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Today, Kansas City Southern announced it appointed Natalie Putnam vice president of sales and marketing.

Most recently senior VP of transportation and logistics solutions for YRC Worldwide, Putnam will be responsible for the U.S. chemical/petroleum and industrial/consumer business units. She has 29 years of transportation sales experience, including stints as group VP and VP of corporate accounts for YRC subsidiaries.

Owen Zidar will continue to serve as VP of sales and marketing, but change his focus from overseeing the U.S. chemical/petroleum and industrial/consumer units to national account development, KCS officials said in a prepared statement. Zidar, who has 31 years of transportation sales experience, joined KCS as VP of sales and marketing for the carload business unit in 2005 and previously was VP of sales-southwestern region for Pacer International.

KCS also named Darin Selby assistant VP of energy markets. He joined the Kansas City Southern Railway Co. in 2001 as an assistant trainmaster, and most recently was AVP of coal and short line partner relations. He will retain those responsibilities while adding emerging energy markets — including crude oil, biofuels, biomass, frac sand and wind power — to his duties, KCS officials said.

The personnel changes will better position the railroad to increase new business, further aligning the sales and marketing organization to help achieve growth objectives, said KCS President and Chief Executive Officer David Starling.