OMAHA, Neb. – Dick Davidson, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Union Pacific Railroad, has been named 2003 Railroader of the Year by railroad industry trade journal Railway Age.
“A steady hand on the throttle–a hand with over 40 years’ experience in railroading–and the remarkable job he has done positioning Union Pacific for growth and gaining back customer confidence are why Dick Davidson is Railway Age’s 2003 Railroader of the Year,” writes Railway Age Editor William C. Vantuono in the magazine’s January 2003 issue.
“In 2002, in the face of a sputtering economy, the Dick Davidson-led Union Pacific posted one of its best years ever in its 140-year history,” writes Vantuono. “The ‘33,000-mile factory-with no roof,’ as Davidson likes to describe it, is thundering along like a finely-tuned high-horsepower locomotive pulling a trainload of premium commodities. The track ahead is clear: The network is running more fluidly than it ever has by many measures, not the least of which is customer satisfaction. UP’s financial results show consistent, steady growth, and those Wall Street skeptics that once questioned whether UP would be permanently weakened by the post-Southern Pacific acquisition service crisis are now betting on the railroad’s future. UP’s capital expenditures in 2003 will again be the highest in the industry. The railroad that once had idle freight trains clogging up key main lines has good reason to say that it’s ‘Building America.’”
“To be singled out by a publication that is such a knowledgeable and diligent observer of our industry is a true honor,” said Davidson. “Yet I stand only as a representative of our 47,000 men and women who work hard every day to provide the best possible service to our customers. We at Union Pacific are proud of our 140-year heritage and prouder yet of the role we play today in helping to keep America’s economy moving forward.”
Dick Davidson is the 40th recipient of Railway Age’s Railroader of the Year Award, which was started by Modern Railroads magazine in 1964 as the “Man of the Year” award. Railway Age acquired Modern Railroads in 1992 and has presented the award annually since then.
Davidson will be presented with the award, one of the most prestigious in the railroad industry, on March 18, 2003, at Chicago’s Union League Club.
