Press Release: Promotions Within Reading & Northern Railroad Passenger Department
CONTACT:
Matthew Fisher, Senior VP/General Manager - Passenger
Reading & Northern Railroad
610-562-2102
Promotions Within Reading & Northern Railroad Passenger Department
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 12, 2024 – Port Clinton, PA – Reading & Northern Railroad has always focused on growth within the company across all departments. The passenger department, which has seen exponential growth in both ridership and revenue over the last ten years under the leadership of Matt Fisher, is a prime example of this focus as it is pleased to announce the promotions of two of its own dedicated employees.
Jennifer Frederickson, who started her Reading & Northern career in 2018 as a mascot at the Lehigh Gorge Scenic Railway, has been promoted to Director of Passenger Marketing, Retail, and Community Development. Jen creates all the eye-catching flyers, banners, rack cards, and numerous other promotional materials that help bring riders to our railroad. She also coordinates advertising campaigns with various media outlets; most notably with the Times News, whose readers voted the Lehigh Gorge Scenic Railway the number one tourist attraction in the region. Jen also manages the Black Diamond Company Store, which returned after a years-long absence in 2023. The store now has a fully functional online platform as well as a physical location at our Nesquehoning Campus. Jen works with her fellow passenger department managers to continuously expand the selection of railroad-related merchandise available both online and in person.
Meg Pursel was hired in January of 2020 as a part-time receptionist. She has since been promoted to AVP-Passenger Special Projects, OCS, and Special Excursions. During her time as a receptionist, she was still running her family business of over 30 years; managing the advertising, sales, financing, ordering, and restoration of horse trailers with elite living quarters. In a conversation with Therman Madeira, Meg inquired about the restoration of passenger cars. Together with Therman’s and Matt Fisher’s supervision they created and developed the Paint Department with full-time employees and a restoration shop to call their own. As Paint Department manager, Meg’s duties included overseeing the maintenance and restoration of new and existing private cars, the passenger fleet, and painting of the locomotives. Her experience in customer relations proved valuable in managing the Office Car Special excursions and private trips. Therman has retired but continues to advise Meg on special projects, which covers anything from painting buildings throughout our railroad properties to developing plans for various projects here and in Nebraska at Moon Lake Ranch.
Both Meg and Jen work closely with directors Jeff Knadler, Josh Cascarella, and Tim Wright; along with Paint Department manager Zach Frye, to ensure that all our unique scenic passenger operations are run smoothly. With an ever-expanding schedule that is now year-round – and daily for most of the year – this teamwork is vital to the success of the entire passenger department.
Reading & Northern Railroad, with its corporate headquarters in Port Clinton, is a privately held railroad company serving over 80 customers in nine eastern Pennsylvania counties (Berks, Bradford, Carbon, Columbia, Lackawanna, Luzerne, Northumberland, Schuylkill, and Wyoming). It has expanded its operations over the last 40 years; and now handles nearly 40,000 carloads of freight (which removes over 200,000 trucks from the highway), while its Passenger Department handles over 300,000 riders annually. Reading & Northern operates its freight and steam- and diesel-powered passenger excursions over 400 miles of track, owns over 2,000 freight cars, and employs over 350 dedicated people. Reading & Northern has been repeatedly honored as one of the premier railroads in the nation, including being named Regional Railroad of the Year in 2020 by Railway Age magazine.