theDispatch The newsletter for Watco Companies, LLC and Watco Transportation Services, LLC August 2012, Volume 13, Issue 8 Texas terminal team ramps up to meet Customer needs by Tracie VanBecelaere needed to find a way to have all eight of the trans- Starling said, “At the drop of a hat the crews Managing Editor loaders at the facility in operation to accommodate were more than happy to make this happen for our their capacity needs without having to hire extra Customer in a time of need. The crews off-loaded Usually it’s EMTs that respond to emergency calls, personnel. amazing numbers during this time. The numbers of but in a particular situation it was Watco’s Harwood, Phillip Penner, senior vice president of business trucks, railcars and barrels of oil nearly tripled the Texas Team that was called for assistance. Customer development for the terminal division received a previous months’ totals. The Harwood Team operat- EOG Resources was out of storage at their active phone call from EOG operations manager Greg ed in this manner from May 16 through June 9. This facilities, and shipping by rail was the best option Thorton with regards to helping him solve the amazing feat did not go unnoticed. Greg Thorton to get their oil to additional EOG storage facilities. problem in the Harwood area. Penner contacted the with EOG was exceptionally pleased in the little time EOG was needing to get this extra oil into tank cars Harwood terminal manager, Ronnie Starling, to see it took for Watco to pull together for him in this in a short amount of time. if Harwood could remedy the situation. Starling and time of need.” The Harwood facility has eight transloaders on Charles Frerich, assistant terminal manager, worked The teams have now split into four shifts made up site, but they normally operate with six of them, together to come up with a viable solution. The solu- of six crew members in each. This allows for 24/7 keeping two there for backup in case of mechanical tion was to bring three teams together to make two operations and has cut back on overtime as well. issues. The transloaders at the facility pump crude teams but still have sufficient days off as well. The teams were rewarded with three separate oil from tank trucks into tank cars to be shipped by parties to be sure that each team member rail to their various destinations. EOG Resources would be able to attend. The events were held at Independence Park in Gonzales, Texas with a fish fry consisting of red snapper, shrimp, french fries, cole slaw, hush puppies and cold drinks. Safety prizes were drawn and the teams received much praise and appreciation for their true dedication to the Customer First Foundation Principle of improving Customer satisfaction. “I’m very pleased with the Harwood Team and how they pulled together with no complaints and limitless dedication in showing what Watco and their team members are all about,” said Starling. A Crew left to right: Philip Hardeman, TSIC leader, David Elick, D Crew left to right: Eddy O’Connor, Dustin Ramos, Eder Miguel Puga-Perez, Angel Fernandez and Jeremy Judd, shift shift supervisor, Cody McMullen, Mario Cardoza, Mat- supervisor, Not pictured, Albert Guzman. thew Gonzales and Edward Rebolloso. C crew picture from left to right: Operators Ocie McCutchen, B Crew left to right: Rolando Gonzalez, Henry Delgado, Manuel Castillo, Angel Garcia, Roman Salazar, Steven Lewis, and shift supervisor, Juan Montanez, Micheal Treace, Herico Harwood Team member Marvin Morris Michael Ramirez, shift supervisor. Garcia and Marvin Morris. pumping oil from the truck to the railcar. theDispatch page 2 Congressman visits East Peoria mechanical shop celebrates Port San Antonio four years and zero injuries by Logan Falletti by Tracie VanBecelaere former Peoria and Pekin Union Railway which was Communications Intern Managing Editor started up in 1881. They have tracks on both sides Congressman Francisco “Quico” Canseco (R- of the Illinois River at Peoria and a rail bridge over Texas) visited the Port of San Antonio and East Kelly The Watco car repair shop in East Peoria, Illinois the river. Railport on July 9 to meet with constituents in the celebrated four years since their last OSHA report- Watco acts as the mechanical department for transportation industry. He was invited by the Port able injury on July 20. After lunch team members the TZPR, inspecting and repairing railcars and for an overview of the facility and discussion of the took a little time to enjoy cake and ice cream, conducting initial terminal air tests on the Class jobs being added by rail expansion and an area auto- peanuts and pretzels. Gift cards and T-shirts sport- I railroads that interchange in their yard. These motive plant. ing the “4 Years 0 Injuries” logo were handed out to include the NS, UP, CN, BN and Iowa