NRC and REMSA member A&K Railroad Materials hosts U.S. Rep. Davids on tour of manufacturing facility

Rep. Davids (Kan.-3rd District, right) discusses with employees at A&K Railroad Materials in Kansas City, Kan., on April 19, 2022.

On April 19, NRC and REMSA member company A&K Railroad Materials hosted Representative Sharice Davids (D- 3rd District) today on a tour its facility in Kansas City, Kan., which manufactures track components for the railway industry.

It was the first stop on Davids “Made in Kansas” tour to promote domestic manufacturing and supply chain solutions.

Davids serves on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee as Vice Chair and as Chair of the Subcommittee on Economic Growth, Tax and Capital Access. She recently was selected as a key negotiator for the House as lawmakers finalize a major, bipartisan supply chain package in Congress. Davids was first elected to Congress in 2019 after serving in the U.S. Army for 20 years.

President of A&K Railroad Materials President Kellen Desmond led an employee meeting with Davids and a tour through the manufacturing facility. “We’re glad to be the first stop on Representative Davids’ tour and show off the manufacturing capability we have here in Kansas City, Kan.,” said Desmond. “We’re excited to see what the bipartisan infrastructure law holds for the railroad industry and for A&K.”

Davids said she was pleased to get a boots-on-the ground perspective to carry back to Washington. “When we make more here at home, and when we invest in strong supply chains, we lower costs for folks at the store. The work at A&K Railroad Materials is important to every piece of that equation,” said Davids. “Today I got to see how both the bipartisan infrastructure law and the new supply chain legislation we’re working on in Congress will help Kansas manufacturers continue to serve our entire country’s transportation needs.”

Established in 1959, A&K Railroad Materials, Inc. (originally the A&K Tie Company) began in Oakland, CA and over the past several decades has become a leading supplier of new and used track materials. Kansas City, Kansas is the center of A&K’s operations and home to the majority of A&K’s 250+ employees. Today, A&K has seven sales offices, 11 fixed yards, and a network of storage and distribution facilities located throughout the United States. Additionally, affiliate companies of A&K operate three short line railroads, including one in Kansas. With this network A&K Railroad Materials maintains an extensive inventory of rail and track materials across the nation. A&K Railroad Materials is a member of the NRC (National Railroad Construction and Maintenance Association (NRC) and REMSA, two U.S. trade associations that advocate on behalf of railroad contractors and suppliers.

In addition to Desmond, other A&K Railroad Materials employees in attendance included Executive Vice President Operations Pat Reeves, Executive Vice President Sales Jim Huenefeldt, Vice President/General Manager Fastener Dan Britten, Vice President General Manager Trackwork Greg Cornett, General Manager Logistics Antoinee Gladney, Shop Supervisor Chino Andrade, and Shipping and Receiving Coordinator Megan Eshnaur. Mike McGonagle, NRC Vice President of Operations and REMSA Grassroots Event Manager, also participated in the event.

About the NRC – The NRC is a U.S. trade association that advances the mutual interests of railway contractors and suppliers who construct, maintain and supply freight railroads and rail-transit and passenger lines. Founded in 1978, the NRC connects members with other railway industry professionals and government officials and policy makers. The NRC collaborates with its members, government, and industry leaders to create a positive business climate and to make railway construction and maintenance safer and more efficient.

About REMSA – REMSA’s mission is to provide global business development opportunities, to transfer knowledge about markets, products and the industry to members and their customers, and to support the initiatives advancing the North American railroad industry. REMSA was created in 1965 by the merger of the Association of Track and Structure Suppliers and the National Railway Appliances Association, two long-standing organizations in the railroad maintenance-of-way industry.  The association represents companies and individuals who manufacture or sell maintenance-of-way equipment, products, and services, or are engineers, contractors and consultants working in construction and/or maintenance of railroad transportation facilities. REMSA members constitute a large part of the maintenance-of-way industry.