Appreciating Your History Will Enhance Your Future

Joe Daloisio Chairman, National Railroad Construction and Maintenance Association (NRC)

Courtesy of NRC

From the January 2026 issue of RT&S.

I confess that while I love to watch a good game on television, I also enjoy watching the History Channel. I appreciate history. Not the kind some of us had in school where we had to memorize dates and locations. But the kind of history that gives us context for our industry, our community, and our country, that exemplifies our core values and beliefs, helps us to avoid mistakes of the past, and identifies real trailblazers and heroes.

Appreciating history begins with getting to know members of your own family lineage and introducing them to your children. You can never truly move forward until you know where you’ve been. As a third-generation railroader, I am blessed to have many role models in the family business that came before me. My grandfather, Joe Sr., built track as a gang foreman on the Erie Railroad. My father, Joe Jr., and my aunts, uncles, and cousins all followed along the same track. They demonstrated passion, a strong work ethic and values, and taught me how to build trust with both valued customers and co-workers. Their honesty and commitment to quality service forged success for them and for me too. 

Our industry is a special one. I’ve benefitted from history with others in the rail industry too: laborers and operators, supers and foremen, customers, GCs, suppliers, and subs. We can all learn from each other. Remembering your project history and working relationships helps you avoid costly missteps, apply best practices, and put the top-performing peers and partners together for future project teams.

In the next couple of years, the NRC will celebrate its 50th anniversary. In preparation for this significant milestone, our association launched a new initiative earlier this year to record key dates, events, and personnel in our history since our founding in 1978. Please take a few minutes to check out the NRC History Project on our website at www.nrcma.org/history. 

“Being NRC Chairman has been one of the greatest honors of my life.“

You’ll learn about the six pivotal contractors who came together in the 1970s with the idea to form an association for their mutual benefit. You’ll discover the NRC’s commitment to safety started right from the beginning. You will appreciate some colorful personalities, some hits and misses, and key decisions that provided the momentum to make the NRC a consequential, dynamic organization that strengthens the role of contractors and suppliers in the rail industry.

The NRC History Project is a work in progress. We’d appreciate input from others in the NRC community to identify all of our past chairpersons, conference locations, and other key events. Please email your information or images related to NRC history to [email protected]. 

My 36-year history with the NRC – first as a member, then as a committee member and chair, board member, and now as chairman – has benefitted and blessed me in countless ways. The NRC often touts its value in connecting leaders and professionals from across our industry. I can attest to that! Our NRC has facilitated innumerable industry connections at annual conferences, other activities, and events. These connections have advanced our industry to new heights. I am excited to have been and continue to be part of it as we learn from our history and grow for the future. 

This is my final column as NRC chairman. While I sadly don’t have enough room here to recognize everyone, I’d like to thank a few people who have made my service with the NRC particularly fulfilling. First, thank you to my immediate family and my business family for supporting my NRC activities and time commitments. I am humbled and gratified to have served with so many industry all-stars – members of the NRC Board and Executive Committee – particularly past chairmen Mike Choat, Jim Hansen, and Steve Bolte. I’d also like to recognize NRC President Ashley Wieland, TGA Principal Matt Ginsberg, and our valuable other staff who kept me on track and made me look so good. Being NRC chairman has been one of the greatest honors of my life. Now, I am part of NRC history.

Finally, congratulations to Curtis Bilow, the new NRC chairman, and thank you to all of the NRC members for your support and, most recently, for attending our successful annual conference in Hollywood, Florida. If history is any judge, connections made at that conference and through other NRC activities will enhance your business and career for many years to come.

“We aren’t just in this industry. We are this industry!”

Joe