward solutions that benefit our customers and our company show their deep commitment to continual improvement.” |
Steve Tobias, vice chairman and chief operating officer, accepted the award on behalf of NS employees and rail employees throughout the industry. 
Thomas Mulligan of Decatur, Ill., a Norfolk Southern conductor, is the recipient of the Harold F. Hammond Award given to a railroad employee for outstanding safety achievements. 
The other employees were recognized for efforts in human resources, engineering and marketing.