Norfolk Southern President and CEO, Alan H. Shaw, addresses employees at a company-wide town hall on December 6, 2023.

Norfolk Southern railroaders, from conductor trainees to the entire executive team, met in McDonough, Georgia this week. Together, they marked one year since we adopted a new company strategy, charting a better way forward for the industry. The town hall was also broadcast to all 20,000 team members across our network. Hosting it in-person at Norfolk Southern’s training center held special significance. It’s where many at the company begin and advance their careers.  

“One year ago today, we launched a brand-new vision for the rail industry,” commented Alan H. Shaw, President and CEO. “We call it ‘A Better Way Forward’, and it's a balance between safe service, productivity, and growth. We chose this, not because it's easy… we chose it, because it unlocks the full potential of this awesome franchise, our great employees, and our desirable customer base.”

Norfolk Southern executive team address employees at a company-wide town hall on December 6, 2023.

With an eye towards long term results and growth, Shaw thanked the group of railroaders for their tremendous efforts in 2023. “I’m really proud of what, together, all 20,000 of us have done,” commented Shaw. “You’re handling volumes that we haven’t seen in the last two and a half years.”

Shaw also shared insight from customer and stakeholder conversations. “We've kept a lot of promises this year,” he said. “We're becoming known as the railroad that keeps our promises, and that feels pretty darn good to me."

Throughout, Shaw emphasized the importance of ownership, teamwork, and continuous improvement – at every level. "Challenge yourselves," he said. "Challenge your teammates, including me, to give a higher level of performance and a higher level of results. We're really looking for all 20,000 people at Norfolk Southern to think about how to make Norfolk Southern better and how to execute on this strategy."

Following Shaw, Paul Duncan, EVP and Chief Operating officer, stressed the role of leaders in setting the tone and influencing the overall culture of the organization. "As leaders, we have to continue to take the time to always talk about safety, no matter how challenging those conversations are," Duncan emphasized. "Tone is what influences culture. We need to talk about rules checks and invest in training to ensure everyone on this railroad is given the tools, the training, and the leadership support to safely go back home every single day."

Annie Adams, EVP and Chief Transformation Officer, stepped in to discuss the importance of cultivating a positive company culture and investing in railroaders. She highlighted the need for engagement from all employees. "To achieve our better way forward strategy, we're going to need the engagement of all 20,000 folks," Adams said. "And that means creating an environment where you can contribute your talents, your experience, and your perspectives. The bedrock of that engagement is trust, communication, and collaboration."

Mark George, EVP and Chief Financial Officer, stressed the importance of each pillar of the strategy. "Service, productivity, and growth are interdependent,” he stated. “You can’t grow the railroad or grow the business on the railroad without outstanding service to your customers.”

Ed Elkins, EVP and Chief Marketing Officer, emphasized the importance of growth through problem-solving for customers. "Try to figure out what their problems are and how we're going to solve them," encouraged Elkins. “We have to continue to solve problems for folks that want to use us… We are so well positioned for the future, and I'm excited for the next 30 years. The folks sitting in front of us right here, you're going to have fabulous opportunities to grow this franchise.”

Nabanita Nag, EVP Corporate Affairs and Chief Legal Officer, concluded the series of insights by emphasizing the critical need to build trust with external stakeholders. “We must build strong relationships with all of our external stakeholders, whether that's customers, whether that's shareholders, whether that's communities in which we operate, or whether that's our government officials,” acknowledged Nag. “We can't succeed without investing in those relationships and building trust. Alan said, ‘We're a company that keeps our promises’. You know, we made a lot of promises coming out of February, and we've kept them. We've kept those promises. That's built us credibility to invest in our future and do the right things, and that's going to help us in the long run.”

Shaw wrapped the town hall by sharing, “When I think about where we’re headed, I think about a railroad that delivers exceptional service to our customers… I’m really proud of what we accomplished in 2023, and our best days are yet to come.”