Interstate. The informal meeting included a tour of the site, each team member in honor of their achievement. Other railroads that interchange there are the TPW, including the maintenance facility, the warehouses, The team has also won the Dick Webb Excellence KJRY and IM. and a meeting with the Port’s board of directors. Award for the second year in a row since its cre- Although they enjoy flying under the radar and Ironically, it didn’t include a look at the water – the ation. quietly performing their duties without notice, Port of San Antonio is actually removed from the Plant manager Jim Meyer said, “I am very proud after four years injury-free they definitely deserve river as ports are thought of. This port is a place to be a part of this team and I thank every member some time in the spotlight. Great job to the East where goods transfer through. The 1,900 acre aero- of the team for their focus Peoria Team! space, industrial complex and international logistics on safety. No one person is hub is strategically located between the East and responsible for an achieve- West coasts. It includes an airport, access to three ment like this, it takes every interstate highways and two Class I railroads. It member of the team working primarily services the Kelly Air Force Base and the together and that is what we Customers such as Boeing operating out of the base. do. I am looking forward to The Eagle Ford shale movement and the relocation doing this again next year." of recruiting offices of the Air Force promotes a One factor in the shop’s higher demand for consumer goods than before. The outstanding record is the increase in food purchases and affordable housing fact that they have very little materials are increasing the rail loads. turnover and an extremely Ryan Williams, marketing manager for the Gulf low absentee rate as well. The Region, estimates that the additional tracks will team has a combined total of double the capacity to generate jobs for Watco and 145 years of service starting future Customers coming into the port. “[Con. Can- in 2004 when the mechanical seco] was very supportive of rail; both passenger and services group began provid- freight. It was great to see political support for the ing car repair for the Tazwell Back row (l-r): Jim Meyer, facility manager, Joe Kauffman, Carl Hauk, Blake rail industry. As the population growth continues and Peoria Railroad. in Texas, increased rail volumes will offset interstate The Tazwell and Peoria Ross, Phil Billingsley, Clint Counterman. Front row (l-r): Ryan Rockhold, congestion caused by tractor trailers.” Railroad (TZPR), which Annette Lane, Jeff Smith, Brian Steiger. Not pictured: Cliff Howard, Jeni The 300 acres of the port have some rail, but are is owned by Genesee and Meyer, Steve Mottaz, Dale Reeser, James Stapleton, Gary Sutton, Tom Wol- waiting on the official filing to become a short line. Wyoming, is on the site of the ford. For now they provide switching. They move 4,500 cars annually but will soon expand to fifteen to twenty thousand. “It’s a joint effort between Watco, Port of San An- tonio, our Class I partners and the state to make this 2013 CALENDAR CONTEST operation successful,” says Williams. Photographers get ready, Watco is announcing our first ever Calendar Contest. The contest is open to any and all photographers not just those on the Watco Team. Railfans - now’s the time to show your stuff! Requirements for the contest are that the photographs must include Watco properties as the subject matter. They can include trains, mechanical shops, terminal facilities and ports. When sending in your entry include where and when the photograph was taken. Newer photos are preferred but historic photos will be considered as well. Winners will be selected by the Executive Team and awards are as follows: • First place (cover) $500 • Second place: $250 • Ten additional prizes to include photo for each month - $100 each Submissions must be received no later than September 30, 2012. For digital photography, 4-color high quality printing re- quires 300dpi images at 100%. Digital SLR cameras can save photos in the RAW format. This is the format we prefer for the Gulf Region marketing manager Ryan Williams with calendar and if you are able, send the photo in both RAW and Congressman Francisco “Quico” Canseco (R-Texas) JPG files. during a visit to the Port of San Antonio. Send submissions and questions to [email protected]. theDispatch page 3 Tioga terminal moving Bakken Birthday celebrated on the road crude and gas products David Hambrick, regional switching manager, Houston, Texas, celebrated his 60th birthday on by Logan Falletti oil production is brought in, and the TRT will begin July 24th while on the road assisting with opera- Communications Intern operating 24 hours a day to match the needs of Hess.