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6/9/2025
St. Louis Regional Freightway (SLRF) last week in St. Louis hosted a virtual panel to highlight pathways for high school students into the rail, barge and trucking sectors.
The event was held during the FreightWeekSTL 2025 event. Panelists included Adam Mahlandt, general manager of the Terminal Railroad Association of St. Louis (TRRA); Bill Kinzeler, senior vice president and GM of Ingram Infrastructure Group; Brad Reinhardt, president of third-party logistics firm WEL St. Louis; and Nicole Adewale, principal and owner of ABNA Engineering Inc., SLRF officials said in a press release. The virtual panel was moderated by Mary Lamie, head of the SLRF and executive vice president of multimodal enterprises for Bi-State Development.
Mahlandt shared insights on rail sector career opportunities, including positions such as conductor switchmen, track workers and mechanical carmen.
"We have roughly 10 to 15 new hires per year for all the different crafts," Mahlandt said. “And with that, there are also opportunities for advancement. I started with TRRA as a switchman many years ago, so there are possibilities for management and other union promotions – just a lot of opportunities right here in the Metro East area.”
Mahlandt also spoke about the rail industry's generational gap, adding that most rail employees are either under 30 years old, or have over 30 years' experience.