American Railway Development Association

THE ARDA NEWSLETTER

July 2016

2016 ARDA Silent Auction

ARDA will be hosting its annual Silent Auction at the 2016 Annual Meeting in Las Vegas. The proceeds from the auction will benefit First Coast Blessings in a Backpack, a charity which provides weekend meals for Elementary School students who receive meals during the week at school through federal lunch programs. First Coast Blessings provides meals to students at 16 schools in Duval And St. Johns Counties in northeast Florida.

If you are interested in donating items to the silent auction please mail them to:

Renaissance Las Vegas

Attn: Fred Oelsner, American Railway Development Association

3400 Paradise Road

Las Vegas, NV 89169

Annual Meeting attendees will be able to bid on items from July 24-26 in the ARDA Hospitality Suite, with auction winners announced the evening of July 26. For more information please contact Fred Oelsner at [email protected].

Register for the 2016 Annual Meeting Today!

The 2016 Annual Meeting will take place from Sunday evening July 24 to Wednesday morning July 27, 2016 at the Renaissance Las Vegas! Those arriving early will also have the opportunity to participate in our early bird golf tournament at the TPC Las Vegas at 8 AM on the morning of Sunday, July 24. More details on the Annual Meeting schedule can be found here [PDF].

We are looking forward to an Annual Meeting program featuring speakers on topics relating to our 2015-16 theme of "Going Global." More details on our program, schedule, silent auction, registration options and more can be found below or on the ARDA website at www.amraildev.com/2016annualmeeting. Registration for the Annual Meeting will is now open on the ARDA website.

Spots are still available to participate in the Early Bird Golf Tournament on Sunday, July 24, as well as for an off-roading trip after the end of the conference on Wednesday, July 27. For more details on these activities, or if you have any other questions regarding the Annual Meeting please contact Fred Oelsner at [email protected] or by phone at 202-715-1259.

Panels and Programs at the 2016 Annual Meeting

The 2016 Annual Meeting will feature a variety of different panels and presentations on timely issues within the railroad industry. Our current schedule and program can be found here. These subjects and presenters will include:

Innovative Methodologies to Data Capture

Doug Morrison (Bartlett & West) will speak on his company's latest advances in utilizing LiDAR technology for rail applications

AAR Regulatory Update

Featuring Robert Fronczak (AAR) to speak on recent developments in regulations within the rail industry

Lessons Learned from Site Development Projects

Featuring Quin Vincent (VAA) to offer a customer perspective, and Mike Ray (BNSF) to offer insights from the railroad side of site development projects

Environmentally Challenged Properties

Featuring Brooke Gaede (BNSF) to offer a customer perspective, and Steve Valdez (Landmark Research Group) to speak about legal and other challenges facing railroads when working with property with environmental issues.

BNSF Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) Program

Mike Mischke (BNSF) will speak on BNSF's internal and FAA Pathfinder program work with drones

Rails-to-Trails: Partnerships & Opportunities

Featuring David St. John (King County (WA) Department of Natural Resources and Parks) and Liz Thorstensen (Rails-to-Trails Conservency) speaking on rails-to-trails development, collaboration with railroads and case studies

PNW Gateway: Challenges and Opportunities in a Changing Regulatory Landscape

Featuring Johan Hellman (BNSF)

Defending Condemnation: What to Do When Your DOT Comes Knocking

Featuring Kevin Baldwin (Daley Mohan Groble) and Michael Wallenstein (Pillsbury) speaking on issues surrounding railroads defense against eminent domain claims

Marketing Industrial Development Sites

Featuring Stephanie Lane (CSX) and Lacy Kreger (BNSF) speaking on their railroads' certification and selection of sites for Industrial Development

The Evolution and Opportunities of Wetland Mitigation Banking

Featuring Kari Harris (CN), John Ryan (Land and Water Resources, Inc.), and Danniel MacDonald (BNSF) discussing the development of wetland mitigation banking, and opportunities for railroads to take advantage of this valuable tool.

Utility Crossing Roundtable

A continuation from discussions at previous ARDA events in Miami and Denver on utility crossings of railroad right-of-ways

Keep an eye on the Annual Meeting information page (here) for more updates on topics to be presented in Las Vegas!

ARDA Sponsorship Opportunities

ARDA offers companies the opportunity to sponsor specific meeting functions or become a general association sponsor. Multiple levels of General Sponsorship are available for your consideration - corporate commitments greater than $1,000 include complimentary individual memberships in ARDA.

To sponsor the 2016 ARDA Annual Meeting please contact Fred Oelsner at [email protected] or 202-715-1259 .

Annual Meeting Sponsorships	Amount
~~Welcome Reception~~	~~$2,000~~
Individual Program Sessions (8 in Total)	$500 per session
Spouse/Guest Coffee and Meet-up	$500
Breaks (4 in Total)	$1,000 per break
Continental Breakfasts	$1,500 per breakfast
Lunch Periods	$1,500 per lunch
Hospitality Suite and Silent Auction	$1,000 per day
Happy Hour at Peppermill's	$2,000
~~President's Reception~~	~~$2,000~~
~~President's Dinner~~	~~$3,000~~

General ARDA Sponsorships for 2015-16 are also available. Please visit our website to learn more about the different levels of ARDA Sponsorships.

Annual ARDA Sponsorships	Amount
Bronze Level	$500 - $1,999
Silver Level	$2,000 - $4,999
Gold Level	$5,000 - $7,499
Platinum Level	$7,500+

2015-16 Membership Renewals

If you have not yet renewed your ARDA membership for 2015-2016, please visit our website at www.amraildev.com and log-in at the top right corner of the page.

Your renewed membership allows ARDA to continue fostering the industrial, real estate, natural resources, market development activities and environmental concerns of the North American railroads through the advancement of ideas and education of its members. Members also discounted registration rates at ARDA rates, including a $200 discount on the Annual Meeting!

If you are not an ARDA member and would like to join, please visit our registration page.

2015-16 ARDA Board of Directors

President: Stephanie Johnson, Florida East Coast Railway
First Vice President: Alan Sisk, Norfolk Southern Corporation
Second Vice President: Gary Rozmus, GEI Consultants
Secretary-Treasurer: Mark Holder, CSX Transportation, Inc.
Secretary-Treasurer Nominee: Doug Morrison, Bartlett & West, Inc.
Past President: Elizabeth Steel, Kansas City Southern Railway

For more information, visit the ARDA website or contact:

ARDA staff at [email protected]

The American Railway Development Association (ARDA) is a not-for-profit educational trade association founded in 1906 to promote Economic Development, Real Estate Development, Technology, and Environmental Activities of the North American Railroads.

The objectives of the Association are to foster the industrial, real estate, natural resources, market development activities and environmental concerns of the North American railroads; and through the advancement of ideas and education of its members, further promote the effectiveness of railway development and related work .