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The Indiana Rail Road Co. (INRD) has realigned its marketing and sales department in an effort to extend the regional’s 26-year streak of double-digit growth.

The railroad appointed Bob Babcock vice president of business development and Larry Kaelin, VP of coal and energy marketing. Babcock will report to INRD President and Chief Executive Officer Thomas Hoback and be responsible for developing new business opportunities in merchandise traffic, transload and strategic carrier relationships, as well as helping manage traffic growth by facilitating service design and the operating plan. A former coal sales executive and 10-year INRD veteran, Kaelin will focus exclusively on developing energy sector business.

In addition, Babcock will oversee a team of marketing staff who will assume new roles:
• Dave Long, assistant VP of marketing, will serve as the primary marketing contact for existing non-coal customers and a principal marketing liaison to connecting carriers;
• Tony Kazakevicius, senior manager of marketing administration and services, will be responsible for contract administration, coordination of carload movements with interline carriers, pricing strategies and tariffs; and
• Brian Jonaitis, manager of sales, will focus on growing outside sales, including development of new online and transload customers.

INRD also named Eric Powell manager of economic development. He will report to VP of Corporate Affairs James Merritt and be responsible for identifying and assembling a portfolio of prime industrial development property along INRD corridors.

“Even after 26 years of exponential growth, I’ve never before seen us at the threshold of such diverse and significant new business opportunities,” such as industrial development and transload or warehousing operations to extend rail service to underserved markets, said Hoback in a prepared statement.