Union Pacific restructures marketing and sales organization

The Omaha, Neb.-based Class I railway revealed it is redesigning its marketing and sales organization “to align with evolving customer needs.”    Union Pacific is redesigning its marketing and sales organization “to align with evolving customer needs,” the Class I railway revealed Friday.
   The six major business units at Union Pacific are being consolidated into four, which will include agricultural products, energy, industrial and premium.
   The agricultural products team, which will be led by Brad Thrasher, will include all of the markets previously under the agricultural products business unit, plus fertilizer.
   Meanwhile, the energy team will be led by Linda Brandl. It will include the previous coal business team, in addition to frac sand, liquefied petroleum gas and petroleum, and wind markets.
   Kenny Rocker will lead the industrial team, which will include markets that comprised the previous industrial products business unit, excluding frac sand and wind, and adding industrial chemicals, plastics, and soda ash markets from the former chemicals business unit.
   The premium unit will be led by Jason Hess, and will include all the markets previously served by Union Pacific’s intermodal and automotive business units.
   The railway is also refocusing its customer service center and consolidating four subsidiaries into one.
   Effective Nov. 1, the four subsidiaries – Union Pacific Distribution Services (UPDS), Streamline, ShipCarsNow and Insight Network Logistics (INL) – will become Loup Logistics Company, a wholly-owned subsidiary that will be led by Shawntell Kroese.
   Loup will be located at Union Pacific’s headquarters in Omaha, Neb.
   The National Customer Service Center is being renamed to Customer Care and Support, which will be led by Kari Kirchhoefer.
   In addition, Union Pacific is expanding its economic and industrial development team “to enhance the work done with customers and local economic development teams to add additional transportation options for customers not served directly by rail,” the company said.