Watco's 2014 CA Days a "Grand Slam"
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theDispatch The newsletter for Watco Companies, LLC and Watco Transportation Services, LLC November 2014, Volume 15, Issue 11 Watco's 2014 CA Days Philadelphia Terminal Team a "grand slam" celebrates one year anniversary There's no better place to celebrate a historic event than in one of the most How many people can say that they got to watch history in the mak- historic places in the United States - Philadelphia. Although no declarations ing with more than 200 great Customers? Team members at Watco have were signed on October 21, 2014, Watco's Philadelphia Energy Solutions the privilege of doing so since the World Series began on the first evening (PES) Team did declare that they had gone injury-free since their start up Customers began arriving for Watco's Annual Customer Appreciation one year ago. The team at the Philadelphia Terminal handles crude oil unit Days. While the guests were busy watching baseball and singing karaoke trains and has moved more than 700 trains through the facility. Not only in the evenings, the days were filled with golfing, shooting clay targets, and has the crew faced many challenges moving this kind of shooting live birds. Customers traveling the furthest for the event were volume, additionally, they have also had to work Mick McGinniss and Neil Wandel from Western Australia. The two grain around construction of a second unloading growers were getting in some R&R before the grain harvest gets into full manifold. This work has seen 24/7 activities swing. Jason Fleck with Mussselman & Hall, a sponsor of the event, has made it with more than 250 contractors working for a few years and said not only does he shoot the birds but he also takes near active rail movement. some home to marinade in his special spices before grilling. The PES team stepped up to the chal- "We loved the event and had a blast," said Fleck. "We look forward to it lenge and saw the new manifold com- every year." pleted and placed into service on October Although Customers and sponsors may look forward to our CA Days 27, 2014. The team will now see and move event each year, they can't enjoy it nearly as much as the team enjoys get- more than 1,200 unit trains through the ting to host them. facility with the new operations coming on line. The PES teams will also provide This Philadelphia Terminal logo start-up for an new operation for the Cus- CA DAYS 2014 was drawn up by team member tomer in mid-November. The new Butane Jim Clyde and then put into Terminal is nearing completion and team the hands of a graphic artist to members will provide daily switching of complete. more than 100 butanne cars. To commemorate the event, team member Jim Clyde drafted a design for a new logo for the terminal. Termi- nal Manager Brian Spiller received several other ideas from the team and reviewed them with the Customer at the location. The logo was then fine- tuned and presented back to the manager for final approval. "Both myself and our Customer representative felt that the logo picked really displayed the history of Philadelphia," said Spiller. The team looks forward to a long lasting relationship with Philadelphia Energy Solutions and looks forward to celebrating many more years injury- free. The Philadelphia Terminal with the skyline of the city in the background. theDispatch page 2 November 2014 Greens Port Rail Crew keeps things moving When people mention rail- In addition to receiving unit roads, old steam engines chug- crude trains (which can be ging across lonesome prairies 20+ trains a month), they also often comes to mind but at handle loaded unit coil trains, Greens Port Industrial Park loaded unit trains of ethanol, (GPIP) in Houston, Texas, that and unit trains of wind fan vision is worlds away from what blades that are 1.5 miles long. actually happens. Multiple train Tim Haas, senior vice presi- crews work 24 hours a day, 7 dent, WTPS operations, said, days a week at the bustling facil- "The rail group in Greens Port ity to ensure that all Customers has worked very hard to ser- are taken care of. Not only do Greens Port Rail Crew vice our Customer’s increased the crews have regular manifest volume safely and efficiently. cars interchanging with the Port The whole team at Greens Port Terminal Rail Association (PTRA) Monday through Friday, they also inter- is proud of the progress that has been made and is dedicated to ensuring the change GPIP unit trains seven days a week. success of the entire industrial park." Roidino "Dino" Trevino, GPIP trainmaster, said, "Our group works hard Team members at the location are: Adam Barrera, Ashton Speckman, no matter how big or small the task is here in Texas. They have always Bernardino Osorio Vargas, Bobby Wynne, Brandon Francis, Carlos Alvarez, continued