OMAHA, Neb. — New Union Pacific CEO Jim Vena shared his vision for the railroad in a letter to employees today, his first day back at the railroad.
“My vision and focus are clear: Safety, Service and Operational Excellence will equal Growth. Together, we will achieve the best safety record in the industry, be known for superior service grounded in operational excellence — and because of these things — we will achieve growth,” Vena wrote.
Vena emphasized his experience as a ballast-level railroader at Canadian National and how his management roles in operations and marketing underscored the importance of service. He rose through the ranks and ultimately became CN’s chief operating officer, a role he took at UP in 2019 and 2020 as the railroad adopted the lean Precision Scheduled Railroading operating model.
“During my time at UP as COO, I learned what it takes to implement change — and how hard change can be. I also saw how bright, resilient and honorable this organization is,” Vena wrote. ”I benefited from your courage to do something we hadn’t done before, and your sacrifices to become leaner, fitter and more resilient for all of our stakeholders.”
Vena pledged to help make UP “the safest railroad in the world” and to improve service while making the railroad more efficient and more reliable.
“What I can also tell you is that you can count on me to be frank, thoughtful, nimble and resilient,” Vena said. “I won’t mince words when the truth must be spoken. I will ask a lot of you — and I will demand even more from myself.”
Vena opened his note by thanking his predecessor, Lance Fritz for setting the railroad up for continued success.
Fritz, in a farewell salute last week, said being UP’s chief executive has “been the honor of a lifetime.”
Fritz said he was proud of the railroad’s commitment to safety, growth, employee quality of life, sustainability, technology, and its diversity and inclusion efforts during his 8 1/2 years at the helm.
“Union Pacific was the only U.S. Class I railroad to experience volume growth in 2022, and we are outperforming the industry again in 2023,” Fritz wrote. “When our markets turn more favorable, we are ready to take off.”
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