Today is Wick Moorman’s last day as executive chairman at Norfolk Southern. It is no secret that he has done a lot for all of us who love history, tradition, and pride in being a railroad, both fans and NS employees. We all know that under Wick’s tenure, the business train got tuxedo-painted F-units for power, 20+ modern units got historic predecessor paint schemes, and steam excursions returned with not one, but four locomotives. Those were dramatic steps for a company that long had an excellent self-appreciation for its past and knew how to channel that interest outward for its own good. About 20 years ago, the corporate culture in Norfolk seemed to lose that self-knowledge and the realization that a railroad is a special business. It was just another corporation. But Wick knew the company’s DNA was that of a railroad. He brought that out in a most splendid way.
More than those outward symbols, he had the respect of the people who actually run the company every day. He changed the tenor from a hard-core militant culture to a more relaxed customer-focused and service-oriented company. He knew the names of employees. “He came up from the ranks and understood what it was like to be a grunt doing the day-to-day operations that keep the trains running,” said one operations person at NS.
Inspiration, respect, and personal caring go a long way, and especially when times get tough. That’s when loyalty is a railroad CEO’s most valuable asset. So, as Wick winds down his railroad career – he’s on through the end of the year as advisor to successor Jim Squires – I hope you’ll join me in thanking him for all that he’s done for those of us who love railroading. He reminded all of us that NS is indeed a business, but first and foremost, it is a railroad.-------------------PS: We’re proud that Wick Moorman is one of our speakers at our Trains magazine 75th anniversary dinner in Milwaukee on Nov. 14. We expect that will be his final public appearance as an NS official. A few tickets remain. Click on this link for details: https://secure.kalmbach.com/order/?c=75TRAIN
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