This one snuck up on me. It’s not like I wasn’t involved, or not paying attention to the calendar, but here we are just about two weeks from heading out to San Diego for the ASLRRA 2014 Connections. Wow. The crates are packed and shipping out today, I’ve been reviewing presentations for the correct spelling of ASLRRA, and all of those little things that may make up a small part of the entire experience are starting to take their final form.If you haven’t made plans to be in San Diego yet, what are you waiting for? Alan Matheson and his band of merry men and women have put together a great program, and this is one of the best hotel locations we have ever had for an Annual Meeting. As I mentioned above, I have had a bit of a preview of the presentations that will be given during the RailroadU sessions, and they have been impressive. I can also plug myself, as this year I will be speaking in two separate sessions, the Tech Roundtable and in the Marketing track on Industrial Switching on Thursday.Don’t forget about the exhibition. Over 200 booths, almost as many different companies (including Short Line Data Systems, of course), and the widest selection of products and services available to the short line industry in one place that you are going to find this year. Combine the exhibition with the educational sessions, and you can’t get more bang for your buck any place else.One other thing. If you are going to be in San Diego, and see a volunteer, or have a chance to talk to a presenter, thank them for donating their time and effort to the cause. It takes a huge effort by an army of people working over a year on each meeting, and without their contribution Connections would not be made (pun intended).
---By Steve Friedland
Steve Friedland is a child of the railroad industry. Following summers and vacations working on the track gang for the family-owned Morristown & Erie Railway, a 42-mile New Jersey short line, he started full-time in 1994. He has worked in all areas of the railroad, including track, mechanical, signals, and operations, and currently is a member of the management team for the company as director of operations in Morristown, N.J. In 1999, he founded Short Line Data Systems, a provider of railroad EDI and dispatching software, AEI hardware, and management consulting to the short line industry. He currently serves as the ASLRRA representative to the AAR's Wireless Communications Committee and is chairman of the joint AAR-ASLRRA Short Line Information Improvement Committee. He also is a member of the ASLRRA's board of directors.
Steve Friedland is a child of the railroad industry. Following summers and vacations working on the track gang for the family-owned Morristown & Erie Railway, a 42-mile New Jersey short line, he started full-time in 1994. He has worked in all areas of the railroad, including track, mechanical, signals, and operations, and currently is a member of the management team for the company as director of operations in Morristown, N.J. In 1999, he founded Short Line Data Systems, a provider of railroad EDI and dispatching software, AEI hardware, and management consulting to the short line industry. He currently serves as the ASLRRA representative to the AAR's Wireless Communications Committee and is chairman of the joint AAR-ASLRRA Short Line Information Improvement Committee. He also is a member of the ASLRRA's board of directors.