JULY 2025 – Whether he’s on the job or off the clock, Equipment Coordinator Drew Martin does his best to represent Watco.

At Watco, Martin helps keep freight cars moving across our network efficiently, particularly on the Wisconsin & Southern Railroad (WSOR). He works with our customers and operations team to ensure the right railcars are at the customers’ facilities when they need them. He’s also involved with Watco’s rollout of RailPulse, which provides customers tracking and analytics about their rail shipments. But he does much more than that, according to Railcar Revenue Specialist Joely Gath.

“Drew always goes above and beyond to support the WSOR team and customers,” she said. “And he’s the first one to jump in to help when they or anyone else at Watco needs it.”

Martin brings a very thorough and personal stake to his job, says Sales Director Brad Peot. Recently, there was an issue where car billing wasn’t processing correctly with an interchanging railroad. This led to customers not receiving their cars when requested and tracking being incorrect.

“Drew dove right in to help find the root cause so we could quickly solve the problem going forward,” Peot said. “He’s the ultimate team player and always wants to help.”

Peot says Martin also goes the extra mile to work with our operations team to switch and build trains efficiently. Selecting the right cars and assembling them correctly saves time and effort and improves customer service. He also helps the WSOR’s grain fleet and assists in serving their agriculture customers. That’s where Martin excels at bringing a personal touch to rail service.

“He comes from a farming background. That helps him share relevant insights and ask pertinent questions internally and with customers,” Peot said. “He tries to understand every step of the operation and then find ways to make it more efficient. That’s something every team member should try to do.”

Customers appreciate that effort, too. Matt Belling, rail manager for logistics at Didion Milling in Wisconsin, appreciates Martin’s efforts to keep cars moving at their facilities and his personal investment. They talk three to five times a week to coordinate boxcars for Didion. Their need for boxcars can change quickly depending on production at the facilities.

“He’s taken the time to learn how our business works and is eager to help. I’ve texted him on weekends when something has changed and he’s always quick to respond,” Belling said. “On calls, the first question is ‘how’s the family’ or something similar. With Drew, it’s not just a business relationship, it’s personal.”

Martin also works to represent Watco outside the office. He helps organize Watco’s annual Christmas train ride in Pittsburg, Kansas, for area first graders, gives rail safety presentations at local schools, takes active roles in team building and community events like Corporate Challenge and spirit weeks, and referees high school football and volleyball.

“Drew is a team player who boosts morale around the office,” Gath said. “He’s just an all-around good human being, who’s an invaluable asset to the team. And we’re lucky to have him.”

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