to remember that we are here because of our Customers and work Janie Robles, Joe Valle, Jose Rubi, Kevin Hoffman, Lamar Mitchell, Larkland with them each day to ensure we provide them with the best service. The Linton, Marlin Garcia, Martin De Leon, Michael Garza, Nolan Darthard, crude by rail terminal has brought our teams closer in that we have to work Pedro Armendariz Jr., Reynaldo Vargas, Richard Goodman II, Richard in groups in order to make the time lines and continue to keep safety our Juarez, Serafin Contreras, Steven Mancillas, Taylor Denman, Yeibi Gutierrez, number one goal." and Roidino (Dino) Trevino. Customer Service restructured On Oct. 20th the Customer Service team took a break for some team Grain Team building exercises to celebrate the new structure of Watco’s Customer Grain Team Service department. The new structure combines the Data Integrity and covers all Customer Service Teams under the Customer Service title. The Customer agricultural Service Team has been divided into three separate teams. shipments. As part of the reorganization the Customer Service department has sepa- Phone: 866- rated into the separate teams to better serve internal and external Customers 889-2826, Ext. 4. 24 hours a day. To create unity within the groups, each team selected a team The Grain color and received t-shirts in that color with a saying they selected on the Team's fax back. number and This structure will allow each team to focus on specific groups of railroads, allowing the teams to become experts and provide a superior level of Cus- email is specific tomer Service. Managers will also be on site around the clock from Monday to the railroads Members of the Customer Service Team work on a team am - Saturday am. listed above. building challenge in Pittsburg, Kansas. A new phone, fax, and e-mail system has been implemented to provide the teams with the information they need in the most efficient manner possible. Watco U courses held in Idaho Customer Service Team 1 Birmingham Terminal Railway, Grand Elk Railroad, South Kansas & Oklahoma Railroad, Stillwater Central Railroad, Wisconsin & Southern Railroad. Phone: 866-889-2826, Ext. 1 ■ Fax: 844-476-6725 ■ E-mail: [email protected] Customer Service Team 2 Alabama Southern Railroad, Alabama Warrior Railway, Arkansas Southern Railroad, Austin Western Railroad, Autauga Northern Railroad, Blue Ridge Southern Railroad, Kansas & Oklahoma Railroad, Louisiana Southern Rail- road, Mississippi Southern Railroad, Pennsylvania Southwestern Railroad, San Antonio Central Railroad, Timber Rock Railroad, Vicksburg Southern Railroad. Phone: 866-889-2826, Ext. 2 ■ Fax: 844-476-6726 ■ E-mail: CS2@watcocompa- nies.com Customer Service Team 3 Eastern Idaho Railroad, Great Northwest Railroad, Palouse River and Coulee Watco U 101 Leadership and Management classes were held for the West Region in Burley, Idaho from Oct. 14-16. Team members who attended the City Railroad, Mission Mountain Railroad, Yellowstone Valley Railroad, Boise courses were: front row (l-r) John Naing, Nickole Corr, Thomas Glover, Valley Railroad, Kaw River Railroad, Pecos Valley Southern Railroad, Swan Travis Chamberlain, Eli Nick and Jon Peter. Back row (l-r) are: Cris Had- Ranch Railroad. Phone: 866-889-2826, Ext. 3 ■ Fax: 844-476-6727 ■ E-mail: dow, Keith Green, Jeff Deakins, Richard Carter and Steve Monson. [email protected] theDispatch page 3 November 2014 Fourty and Eight locomotive back in action Watco launching new time- One of the best entries in the Pittsburg, Kansas, Homecoming Parade might have been the oldest as well. The Forty and Eight locomotive which was built back in 1950 made a reappearance in the parade after a long absence. The motor keeping and payroll system powered locomotive normally pulls a box car, which happened to be in the shop. Time is a valuable commodity and Watco Team Members will be The set was built by W.B. (Bus) Johnson, father of Kaye Lynne Webb and father- making use of a new system to measure their time. In the 4th quarter in-law of Watco founder, Dick Webb. The train was originally built for the and early next year, Watco will be Forty and Eight society which was founded by veterans from World War I. The introducing a Kronos timekeeping society was called such after the French boxcar stenciled with a 40/8, denoting and payroll system. This system the car’s capacity to hold 40 men or eight horses. will utilize electronic time clocks to The train had been used for many occasions since Johnson built it and Kaye capture team member work hours. Lynne remembers riding in it in parades as a teen. The train disappeared around Team members will clock in and the 1960’s and resurfaced when Watco CEO Rick Webb saw the engine sitting at out with their personnel number an old gas station at the corner of 4th and Elm street in Pittsburg.