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Ep. 11 - Railroads & Real Estate
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In this episode with Ashley Wolfe, we trace her career journey from studying and working in animal science to working in agricultural economic development and then transitioning to JLL's Rail Practice Group before pivoting to an economic development role at BNSF, and the culmination of all these experiences leading to her role as Director of Economic and Industrial Development at OmniTRAX, a private transportation and railroad management company that owns 25 shortline and regional railroads in 12 U.S. states and three Canadian provinces.
Rail-specific topics include the role of technology to increase visibility in the handoffs between class 1 and shortline railroads as well as the importance of safety. Economic development discussion points highlight recent innovations that save time in the RFI process as well as GIS-enhanced property portfolios that increase efficiencies for site selectors. At a macro level we discuss how rail car loadings is a leading economic indicator and the difference between intermodal and carload rail networks. Her advice to students and early career individuals interested in economic development is to pursue an MBA to gain a big-picture understanding of business operations and study transportation or supply chain management if interested in rail or related logistics industries.
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