Rail supplier news from STV, Strategic Rail Finance, Greystone/JLL, Midland Manufacturing and PTSI (April 11)

STV has promoted Andrew Sokol to vice president. He will be responsible for operations and business development in the passenger-rail market served by STV's Transportation & Infrastructure Division's Western region. Based in Los Angeles, Sokol has been with the firm for 15 years. He has 20 years of managing and engineering experience.

Michael Koontz has joined Strategic Rail Finance. He is the former head of the U.S. Department of Transportation's Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement (CMAQ) program. Koontz is assigned to Strategic Rail's public sector and funding consulting team to focus on cost-benefit analyses for the Railroad Rehabilitation and Improvement Financing, Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery and CMAQ programs.

Real estate finance and investment group Greystone and real estate consulting firm JLL have obtained a joint, five-year contract to provide comprehensive real estate services to the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) and Massachusetts Department of Transportation. The firms will offer real estate asset management, property disposition and consulting services to support MBTA's efforts to maximize real estate revenue. Greystone and JLL will oversee the management of leases, licenses and easements, accounting and billing, as well as identify and execute the disposition of surplus properties. The contract is valued at $2.8 million.

Midland Manufacturing has appointed Steve Herbst product manager for pressure car products and remanufacturing services. He will oversee all marketing functions, new product development, and management for Midland pressure car products and remanufacturing services. Herbst previously headed a marketing consulting firm and was global product manager for Weber Stephen Products.

PTSI Transportation has appointed Matthew Husar to lead development and marketing of the Route Learning System™, a new digital training, testing and management system tool for railroad and transit-rail physical characteristics. Based in the Chicago area, Husar has more than 35 years of railroad operating and management experience. Previously, he served as superintendent of Metra's Rock Island District, head of Metra's CCF control center and as a railroad accident investigator for the National Transportation Safety Board.