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MEDIA RELEASE
Watco Companies names Chief Operating Officer for Western Australia rail service
Watco Companies, L.L.C., is pleased to announce that Jim H. Griffiths of Sydney, Australia, has accepted the position of Chief Operating Officer for Watco’s new Western Australia operation, Watco, WA.
“Jim Griffiths is a great fit to be the new Chief Operating Officer in Western Australia,” said Rick Webb, Watco CEO. “Jim’s background in operations, locomotive and wagon maintenance and his first hand knowledge of W.A., is a real asset to our entry into Australian railroading and will be very beneficial in leading our efforts to take care of our new Customer CBH. We have known Jim for more than 20-years and he has what it takes to deliver the “Watco Customer First message.”
Griffiths brings to the position a long history of experience in the rail industry, most recently as Executive General Manager of Marketing and Business Development for UGL Rail based in North Sydney. In addition to his position with UGL Rail, Griffiths has also worked for QNR/ARG as General Manager Rollingstock Services located in Perth; as EVP Mechanical for OminTRAX located in Denver, Colorado. Griffiths has also worked as VP of International and Domestic Sales for Hatch & Kirk in Seattle, Washington, and spent 22 years at Morrison Knudsen in rail manufacturing positions ending as Vice President of International Sales based from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He graduated from Boise State University, Boise, Idaho, with a Bachelors Degree in Business Administration.
“I am honored to accept this position and to go to work on behalf of the growers of Western Australia to bring them value,” Griffiths said in accepting the appointment. “Moving more tonnes to port more efficiently will make Australian grain more competitive in the world market and that creates value for Western Australia, and I am very excited to be part of that.”
Griffiths will be based at the Watco Western Australia office at 30 Delhi Street, in West Perth. He will be working full-time for Watco as of July 1, 2011.
Watco was awarded a long-term grain rail contract to provide services to the CBH Group of Western Australia and will begin operations in May of 2012. The CBH Group is a Western Australian farmer owned co-operative that was established in 1933. It’s controlled by more than 4,500 grower-shareholders who plant and harvest grain grown across the 198,840 square miles that comprise the Western Australian grain belt.
Mr Griffiths is available Monday 16 May 2011 from 10 am until 12 noon.
Background
Watco Companies, L.L.C., (Watco) is a Pittsburg, Kan., based transportation company serving transportation, mechanical, and transload/intermodal needs of Customers throughout the nation. Watco is the owner of Watco Transportation Services, L.L.C., (WTS), one of the largest short line railroad companies in the U.S. operating 23 short line railroads on more than 3,550 miles of track, as well as 23 industrial contract switching locations. Watco’s Mechanical Services division operates 14 railcar repair shops, 4 locomotive shops and 19 mobile mechanical shops. The Transload/Intermodal Services division currently manages 12 transload facilities, 7 warehouses and 1 intermodal location. Watco also owns Greens Port Industrial Park in the Houston Ship Channel. More information about Watco and its subsidiaries can be found at www.watcocompanies.com.
| Dated: |
Friday 13 May 2011
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| Media Contact: |
Amie Bolton,
Media Advisor, CBH Group
Ph: 9237 9820
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