We’re Suited Up and Ready
It’s time to buy peanuts and Cracker Jack, and root for the home team.
That’s right, it’s time for baseball; the Major League season opens in late March. And with the current America250 observance, we thought it made sense to mention America’s national pastime and Watco’s role in it. Without doubt, many of our team members have played, coached, or watched the sport. But in some cases, we’ve “worked” it, too, as our jobs could mean we’re directly or indirectly involved in the ol’ ball game.
Part of the history of U.S.A. baseball is Fenway Park. It’s the oldest active ballpark in Major League Baseball (MLB), having opened in 1912, and it’s been the home of the Boston Red Sox ever since. Today, there are 30 MLB stadiums in the U.S. (plus one in Canada). When it comes to all types of ballparks and their concessions, we’re in the supply chain for burgers, sodas, and beers or even cups, trays, and straws found at America’s stadiums.
Besides handling these consumables, Watco handles raw materials that might make their way to concession stands. Several of our railroads move barley, a staple in brewing beer. We facilitate the transport of gypsum (also known as calcium sulfate), which can be an ingredient in beer, pizza dough, or hot dog buns. Caustic soda is in our commodity mix, and while ours is industrial grade, it’s a dip in a food-grade caustic soda solution that helps give soft pretzels their signature gloss, aroma, and taste.
Terminals handle food-grade chemicals used for product preservation and stability, and also the high-fructose corn syrup that ends up in concessions. Terminals also see liquefied CO2 on its way to an array of food and beverage manufacturers for carbonating beverages, preserving food, and rapid freezing and chilling of foods in preparation for transport.
The popcorn and peanuts that we carry for a couple of customers are transformed into bagged popcorn snacks and peanut-based candies, candy bars, and snack mixes. (Incidentally, both of those customers represent a continuous presence in the America250 story. They’re fourth- and fifth-generation family businesses, each operating for more than 100 years.)
Other raw materials that we deal with are the building blocks of baseball stadiums and parking lots. Multiple Watco customers ship structural steel, rebar, and concrete aggregates like crushed stone, gravel, and sand.
It takes a groundskeeping crew to care for the natural turf that’s found in almost all MLB stadiums. To make grass as thick and green as possible, they use fertilizer, which Watco hauls for many customers. We’re also familiar with polyethylene and polypropylene, dominant materials in artificial turf that’s likely to be found at college-level ball fields.
Our link to baseball extends to collectibles. We have customers that produce baseball trading cards for hobby shops and online retailers that sell fan merchandise.
Whether it’s baseball or any other sport, or any industry or segment of the economy, the Watco team is always suited up and ready. We’re proud of our role in keeping America moving.
