North Carolina Railroad donates $50,000 to AREMA Educational Foundation

AREMA’s Educational Foundation received a donation of $50,000 from the North Carolina Railroad Company to bolster educational opportunities in the industry.

NCRR/AREMA

One engineering student will receive a $1,000 scholarship each year from the American Railway Engineering and Maintenance-of-Way Association (AREMA) Educational Foundation indefinitely following the foundation’s receipt of a $50,000 contribution from the North Carolina Railroad Company (NCRR).

Scott M. Saylor, NCRR president, and James K. Kessler, AREMA’s director of the Passenger and Transit Functional Group and Vice President, Engineering and Planning for NCRR, presented the endowment to AREMA’s Educational Foundation. 

Brian A. Lindamood, AREMA immediate past president, and Elizabeth S. Caruso, AREMA executive director and CEO, accepted the funds on behalf of the foundation. Representatives say the donation is meant to invest in the stability and overall future of the railway industry.

With the new funds, AREMA representatives say the foundation will now be able to ensure that a $1,000 annual scholarship will be awarded to an engineering student considering a career in railway engineering.

“The North Carolina Railroad Company’s more than 167-year mission is rooted in economic development,” Saylor said. “Through this scholarship with AREMA, the North Carolina Railroad Company is making an important investment in the future of North Carolina’s engineering workforce.”

David A. Becker, AREMA president, also noted the significance of the contribution to AREMA’s Educational Foundation.

“On behalf of the AREMA Educational Foundation, and our entire membership, I want to extend sincere thanks to the North Carolina Railroad Company for making this outstanding long-term commitment to our industry’s next generation,” he said.