Rising Stars 2017: Young pros push positive change in the rail industry

Earlier this year, Progressive Railroading received more than 220 nominations for its fifth annual Rising Stars recognition program.

That number marked a new record for the program, which honors railroaders under the age of 40 who have made, or are making, a positive impact in the rail industry.

Over several weeks, the magazine’s staff chose 20 winners from the pool of candidates. To reach our decision, we weighed each nominee’s contributions to the rail industry, career achievements, leadership, professional association activity and community involvement.

As in years past, the 2017 honorees hold jobs in nearly every sector of railroading. Their reasons for joining the industry are as diverse as their careers: Some have followed in the footsteps of family members, while others ended up in the industry by chance. Still others took railroading jobs at the advice of friends or mentors.

Follow the links below to learn more about this year’s Rising Stars. The stories were based on the winners’ responses to questions from Senior Associate Editor Julie Sneider and Associate Editor Daniel Niepow. Interviews have been edited for length and clarity.