Rising Stars: Up-and-comers find various routes can lead to rail careers

— by Julie Sneider, associate editor

Among the notable characteristics of Progressive Railroading's second annual Rising Stars Award winners are the different circumstances under which they entered the railroad industry.

Unlike previous generations of railroaders that typically followed family members into the business, many of this year's Rising Stars and others of the under-40 generation have found their own way into the sector via college professors, on-campus job recruiters, headhunters or — as 2014 Rising Star Mark Kelehan puts it — "by accident."

Kelehan is a senior vice president at Wolfe Research Securities, where he assists short-line and rail supplier clients with their investment banking strategies. He got his start in rail working as a corporate auditor at Union Pacific Railroad after graduating from Creighton University in Omaha, Neb., where UP is based. In hindsight, he says, entering the rail field is "the best thing that could have happened" to his career.

That's not to say family ties no longer matter when it comes to influencing rail's future workforce. Rising Stars Jesse Chalich, Jessica Kramer Havens, Michael Nicoletti and Daniel Stout followed parents or were influenced by relatives who currently or previously worked in rail. The point is today's rail workforce is increasingly diverse, with young professionals entering the field with a variety of life and educational experiences.

The individuals whose stories are featured on the following pages were chosen among more than 100 nominations sent to us by our readers. We asked them to help us identify 20 talented individuals under the age of 40 who are making a positive difference in railroading. For Progressive Railroading's editors, the selection process was both difficult and uplifting: Difficult to decide on only 20 people to recognize from a lengthy list of talent; uplifting to know that the future of the rail industry appears to be in good hands.

Chuck Baker, Chambers, Conlon & Hartwell L.L.C.; National Railroad Construction and Maintenance Association (NRC)

Joshua Bendyk, VHB

Jennifer Bergener, Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA); Los Angeles-San Diego-San Luis Obispo (LOSSAN) Rail Corridor Agency

Jesse Chalich, Northern Plains Rail Services

Roquita Coleman, CN

Elisa Davies, Union Pacific Railroad

Kevin Day, CN

Kari Gonzales, Transportation Technology Center Inc. (TTCI)

Jessica Hawkins Allen, Amtrak

Jesse Heimowitz, MTA Long Island Rail Road (LIRR)

Christine Howard, Union Pacific Railroad

Mark Kelehan, Wolfe Research Securities

Jessica Kramer Havens, Diesel Supply Co. Inc.

John Manutes, Federal Railroad Administration, Region 6

Michael Nicoletti, Indiana Harbor Belt Railroad Co. (IHB)

Adam Nordstrom, Chambers, Conlon and Hartwell L.L.C.

Rachael Peterson, Watco Cos. L.L.C.

Kristine Storm, Genesee & Wyoming Inc.

Daniel Stout, STX Railroad Construction Services

Petra Todorovich Messick, Amtrak