Experience

Railroad Industries Incorporated

Chairman and Chief Executive Officer - Reno, Nevada  1997-Present

Chairman and Chief Executive Officer - Hot Springs, Arkansas  1993-1997

President - Reno, Nevada  1983-1993

Mr. Hunter put his rail hands-on expertise into his own consulting firm, established in 1983, accumulating over 30 years of experience in the industry.  Work has included branch line analysis, equipment utilization and analysis, development of operating plans, market development, transportation costing, intermodal analysis, merger studies, developing short line railroads, and financial analysis.  Mr. Hunter serves as the Chairman and CEO of the firm, managing all major business decisions, in addition to serving as Project Manager for most projects.  He is also an Operation Lifesaver Presenter for Nevada.

Arkansas Midland Railroad, General Manager  1993-1994

Jones Mill, Arkansas

Mr. Hunter was responsible for the overall operations of a $5 million short line railroad which includes 131 miles of track, 37 employees, and 21,000 annual carloads.  The maintenance of way, maintenance of equipment, operations, marketing and agency departments reported to Mr. Hunter.  In addition, Mr. Hunter was responsible for all purchasing activities and real estate transactions.

Transportation Marketing Services, Inc. , Consultant  1987-1989

Pleasant Hill, California

Mr. Hunter was responsible for achieving revenue and profit objectives of the firm as directed by the President.  His duties included market development, strategic planning, equipment analysis, physical distribution analysis, branch line acquisition analysis, competitive analysis, market research, contract rate negotiations, sales development, operations analysis, and development of business plans.  He prepared testimony, traffic and revenue projections diversion estimates, and traffic flow analyses for the Anschutz Corporation and Rio Grande Industries in their acquisition of the Southern Pacific Transportation Company.  Clients included the government, shippers, transportation companies, and port authorities. 
Southern Pacific Transportation Company, San Francisco, California  1981-1987

Marketing Services Department  1986-1987

Intermodal Department   1985-1986

Market Planning Department  1981-1985

In the Marketing Services Dept., Mr. Hunter was responsible for achieving revenue and profit objectives for the corporation as directed by the Assistant Vice President - Marketing Services.  His duties included developing agreements with other railroads, developing a network of short-haul TOFC trains, and evaluating the competitive environment and implications for the corporation.  He was involved with branch line sales and agreements, working with both investors and financiers to develop short line railroads.  He handled SPTCo's application for trackage rights in the Union Pacific-Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad merger including a traffic flow analysis, diversion estimates, and revenue projections. 

In the Intermodal Dept., Mr. Hunter was responsible for special studies on all aspects of domestic and international TOFC and container traffic as directed by Assistant Vice President - Intermodal.  His duties included contract development and negotiations, developing and analyzing costs, developing and analyzing various markets, and pricing, representing approximately $500 million in annual revenue.

In the Market Planning Dept., Mr. Hunter was responsible for the market development and pricing of the aggregate and cement commodities representing approximately $80 million in annual review.  He was originally hired as Assistant Manager, Market Development - Bulk Services (May 1981-July 1982), and promoted to Product Manger, Marketing & Sales - Aggregates and Cement (July 1982-1985).  His duties included forecasting and analyzing of product market with objective of expanding SPTCo's market share, reducing operating costs, and increasing profit margin.  Additional responsibilities included negotiation of contracts with customers, developing and analyzing costs, and commercial decisions involving equipment allocation and acquisition.  In response to the Staggers (4R) Act, directed marketing efforts in aggregates/ cement from traditional single car rate to unit train contracts generating a 20% increase in SPTCo's share in the western railroad market.  Over a three-year period, this represented a net contribution turnaround from an $8 million loss to a $5 million profit.

Western Pacific Railroad, Transportation Department  1976-1981

San Francisco and Bay Area

Mr. Hunter's responsibilities included both staff and direct line supervision of railroad operations.  Staff position reported to Director-Operating Administration.  Responsibilities included projecting and monitoring of annual system operating budget of $70 million; in-depth analysis of operating expenses; working with line managers to determine and coordinate individual terminal and district costs with overall system forecast; presentation of budget variances to Vice President-Operations; and providing guidelines and requirements for the programming of departmental reports.  This line position reported to Division Superintendent.  Mr. Hunter was responsible for directing rail operations in the district between Oakland and Stockton - the fastest growing region on the railroad, which generated $15 million in gross revenue with an operating budget of $2.2 million.  The territory comprised a variety of rail operations; main and branch line, industry and road switching, interchange, and joint facilities.  Mr. Hunter coordinated schedules, assignments, and train performance to customer requirements with other departments of the railroad (i.e. Sales, Car Distribution, Train Operations/Dispatching, Roadway, and Mechanical).  He also supervised train and engine operating employees within the district in addition to 20 station employees.