Railway Track & Structures - March 2009 - (Page 14)

AREMA NEWS Getting to know Keith L. Powley AREMA: How did you get started? Powley: Being raised in a railroad family, I learned from an early age how to weld, operate equipment and build track. I would travel with my dad on-site to derailments and watch the organized chaos of putting the track back in service or building a shoofly to run around the derailment and reestablish service. I have always had a passion for discovering how things are built and trying to make them better. Twentyeight years ago, I started in MOW changing ties, replacing rail, driving spikes and shoveling ballast. This challenging work gave me the tools to learn to think outside the box, problem solve for complex issues and provided me the foundation for the work I enjoy today here at AREMA and at HNTB. AREMA: How did you get involved in AREMA and your committee? Powley: My good friend Don Dali (former Committee 12 chairman) invited me to my first AREMA Annual Conference and REMSA Trade Show in 1996 in Kansas City, Mo. I was the superintendent of way, power and signal at the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority in San Jose, Calif., at the time and responsible for the maintenance and input to the expansion of the entire light rail system. At that conference, I was introduced to many colleagues who have become my good friends, including Alex Goff (Committee 12 vice chair), Craig Goodall and Tom Devenny (former Committee 12 chairmen) Steve Hill (former AREMA president) and Bob Verhelle (P&T Functional Group vice president) to name a few. I participated in AREMA and Committee 12 for five years. In 2001, wanting to increase my commitment to AREMA and my committee, I accepted the Committee 12 secretary position and continued in that post until 2004, when I took over as vice chairman through 2007. My work in these important positions groomed me for my current role as Committee 12 chairman. It is an honor to hold these leadership positions because they allow me to influence the rail engineering industry’s future by collaborating with the best and brightest in the rail, design and construction management industry at a national level, all the while gaining specific knowledge and insight required to develop cohesive, innovative, cost-effective solutions for my clients. The rail engineering community is a very small, tight-knit group that does not give its respect easily, but once you have earned it, you become part of a national and international group of experts who are readily available to you. AREMA membership is the prime conduit for this esteemed group to communicate and collaborate. My current position as associate vice president and department manager for California rail and marine construction with HNTB is due in part to my participation in AREMA. I am very thankful to the management at HNTB for their commitment to and support of my work within the organization. My ability to contribute to the organization and Committee 12’s success is a direct result of HNTB’s dedication to quality rail engineering and construction nationwide. AREMA: Outside of your job and the hard work you put into AREMA, what are your hobbies? Powley: I am an avid fisherman and enjoy the serenity of fly fishing, ultra-light trout fishing in mountain lakes and streams and the action of deep sea fishing. I am a voracious reader of mysteries and enjoy volunteering at my daughter’s school and in our community. My family and I enjoy camping, hiking, waterskiing, snow skiing and traveling together. I am also a veteran drag racer with a successful 20-plus-year career and stemming from a passion of playing baseball for 14 years, currently enjoy playing for a local softball league. AREMA: Tell us about your family. www.rtands.com Keith L. Powley Chair, Committee 12 - Rail Transit Department Manager Rail/Marine Construction HNTB Corporation E ach month AREMA will feature one of our committee chairmen. We are pleased to announce that the March featured chairman is Keith L. Powley, chair of Committee 12 - Rail Transit. AREMA: Why did you decide to choose a career in railway engineering? Powley: I am a third-generation railroad expert in my family. At five years old I got to sit on the knee of an engineer and drive the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway’s Super Chief passenger train. My grandfather and father both worked for the AT&SF Railway; my grandfather, E. F. Powley, worked 42 years as an office engineer in Phoenix and Winslow, Arizona, and my father, Lynn Powley, formerly in the Maintenance of Way (MOW) group, retired as a roadmaster after 17 years. I have always loved the railroads and the outdoors; this career allows me to do both. 2009 Upcoming Committee Meetings March 16-18 March 18-19 March 18-20 March 19 March 26-27 March 30-31 March 30-31 April 19 April 29-30 April 30-May 1 May 13-14 May 14-15 May 17-18 May 27-28 Committee 36 - Highway-Rail Grade Crossing Warning Systems Committee 27 - Maintenance of Way Work Equipment Committee 37 - Signal Systems Committee 39 - Positive Train Control Committee 28 - Clearances Committee 11 - Commuter and Intercity Rail Committee 17 - High Speed Rail Systems Committee 14 - Yards and Terminals Committee 4 - Rail Committee 8 - Concrete Structures & Foundations Committee 18 - Light Density & Short Line Railways Committee 5 - Track Committee 38 - Information, Defect Detection & Energy Systems Committee 15 - Steel Structures March 2009 Cocoa Beach, FL Montgomery, AL Cocoa Beach, FL Cocoa Beach, FL Pensacola, FL Newark, NJ Newark, NJ Fort Worth, TX Chicago, IL Paducah, KY East St. Louis, IL Minneapolis, MN Nashville, TN Quebec City, Canada 14 Railway Track & Structures http://www.arema.org http://www.rtands.com

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Railway Track & Structures - March 2009 Contents On Track Industry Today Supplier News AREMA News NRC News TTCI R&D NRC Smashes Attendance Bridge Inspection Battling Bugs Ballast Fundamentals Vital to Keeping Track in Shape Products and Literature People Calendar Sales Representatives Advertisers Index Website Directory Professional Directory Classified Advertising Chicago Perspective

Railway Track & Structures - March 2009

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