Montana Rail Link president resigns NEWSWIRE

MISSOULA, Mont. — Montana Rail Link President Stacy Posey has resigned after less than 11 months on the job.

On Wednesday, MRL announced Posey was leaving for “personal reasons” and had been replaced by Derek Ollmann, president of MRL sister railroad Southern Railway of British Columbia, effective immediately. Both railroads are owned by industrialist Dennis Washington.

“We are thrilled to have a candidate of Derek’s experience and caliber step into the president role at this exciting and dynamic time for MRL,” Washington Companies President Larry Simkins says. “Following a year of robust growth, record safety performance and strong employee engagement, MRL is well-positioned to build on its success for many years to come. Having known Derek over his long tenure at SRY, I can attest that he fully embodies MRL’s culture and values, is a strategic thinker, and a person of high integrity. I am honored to welcome Derek to MRL and look forward to working closely with him over the coming years.”

Ollmann has been described as a “seasoned railroad executive” who joined Southern Railway in 1999. In 20 years, Ollmann has held numerous roles in the operating department, including conductor, operations supervisor, assistant superintendent and superintendent. He became president in April 2017.

“I have long admired MRL and am honored to lead the company at this important juncture,” Ollmann says. “With its strong position in the industry and talented team of more than 1,200 employees, it is an exciting time to be joining MRL.”

Posey came to MRL as vice president of operations in 2016 and became president and CEO on Jan. 1, replacing longtime president Tom Walsh, who had been with the company since its start in 1987 and its leader since 2003. Prior to coming to MRL, Posey worked for CSX Transportation for 16 years. The Tennessee native got his start as a geology consultant for the railroad but quickly became fascinated by the industry. He hired out in 2001 and held a number of jobs, including division engineer, assistant division manager and trainmaster.

In a 2018 interview with Trains, Posey says he was initially hesitant about leaving CSX in 2016 — “You feel a lot of loyalty to the paint scheme,” he said — but that the opportunity to work for MRL was too good to pass up.

“It’s much more intimate,” Posey said of working at a regional carrier. “The decisions you make at a Class 1 are rarely instantaneous. But when you make a decision on a railroad of this size you feel like you’ve made a difference.”