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With a new TFM S.A. de C.V. acquisition agreement in hand with Grupo TMM S.A., Kansas City Southern is beginning to shuffle its executive staff to assign responsibilities for U.S. and Mexican operations.

Today, the Class I announced it appointed Arthur Shoener executive vice president and chief operating officer of KCS, and president and chief executive officer of The Kansas City Southern Railway Co. and The Texas-Mexican Railway. He will report directly to Mike Haverty, who will continue to serve as chairman, president and CEO of KCS, and now also serve as chairman of Tex-Mex.

Shoener will be responsible for managing all of KCS' U.S. rail holdings and — in an advisory role — overseeing the Panama Canal Railway Co. and TFM (after it becomes a KCS subsidiary). The U.S. transportation, mechanical, marketing and sales, labor relations, purchasing and risk management departments will report to him.

In 1968, Shoener began his railroad career as a management trainee at the Missouri Pacific Railroad Co. He later served in various operations positions, including general manager of the railroad's eastern region. After Missouri Pacific was acquired by Union Pacific Railroad in 1982, Shoener served UP as EVP of operations. In 1997, he established his own transportation consulting firm.

"[Shoener] is widely acknowledged to be one of the premier railroad operations professionals in the business," said Haverty in a prepared statement. "He provides us with the expertise and management capabilities to ensure that KCS' rail investments achieve and maintain the highest level of operational efficiency and customer service."

KCS also named Owen Zidar and Jerry Heavin VP of marketing and SVP of international engineering, respectively.

Reporting to Shoener, Heavin most recently served as SVP of operations. He will be responsible for all rail holdings' infrastructure needs.

Zidar most recently served Pacer Global Logistics as regional VP of sales. He previously served Burlington Northern Santa Fe in various marketing and transportation capacities.