SAN DIEGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Pacific Imperial Railroad is moving forward with plans to provide freight rail services to the Tijuana-Tecate region of Baja California by naming Charles M. Patterson as Chief Commercial Officer.
Patterson has 25 years of railroad experience in operations, sales and marketing roles with Class 1 railroads CSX and CN and with short line railroads Great Lakes Transportation and RailAmerica, where he was Senior Vice-President and Chief Commercial Officer. Patterson is a graduate of Davidson College and the University of Virginia’s Colgate Darden Graduate School of Business Administration. “I am delighted to be part of the Pacific Imperial Railroad team, and I look forward to joining their efforts to develop safe and cost effective rail service for the customers in northern Baja California," said Patterson.
Ernie Dahlman, CEO of Pacific Imperial Railroad stated, “I am very excited to have Charlie here to represent the advantages of this railroad with our client base of more than 700 manufacturing facilities in northwest Mexico.”
PIR President David Rohal added, “Charlie brings a wealth of experience and we are very pleased to have a Chief Commercial Officer with his background and skills.”
ABOUT PACIFIC IMPERIAL RAILROAD, INC.
In December 2012, Pacific Imperial Railroad (PIR) signed a long-term lease with San Diego and Arizona Eastern Railway Company (SD&AE) and the San Diego Metropolitan Transit System (MTS). This lease allows PIR to operate the Desert Line between the U.S. – Mexico border crossing at Division, CA and the Union Pacific Railroad (UP) at Plaster City, CA. PIR has contracted with J. L. Patterson & Associates, Inc. to conduct a comprehensive engineering study of the line as part of a significant investment to restore train operations on the line. The Desert Line was last active in 2008. Pacific Imperial Railroad’s efforts will enhance rail service to the dense manufacturing clusters south of the border and connect them with their US customers and suppliers.