Knox Kershaw hosts Rep. Mike Rogers for facility tour and rail discussion

Written by Mischa Wanek-Libman, editor
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Rep. Rogers with Knox Kershaw employees
Sean Winkler/REMSA

Knox Kershaw, Inc., hosted U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers (R-AL-3) for a tour and discussion of rail and manufacturing issues at its long-held Montgomery, Ala., facility.

Local businesses, such as Central Steel Service, Inc., Loftis/Robbins, Inc., and railroad representatives from Genesee & Wyoming Railroad Services and Norfolk Southern also participated in the event, which was coordinated by the Railway Engineering-Maintenance Suppliers Association.

Chairman and CEO J. Knox Kershaw, II, let the tour of the company’s state-of-the-art facility, which produces tie cranes, track brooms, material handlers, ballast regulators and other railway maintenance equipment.

“We are honored to host Rep. Rogers and demonstrate our commitment to providing high quality products manufactured here in Alabama,” said Kershaw. “It is crucial that our policy makers in Washington support sound rail and trade policies to promote high-skilled and high-paying jobs here in Montgomery.”

Rep. Rogers focused his remarks on encouraging economic development in Alabama, ensuring awareness and safety at rail-highway grade crossings and the need for a strong, efficient and safe freight rail system to connect Alabama’s agricultural and energy producers to the global market.

“We must do all we can in Washington to ensure our small and medium-sized businesses succeed,” said Rep. Rogers. “I look forward to working with strong Alabama companies like Knox Kershaw to continue to create manufacturing jobs here in Montgomery and promote American products abroad.”

The rail stakeholder group discussed the Building Rail Access for Customers and the Economy Act, which aims to make the shortline tax credit permanent and has more than 220 cosponsors in the House of Representatives, including Rep. Rogers. Also discussed was recent regulation initiatives issued by the Surface Transportation Board on reciprocal switching and commodity regulation. The group explained the negative effects these efforts would have including reduced freight rail capital investment and the risk of creating major inefficiencies in the national freight network, as well as artificially creating government-mandated price caps.

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