icon_widget_image U.S. Corporate Headquarters: P.O. Box 38 114 Main Street South Fordville, ND 58231 icon_widget_image (701) 299-3330 icon_widget_image Toll Free: (855) 567-7245 icon_widget_image NPR Canada: P.O. Box 1162 Camrose, Alberta, T4V 1X2 icon_widget_image (780) 608-9892 info@nprail.com
(855) 567-7245 info@nprail.com
A train parked at a train elevator
ABOUT OUR COMPANY

Who We Are

From our skilled executive and senior management team to our extensive service area, our experienced railroad experts are ready to serve you by providing rail transportation and construction services.

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WE ARE RAILROADERS.

Providing railroad excellence since 1997.

Unparalleled experience and knowledge in the railroad industry, all from a dedicated team committed to helping you solve problems and find success. We put a high priority on safety and consistency, providing a variety of expert rail services and our own 350-mile railroad to customers throughout the Midwest and in western Canada.

NORTHERN PLAINS

Meet our executive leadership team.

Our team has decades of experience working for and with the largest North American railroads, as well as with short lines and rail shippers. This experience allows us to provide operational and safety excellence, together with long-term value for our customers.

A headshot of Northern Plains Railroad Chairman Gregg F. Haug

Gregg F. Haug

Chairman – Northern Plains Rail Companies
Gregg Haug founded Northern Plains Railroad (NPR) in 1997. Since then he has negotiated the purchase of three additional lines and directed the startup of each.
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A headshot of Northern Plains Railroad President/COO Jesse Chalich

Jesse J. Chalich

President and Chief Operating Officer
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A headshot of Northern Plains Railroad Executive VP Shawn Smith

Shawn I. Smith

President, NPR Canada
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A headshot of Northern Plains Railroad Executive VP of Marketing, Sales, and Corporate Development Dan Mack

Dan Mack

Executive VP Marketing, Sales & Corporate Development
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Tom Eide

Chief Financial Officer
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NORTHERN PLAINS RAILROAD COMPANIES

Meet Our Senior Leadership

Brent Bader

General Manager of Mechanical Services

Based in Lansford, ND, Brent leads the operations and maintenance activities required to keep NPR’s fleet of locomotives reliably pulling freight for our shippers, our contract locomotive services group, and our locomotive sales and leasing efforts.

Karl Carson

Director of Operations – Northern Plains Rail Services/Complete Track Works Division

Headquartered in Bismarck, ND, Carl is responsible for safe and quality execution and completion of our contracted track construction and maintenance services offered across the Midwest US, with headquarters in ND, SD, IA, and the Twin Cities Region.

Riley Ferguson

Facility Manager – Car Repair

Based at Fordville, ND, Riley is responsible for car inspections and repairs, together with related projects on Northern Plains Railroad.

Steven Fry

Superintendent Safety, Training, and Operating Practices

Mr. Fry is an experienced railroader who both supervises and delivers technical safety training to a host of shippers and rail industry clients across the US.

Todd Gullickson

General Manager – Northern Plains Railroad

Based in Fordville, ND, Todd is the senior leader responsible for the 350-route-mile operation of Northern Plains Railroad across Minnesota and North Dakota.

Jerry Hegstrom

Director of Commercial Development

Mr. Hegstrom is experienced in track construction and planning, and is a key member of the Northern Plains group who works directly in a strategic consulting role with customers across the United States who are planning, implementing or even building track projects.

Ben Liden

Director of Safety and Operational Development

Ben is the senior leader for Northern Plains industrial railway services portfolio, which includes locations in UT, CO, ND, and MN. He also provides senior leadership to our internal safety team that supports the day-to-day management of our business with safety processes and improvements.

Derek Muir

Northern Plains Rail Services/Complete Track Works Division

Based at our Grand Forks, ND HQ, Derek is responsible for planning and ensuring quality implementation of customer projects for clients of our track construction company located across the Midwest.

Rick Spiering

Superintendent of Industrial Switching, Terminals & Transloading

Rick has responsibility for day-to-day execution of rail operations delivered by Northern Plains at customer locations in a safe and efficient manner. In addition, he supervises operations of transloading activity on NPR and at our Grand Forks terminal.

Jalene Suda

Director of Human Resources

Jalene leads the Northern Plains HR team, supporting the continual demand for high-quality railroaders and support personnel to meet customer needs throughout our business.

Gregg F. Haug
Chairman – Northern Plains Rail Companies

Gregg Haug founded Northern Plains Railroad (NPR) in 1997. Since then, he has negotiated the purchase of three additional lines and directed the startup of each. Over the years, Mr. Haug has led the diversification of Northern Plains to include affiliated companies that provide contracting services to shippers and the rail industry, including track construction, locomotive leasing and repair, terminal development, consulting and training, and intra-plant switching. Further, Mr. Haug has partnered in several strategic rail developments in western Canada, including the Alberta Midland Railway Terminal, Boundary Trail Railway, and Weyburn Industrial Transload.

Starting his career in the engineering department at the Illinois Central Railroad in Chicago, Mr. Haug held management and executive positions at the SOO Line/Canadian Pacific Railway prior to founding NPR. Mr. Haug has an MBA from the University of Chicago. He has a Civil Engineering degree from the University of Wisconsin and is a licensed Engineer.

Jesse J. Chalich
President and Chief Operating Officer

Mr. Chalich leads the operations of both Northern Plains Railroad and Northern Plains Rail Services. He is a career railroader and long-time employee of NPR, starting with the company during its inception as a Conductor. Prior to his promotion as President of NPR in 2013, Mr. Chalich led Northern Plains’ Marketing and Sales activities. He is a board member of the Lake Superior Railroad Museum in Duluth, and a past board member of the Canadian Heartland Training Railway Services and the American Association of Railroad Superintendents.

Shawn I. Smith
President, NPR Canada

Joining Northern Plains in 2013, Mr. Smith is a long-time executive in both the North American Class 1 railroad and short line industry. Beginning his career at CN, he subsequently held executive leadership positions at RaiLink Ltd., RailAmerica, Inc., Canadian Pacific Railway, and Northern Plains. Mr. Smith leads strategic partnerships in Canada, our consulting division, and is an executive advisor to the NPR and NPRS executive and senior management team.

Dan Mack
Executive Vice President Marketing, Sales & Corporate Development

Mr. Mack joined Northern Plains in 2018 and is engaged in growing NP’s business across North America and handling the company’s strategic development activities. Prior to joining NP, Mr. Mack had a respected career as a rail shipper – having started in railroad marketing & sales at Canadian Pacific, and subsequently serving as a member of CHS’ executive team focused on transportation and facility operations.

Tom Eide
Chief Financial Officer

Joining the Northern Plains group in 2023, Mr. Eide has extensive management experience in both private and public industry. He has served as Financial Controller, General Manager, VP Marketing, CEO, and CFO with several medium-sized businesses in North Dakota and Minnesota. He also spent two years at the State of North Dakota as CFO for the Department of Human Services.

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