Lone Star Railroad Contractors, Inc., with its headquarters in Ennis, Texas, was founded in 1993 by Joe Crow and Paul Newman. Both men had a vision of owning their own railroad company to service the North Texas area. After working in the railroad contracting business for 20 years with another company in the industry, they decided to found their own business. Crow and Newman knew each other for some time, with both attending Ennis High School in Ennis, Texas, a town with a small population of just 18,000. With the founding of their company, the duo’s dream of just staying in North Texas expanded and they moved into Amarillo, Texas; Cuero, Texas; Memphis, Tennessee; and Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The company now has approximately 200 employees and annual revenue of $35 million. Although both men are experienced leaders in their field, they still consider their greatest asset to be their personnel, who are dedicated to delivering a quality product to each and every customer. Lone Star specializes in railroad track maintenance, construction, and safety management, serving primarily steel mills, manufacturers, and chemical plants. The company has a widespread and extensive network of suppliers that it has relied on for years and that allows the company to succeed in planning and executing jobs of any magnitude. This vast fleet of equipment also allows Lone Star to serve any part of the United States. The company is dedicated to providing its customers with “quality work, on time, within budget, and in a safe manner.” Lone Star’s most popular services offered are track maintenance and construction. Lone Star keeps track structures properly in gauge, aligned and secure in order to guarantee a safe and efficient rail transport system. Lone Star believes the most cost effective strategy for track maintenance is preventative maintenance. Lone Star personnel inspect the tracks, evaluate any problems found, and then suggest cost-effective ways to repair and maintain the tracks. The company makes an effort to operate with integrity and never suggest unnecessary maintenance to clients, but rather diagnose only the present problems. In the area of new track construction, Lone Star offers a wide range of construction options - from short industrial track spurs to an entire switching yard of tracks with dozens of switches. Luckily, the company is large enough to have access to all of the necessary materials and equipment to keep track lying efficient and reasonable. The company is also committed to keeping its equipment in the best condition possible so that the business and clients alike do not encounter problems with cost overruns due to equipment breakdowns. Safety Management is of the upmost priority for Lone Star. The company consults with a variety of safety professionals and experts in order to assist its executive committee in the ongoing development and management of its safety program. Lone Star, in conjunction with these professionals and experts, manages and documents safety initiatives and programs appropriate to the company’s heavy construction classification. Each of its locations has a Safety Committee dedicated to managing and improving the safety program. This committee is comprised of managers, superintendents, foremen, operators and track laborers. The company also engages in a variety of loss control efforts, including OSHA, FRA and MSHA compliance. Crow and Newman became members of the National Railroad Construction and Maintenance Association, which has brought in additional opportunities. Luckily their company has been able to weather the current economic situation without incidence, which is impressive given that prices for steel rails have increased by 30 percent. Crow and Newman attribute their success to going where their competitors were not. In 2002 and 2003 Crow and Newman’s business was going relatively slowly and then began to pick up a great deal in 2005 and 2006, at which point Lone Star opened new locations. Lone Star has also greatly benefited from the increase in fuel prices in the last few years, making railroad transportation a much more affordable option for hauling materials. In fact, railroad transportation is three to four times more efficient than truck use. Now the company is proud to say that it is able to pick and choose which new projects it will take on. Newman and Crow hope to eventually expand their business into Northeast Texas, as well as Mississippi and Alabama. They hope to also expand by specializing in the bridge department area. Both men agree that “getting good people is key.” Lone Star remains dedicated to finding not just workers but employees, the kind of people that are qualified and highly skilled. Given the company’s extensive experience in its field, as well as its commitment to expanding and maintaining its place at the forefront of railroad track maintenance and construction, Lone Star plans to be around for a long time to come.