PHILIP OGRAM
Jacksonville
Summary
Goal-oriented railroad leader with a proven ability to enhance safety and efficiency in the U.S. rail infrastructure. Recognized for effectively leading high-performing teams and implementing strategic initiatives to drive operational excellence. Committed to advancing the railroad industry through continuous improvement and innovation, with a track record of success.
Overview
18
18
years of professional experience
Work History
Assistant Chief Engineer of Bridge Construction
GENESEE & WYOMING, INC.
03.2021 - Current
- Leadership and continued development of G&W’s system bridge construction teams ranging from 20-25 management and hourly employees
- Manage and oversee project planning, surveying and design, budgeting, P&L’s, procurement, training, and performance metrics
- Collaborate with T&S and MOW teams for rail, tie and surfacing needs in conjunction with bridge projects
- Improved crew efficiency by over 20% from 2021 resulting in improved ROI for capital projects
- Collaborate with regions on annual capital planning and project reporting
- Advancing innovative alternatives to timber bridge restoration through timber to steel bridge conversions – over 100+ timber spans converted since 2022
- Developed and oversee G&W’s bridge health scoring system for all 10,000+ structures to enable focused capital planning and bridge monitoring leveraging nearly one million elements and attributes from the bridge inventory
- Management of G&W bridge standards
- Oversight and continued development of G&W’s bridge management software (Atom)
Director of Structures Inspection
GENESEE & WYOMING, INC.
03.2017 - 03.2021
- Developed and led implementation of G&W’s internal bridge inspection group
- Hired and trained team for the program launch in 2018
- Led the development of G&W’s first ever bridge inspection and management software (Atom), which included building G&W’s data dictionary, importing nearly 1 million data elements and attributes, employee training, and launch of the program
- The system is web and mobile based for total mobility from any device in online/offline mode
- Managed inspection schedule, P&L’s, specialty inspections and assisted in capital planning across G&W’s 110+ railroads
- Implemented and managed G&W’s UAV program with a primary focus on structures inspection
- Managed snooper and underwater bridge inspections
Director of Structures
GENESEE & WYOMING, INC.
07.2015 - 03.2021
- Managed over 900 structures on GWI’s 19 Southern Region Railroads
- Bridge Management Program (BMP) manager overseeing all structures inspections, maintenance and compliance
- Responsible for building and executing $5M+ in bridge capital and maintenance programs
- Managed external inspection contractors to perform annual bridge inspections reporting findings in conjunction with G&W BMP and Inspection Standards
- Collaborated with MOW teams on combined bridge and track projects leveraging outages and minimizing operational impacts
Manager of Bridges
CSX TRANSPORTATION
02.2012 - 07.2015
- Developed and managed multi-million dollar capital and OE bridge projects across New York state and into Quebec
- Managed BMWE crews and third-party contractors to conduct maintenance and construction of bridges
- Collaborated with MOW teams to combine bridge and track projects under same outages minimizing disruptions to train operations
- Work in conjunction with corporate design team on repair plans and capital scoping
Bridge Inspector
CSX TRANSPORTATION
04.2011 - 02.2012
- Scheduled and performed routine structures inspections on assigned territory
- Managed snooper truck schedule for inspection of complex structures
- Coordinated with Bridge Managers on prioritization of defects
Bridge Management Trainee
CSX TRANSPORTATION
01.2011 - 04.2011
- Trained cross functionally across various railroad departments with a focus in railroad bridge inspection and maintenance
- Placed early into permanent role after 4 months into the 18-month training
Engineer Intern
SMOLEN ENGINEERING, LTD.
05.2008 - 08.2008
- Assisted Civil engineers in design, planning, bidding, and surveying of projects
- Developed skills in AutoCAD and Microsoft Excel
- Surveyed project sites for engineering design
Engineer Intern
SMOLEN ENGINEERING, LTD.
05.2007 - 08.2007
- Assisted Civil engineers in design, planning, bidding, and surveying of projects
- Developed skills in AutoCAD and Microsoft Excel
- Surveyed project sites for engineering design
Education
Certificate in Business Analytics -
THE WHARTON SCHOOL OF BUSINESS
05.2019
MBA -
EXCELSIOR COLLEGE
Albany, NY12.2016
Bachelor of Science - Civil Engineering
YOUNGSTOWN STATE UNIVERSITY
Youngstown, OH05.2010
Skills
- Senior leader in railroad structures construction, maintenance and inspection
- Facilitating Organizational Change
- Railroad bridge program management
- Asset management development and oversight
- P&L management
- Strategic Budget Planning
- Capital planning and execution
- Data-Driven Decision Making
- Expertise in FRA 213/214/237 standards and compliance
- AREMA specifications and guidelines
- Field surveying
- Project management
Accomplishments
- 2022 AREMA Meet the Next Generation Panelist
- 2020 Runner-up for Railway Age’s Top 10 Under 40
- 2019 AREMA Conference general session presenter: Upgrades to Bridge Management Practices
- 2017 Led the development and implementation of G&W’s internal bridge inspection program.
Affiliations
- AREMA, 2011, Active Committee 10 (Structures Maintenance and Construction) member
- ASLRRA, 2011
Timeline
Assistant Chief Engineer of Bridge Construction
GENESEE & WYOMING, INC.
03.2021 - Current
Director of Structures Inspection
GENESEE & WYOMING, INC.
03.2017 - 03.2021
Director of Structures
GENESEE & WYOMING, INC.
07.2015 - 03.2021
Manager of Bridges
CSX TRANSPORTATION
02.2012 - 07.2015
Bridge Inspector
CSX TRANSPORTATION
04.2011 - 02.2012
Bridge Management Trainee
CSX TRANSPORTATION
01.2011 - 04.2011
Engineer Intern
SMOLEN ENGINEERING, LTD.
05.2008 - 08.2008
Engineer Intern
SMOLEN ENGINEERING, LTD.
05.2007 - 08.2007
Certificate in Business Analytics -
THE WHARTON SCHOOL OF BUSINESS
MBA -
EXCELSIOR COLLEGE
Bachelor of Science - Civil Engineering
YOUNGSTOWN STATE UNIVERSITY
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