She has worked at this Fort Worth railroad for almost 3 decades. Now she’ll lead it.
One of Fort Worth’s largest employers has made a change at the top of its leadership.
BNSF Railway has promoted Katie Farmer to the role of president and chief executive officer, effective Jan. 1.
Farmer has been with the company for 28 years and currently serves as executive vice president of operations. She will replace Carl Ice, who has served as CEO since 2014 and plans to retire at the end of the year, but remain on the BNSF board of directors.
BNSF employs about 3,000 people in Fort Worth and surrounding cities. The company’s headquarters is in far north Fort Worth, and it also operates the enormous Alliance Intermodal Hub near Alliance Airport in Haslet.
The company is one of the largest freight railroads in the United States, with about 40,000 employees and more than 32,000 miles of track in 28 states.
BNSF and other Class 1 railroads have struggled in recent years, as shipments of goods such as coal have declined.
But Farmer enters her new leadership role at the company with optimism.
“We are well-positioned in our approach to safety and meeting our customers’ expectations while having the necessary capacity to grow with our customers,” Farmer said in an email. “BNSF has long been a cost leader and we will ensure that continues into the future. I look forward to continuing BNSF’s success.”
Farmer has held leadership positions in a variety of roles, including operations, marketing and finance.
Ice has been with BNSF for 42 years.
“Katie has held many different roles at BNSF with an ever-increasing impact with each new role as she has built trust and confidence throughout BNSF,” Ice said in a statement.
BNSF is owned by Berkshire Hathaway, a multinational conglomerate based in Omaha, Neb., and operated by investor Warren Buffett.
“BNSF is an iconic company and this is a historic day,” Buffett said in a statement. “Carl has been critical to BNSF’s success for a very long time. I thank him for his leadership and his accomplishments. We look forward to Katie’s leadership and more success. She possesses all of the qualities that make us excited about the future.”
This story was originally published September 14, 2020 at 6:02 PM.
