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The Watco Cos. Inc. recently named Allan Roach senior vice president of marketing to succeed Kirk Hawley, who’s been appointed SVP of service assurance.

Reporting to Watco Chief Executive Officer Rick Webb, Roach will be responsible for all sales and marketing functions. Most recently SVP and chief operating officer for American Railroads Corp., he previously served BNSF Railway Co. in various operations, marketing, and network and short-line development positions.

Reporting to President and COO Terry Towner, Hawley will be responsible for coordinating service between customers, and Watco’s customer service department and operations. Since joining Watco in 1991, he has served as marketing manager for the South Kansas & Oklahoma Railroad, director of marketing, and VP of marketing and sales.

Watco — which owns 17 short lines operating in 14 states — also announced it formed a Strategic Relationship Team to be led by Chief Commercial Officer Ed McKechnie and include SVP of Marketing-West Region Mark Blazer.

“Strategic relationships are a key part of our business model, as those relationships have been the backbone of our company’s success over the past 23 years,” said Webb in a prepared statement. “Ed will be focusing on further expanding those relationships with all of our key partners.”