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Business View Magazine
other five short lines under its operating umbrella. A top
rate management team was put into place to manage
the railroad and the company that was originally created
in the aftermath of regulatory reform, recently experi-
enced its best years - even as other industries were still
reeling from the aftermath of the Great Recession.
“We operate in a part of the country that has enjoyed
a very healthy economic resurgence,” Stephen says. It
happens to be an ideal location for commerce, situated
between Chicago, New Orleans, the East Coast, and
the Mississippi River, which connects to all points west.
We’ve seen consistent annual growth since 2008, and
we’ve gotten to a point where we moved a record num-
ber of carloads last year.” “The rail industry moves about
38 percent of freight in the country,” Stephen continues,
“and this has recently been augmented by the upsurge
in oil now being transported out of the shale plays. So
where does NERR find its business?
“We have customers from all across the spectrum.” From
corn syrup to aggregate stone to s plastic resins, the
Nashville & Eastern carries all sorts of freight. “A lot of
my job is focused on industrial development” Stephen
states. “We are always trying to attract new industries to
our rail line.”
One of these new industries is an Italian-owned compos-
ites firm that is finishing construction of its Tennessee
plant. When fully operational, the Nashville & Eastern
Railroad will be inbounding the raw materials that ulti-
mately will be used in all manner of comsumer products
