Burlington Northern and Santa Fe

Railway Age, Feb, 2005

Burlington Northern and Santa Fe has promoted Steve Goodall to regional VP-North Operations; Mark Kotter, regional VP- Central Operations; and Chris Roberts, regional VP-South Operations. Previously, each held the position of AVP for their respective regions. Now they will be responsible for all rail operations on the BNSF system's three geographic regions.

Goodall joined the railroad in 1980 as an engineering technician and rose through the engineering ranks. In 1996, he was promoted to AVP-Maintenance Performance and Support, and then to AVP-Chief Engineer, South before moving into his most recent role last summer. A 30-year BNSF veteran, Kotter has served as assistant superintendent for the taconite ore dock operations in Superior, Wis., where he later became superintendent. In 1996, he was given further responsibility as AVP-Coal Operations, and was promoted in 1997 to AVP-Operations North. Kotter has been leading Central Operations since mid-2003. Roberts joined BNSF in 1975 as a switchman/brakeman and progressed through a series of increasingly responsible Operations positions. He became AVP-Transportation in 1994, and was appointed to lead Operations South in 1997.