Robert Grossman

Robert Grossman first made a name for himself in the railroad industry in 1971 as one of the founders of the short line holding company Emons Transportation Group (Emons).  When Genesee & Wyoming Inc. (G&W) acquired Emons in 2002, Grossman joined G&W’s executive team, shifting his career toward a focus on representing railroad interests and helping railroads become their own advocates.

Grossman served as chairman, president, and CEO of Emons Transportation Group. Emons’s first acquisition was the Maryland and Pennsylvania Railroad. The holding company grew with the acquisitions of York Railway Company, the St. Lawrence & Atlantic Railroad Company, St. Lawrence and Atlantic Railroad (Quebec) Inc., Penn Eastern Rail Lines, and Maine Intermodal Terminal in Auburn, Maine.

When he joined G&W, company leadership recognized Grossman’s acuity in government affairs and created for him the new role of executive vice president, government and industry affairs. In 2007, Grossman transitioned to a part-time position as vice president of government and industry affairs for G&W’s Oregon region. He retired from G&W in 2008.

In 1996, Grossman recognized the need for railroads to become advocates, working regionally to achieve legislative and economic goals. He helped start and served as the first president of the Keystone State Railroad Association in Pennsylvania while still serving as chairman, president and CEO of Emons. Later, he worked to establish and served as president and board member of both Railroads of New York and the Oregon Rail Users League. In 2008 ORULE established the Robert Grossman Distinguished Service Award. It is presented each year to a member who has made significant contributions to the organization. According to ORULE, the award was established “in recognition of the extraordinary effort Robert has put forth on its behalf”

Grossman was an active member of ASLRRA’s Board of Directors from 1999 until 2008. He also served on the Legislative Policy Committee and state associations/relations committee and was instrumental in strategizing and advocating for the short line tax credit in its infancy and in helping plan many ASLRRA events. His wife, Gloria, joined him in these efforts. She assisted with organizing spouse activities for ASLRRA meetings and regularly volunteered to staff event registration desks.

In comments made upon Grossman’s retirement, Tom Schlosser, ASLRRA’s chairman at the time, said Grossman’s “years of railroad service brought an unprecedented level of knowledge and experience to the challenges that the ASLRRA has faced and resulted in outcomes that have been favorable to short line railroads in all regions… His counsel and thoughts were instrumental in guiding our decisions and the positive outcomes we experienced.”