Rising Stars 2024: James Carey

James Carey, 36
Assistant vice president–external relations
Union Pacific Railroad

Nominator’s quote: “Although the rail industry includes thousands of miles of steel as well as robust yard machinery and engines, James still believes his impact is made on the people side of the business.” — Polly Harris, Union Pacific Railroad

Education: Degree in business administration, with a concentration in marketing, Clark Atlanta University, Atlanta.

Job responsibilities: Responsible for advocating on behalf of UP with elected federal officials regarding issues impacting the company, including employees, shareholders, customers and communities.

Career path: I started as a college intern within Union Pacific’s marketing and sales team in 2008. I began my full-time career with the company in 2010 after I graduated. I have since held several sales roles in various markets along the East and West coasts and spent the last six years leading commodity-based sales teams in Houston‚ most recently serving as general director of petrochemicals. In June, I was promoted to my current position and have since relocated to Washington, D.C.

Why did you decide to go into the rail industry? Growing up I saw many family friends establish great careers working for the railroad as trainmen and locomotive engineers. As a business major in college, I was excited Union Pacific recruited me and offered me an opportunity to leverage my studies and career desires in a corporate role.

What’s the best career advice that you’ve received so far? One of my mentors advised me to always be clear in communication on career goals and understand what’s necessary to get to where you want to be.

What advice would you share with someone just starting out in rail? This is a unique industry offering many opportunities for people to leverage their strengths, as well as diversify and develop new skills to add to their toolkit.

What was your very job? I was a waiter at a dine-in Pizza Hut and have always loved working with customers.

Share a fun fact about yourself. I play the alto saxophone and electric guitar.

If you could have dinner with anyone in the world, who would it be and why? I would love to have dinner with Tom Brady. As a former athlete, I often relate sports analogies to the business world when it comes to competing and winning. Tom entered the NFL as the 199th pick in the draft, yet through his career progressed to a level of greatness. I would love to pick his brain and hear his story firsthand about mental fortitude and the spirit of always maintaining high excellence.

Who has had the most influence on your career? Union Pacific has so many phenomenal leaders and I have learned something from them all. Most notably, Kenny Rocker, Union Pacific’s executive vice president–marketing and sales. He is one of the great leaders who has influenced my career and taught me a lot about developing and enhancing strategies, showing appreciation to your team and celebrating wins.

Describe a major obstacle in your career and how you surmounted it. I naturally have a laid-back personality, yet early in my career this could have been mistakenly perceived as lack of engagement. To counter this, I sought out speaking engagements and opportunities to engage with cross-functional teams. This allowed me to display my passion for performance, highlighting myself and the organization.

What do you think is the biggest challenge facing the rail industry today? Railroads are a critical part of the supply chain, and we share the same goal as policymakers and regulators: maintaining and operating the best and safest railroad network in the world while keeping commerce flowing in the United States.

But there is always a risk that even well-intended legislative or regulatory proposals could have unintended consequences contrary to those shared goals, which is why it is so important for every stakeholder, including Union Pacific, to be an active and productive partner in the policy making process to make sure we get the best outcomes for the country.