Rising Stars 2023: Cassie Dull

Cassie Dull, 36
Chief commercial officer
RailUSA/Gulf & Atlantic Railways

Nominator’s quote: “One of her best attributes is her ability to attract talented individuals to her team. In the last nine months, she has recruited an industry veteran to lead the sale efforts on one of RailUSA's two roads and is reshaping the customer service department in a way that is truly enhancing the customer experience.” — Ryan Ratledge, RailUSA/Gulf & Atlantic Railways

Education: Bachelor’s degree in marketing management from Webber International University; MBA from the University of North Florida.

Job responsibilities: Oversees revenue growth and commercial strategy of all commercial functions, including sales, marketing, industrial development, customer service, communications, government affairs and grant campaigns.

Career path: Started as a graduate intern at CSX and was promoted through several sales and marketing roles. After that, joined Patriot Rail to cover business development for short lines and some port facilities. In 2019, recruited to join Gulf & Atlantic Railways (then known as RailUSA) when the company was still a startup.

How did you get into the rail industry? I was substitute teaching my way through graduate school and saw a CSX job posting for a marketing internship that paid significantly more than my teaching gig. I had no connection to the industry; I just got lucky and stumbled upon the job posting that had one day left to apply. I found out later just how lucky I was — I snagged the last of 10 openings because they couldn't reach an earlier applicant and they were in a time crunch. Seven days after I applied, I walked into my first day at the railroad and never left.

What is the best career advice you’ve received so far? “Always do the right thing.” It can mean something different in every situation. It's simple, but it has guided some very difficult decisions in my life and career. As a manager, it means to have faith that most people are generally “good” and want to do the right thing. It helps keep your perspective and forces an objective approach. Trying to anticipate or manage someone else's intention can take a toll mentally and emotionally. The "bad ones" out there eventually come to light on their own anyway.

What advice would you give to a new railroader? Ask to be involved and just listen/observe. I was given this advice early on at CSX when I had the opportunity to work closely with 20- and 30-year veteran employees over an extended period of time. The industry has been around a long time and there aren't a lot of novel concepts, so give yourself a head start and learn from people that have already done what you will inevitably be asked to do at some point.

What was your first job? I worked at a Cingular/Nextel cell phone retailer for three months and hated it.

Share a fun fact about yourself. I absolutely love the movie My Cousin Vinny. One time, my husband and I took a trip to see the actual Sac-O-Suds, the town square and the courthouse where some very memorable scenes were filmed.

If you could have dinner with anyone alive in the world, who would it be and why? Ken Jennings. I'm a huge “Jeopardy” fan.

Who has had the biggest influence on your career and why? John Koch, my former boss at CSX. His compassion and sincerity for not only the job but all of us on the team made it such a great experience to work for him. He set an amazing example of how to be successful and build/lead a great team with unwavering integrity. I know he truly cares about everyone that has ever worked for him. It’s been seven years since I last worked for him, but I still call him for advice (and he answers). He always led with "do the right thing" and assumed the best in people — those two things have really stuck with me because they apply in all aspects of life. I can only hope that one day, I do my job half as well as John did his.