Railway Track & Structures - September 2007 - (Page 17) NRCChairman’s Column NRC Conference to start 2008 with a bang Jon M. McGrath Chairman The National Railroad Construction & Maintenance Association, Inc. 500 New Jersey Ave., N. W. Suite 400 Washington D. C. 20009 Tel: 202-715-2920 Fax: 202-318-0867 www.nrcma.org info@nrcma.org As the summer of 2007 winds down, the NRC is hard at work putting together our annual conference, which will kick off 2008 with a bang. The conference/exhibition begins on Thursday, January 3, at 4 p.m. and will go through Sunday, January 6, at 12 p.m. The golf tournament will follow the end of the conference on Sunday afternoon. For every reader of this column, first, I’d like to thank you for reading and for your ongoing support of the NRC. An association is only as strong as its members and our hard working and successful members are precisely why the NRC has become such a thriving association. Second, I’d like to personally invite each and every one of you to attend the 2008 NRC Annual Conference & Exhibition. If you’ve attended before, you probably don’t need convincing, but I’ll provide some more details. If you’ve never been, it really is a unique opportunity to www.rtands.com meet and spend some real quality time with hundreds of key players in the railroad construction, maintenance and supply industries. The environment (Palm Springs in January at a world-renowned luxury resort), the speakers, the attendees and the fun form a combination that can’t be beat. Now is the time to make your arrangements to attend. Every year, the exhibition, the golf tournament and the hotel room block sell out and we’re back in a particularly popular venue this time around so a sellout is almost guaranteed. The conference will be held at the wonderful Westin Mission Hills Resort & Spa in Palm Springs, Calif. To register for the conference and/or arrange an exhibit booth for your company, go to www.nrcma.org. To book a room at the discounted group rate of $199/night, call the Westin at 760-328-5955 or go to http://www.star woodmeeting.com/StarGroupsWeb/booki ng/reservation?id=0607060076&key=DDF. We recommend flying into Palm Springs International Airport (seven miles), Ontario International Airport (77 miles) or John Wayne/Orange County Airport (107 miles). 2007 has been an extraordinarily interesting year in the rail industry and the NRC conference will summarize that nicely and, more importantly, help you understand how the changes will affect your life in 2008 and beyond. From the explosion of private equity and financial interest in the rail industry (think Warren Buffet, RailWorks, TCI/CSXT, DM&E PRB RRIF Loan, Fortress/RailAmerica/ FEC, etc.) to the unprecedented flurry of rail legislation in Congress (security, safety, tax credits for rehabilitation and expansion of infrastructure, reregulation, passenger rail, transit spending, etc.), the NRC conference will have speakers who can update you on the very latest in the industry and help you and your company plan to deal with the changed landscape. The bread and butter of the NRC conference has been and will continue to be the near-term contracting and spending plans of the major freight railroad spenders in the country, including UP, BNSF, CSXT, CPR, CN, RailAmerica, Watco and OmniTRAX. We’ll hear an update on the DM&E’s Powder River Basin plans. There will be speakers on transit (light rail, metro and commuter) contracting and we’ll hear from some of the major railroads on their electrical/signal contracting plans. The latest developments in the ethanol industry and its effects on railroads and railroad contractors will also be covered. We’re also planning a special presentation on how railroad contractors have helped Watco Companies respond to the devastating flooding in Kansas and Oklahoma that led to approximately 15 miles of the South Kansas and Oklahoma Railroad being underwater. Of course, in addition to the packed days of presentations and a full exhibit hall of suppliers, we’ll also leave you plenty of free time to enjoy your surroundings and spend time with customers and colleagues as you choose. There are receptions, a banquet dinner, a golf tournament and plenty of free evenings. It really is about the best way you could possibly start the new year. Go to the www.nrcma.org to register, or fill out the form in this magazine. I hope to see you all there. Until next time, be safe. September 2007 17 Railway Track & Structures http://www.nrcma.org http://www.nrcma.org http://www.nrcma.org http://www.starwoodmeeting.com/StarGroupsWeb/booking/reservation?id=0607060076&key=DDF http://www.starwoodmeeting.com/StarGroupsWeb/booking/reservation?id=0607060076&key=DDF http://www.nrcma.org http://www.rtands.com
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