American TieTek, LT Resources host Rep. Gohmert for tour, rail discussion

Left to right: Oaks, Ramthun, Thomas, Thompson, Rep. Gohmert

Sean Winkler/REMSA

Representatives from American TieTek LLC, LT Resources, Inc., and other rail industry stakeholders met with U.S. Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-TX-1) on Oct. 12 to give him a tour of American TieTek’s manufacturing facility and discuss LT Resources’ products as well as recent industry concerns.

Linda Thomas, president of LT Resources, and Dale Ramthun, vice president of operations for American TieTek, led the tour, which was organized by the Railway Engineering-Maintenance Suppliers Association. Attendees toured American TieTek’s facility, which manufactures recycled and recyclable composite products.

“We are honored to be joined by [Rep.] Gohmert to highlight manufacturing and rail issues in East Texas,” Thomas said during the event. “Our businesses are working around the clock to improve safety and make our industry more environmentally friendly with high-quality composite products. We appreciate the congressman taking the time to learn about the challenges we face in our industry.”

LT Resources says it focuses on supplying environmentally friendly composite highway-rail grade crossings and crossties, as well as other products. LT Resources describes its products as durable, cost-effective composites made in the U.S. that would otherwise wind up in landfills.

American TieTek is LT Resources’ contract manufacturer for ENDURANCE® highway-rail grade crossings, and LT Resources acts as American TieTek’s composite tie distributor in the U.S., Canada and Mexico. American TieTek and LT Resources employ about 50 individuals throughout the state, representatives say.

Rep. Gohmert discussed the significance of encouraging economic growth in East Texas and bolstering the freight rail system’s safety and efficiency.

“A strong and efficient railroad is crucial for getting East Texas’ goods to market,” Rep.  Gohmer said. “To see firsthand the extraordinary array of products TieTek is creating and the extent to which they literally help keep the economy rolling down the track in East Texas is simply stunning. Being the servant in Washington for such a phenomenal team of high-skilled, pride-driven producers is indeed a privilege.”

Attendees discussed the bipartisan Building Rail Access for Customers and the Economy Act, which has collected more than 50 co-sponsors in the Senate and 220 co-sponsors in the House and would make permanent the shortline tax credit, also referred to as 45G.

The Surface Transportation Board’s recently issued regulation initiatives on reciprocal switching and commodity regulation also came up in conversation, with many industry stakeholders having expressed concerns that the initiatives could lead to reduced capital investments in the freight industry.

Also in attendance were:

• Chet Oaks, trainmaster for R.J. Corman Railroad Group
• Chad Sutton, operations manager for TieTek LLC
• Mike Thompson, owner of Texas Plastics Recycling LLC
• Sean Winkler, grassroots coordinator for REMSA