ABOUT OUR COMPANY

Who We Are

From our skilled executive and senior management team to our extensive service area, our experienced railroad experts are ready to serve you by providing rail transportation and construction services.

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WE ARE RAILROADERS.

Providing railroad excellence since 1997.

Unparalleled experience and knowledge in the railroad industry, all from a dedicated team committed to helping you solve problems and find success. We put a high priority on safety and consistency, providing a variety of expert rail services and our own 350-mile railroad to customers throughout the Midwest and in western Canada.

Our Services

Our Railroad

NORTHERN PLAINS

Meet our executive leadership team.

Our team has decades of experience working for and with the largest North American railroads, as well as with short lines and rail shippers. This experience allows us to provide operational and safety excellence, together with long-term value for our customers.

Gregg F. Haug

Chairman – Northern Plains Rail Services

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Gregg Haug founded Northern Plains Railroad (NPR) in 1997. Since then, he has negotiated the purchase of three additional lines and directed the startup of each. Over the years, Mr. Haug has led the diversification of Northern Plains to include affiliated companies that provide contracting services to shippers and the rail industry, including track construction, locomotive leasing and repair, terminal development, consulting and training, and intra-plant switching. Further, Mr. Haug has partnered in several strategic rail developments in western Canada, including the Alberta Midland Railway Terminal, Boundary Trail Railway, and Weyburn Industrial Transload.

Starting his career in the engineering department at the Illinois Central Railroad in Chicago, Mr. Haug held management and executive positions at the SOO Line/Canadian Pacific Railway prior to founding NPR. Mr. Haug has an MBA from the University of Chicago. He has a Civil Engineering degree from the University of Wisconsin, and is a licensed Engineer.

Shawn I. Smith

President, NPR Canada

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Joining Northern Plains in 2013, Mr. Smith is a long-time executive in both the North American Class 1 railroad and short line industry. Beginning his career at CN, he subsequently held executive leadership positions at RaiLink Ltd., RailAmerica, Inc., Canadian Pacific Railway, and Northern Plains. Mr. Smith leads strategic partnerships in Canada, our consulting division, and is an executive advisor to the NPR and NPRS executive and senior management team.

Dan Mack

Executive Vice President & Chief Marketing Officer

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Mr. Mack joined Northern Plains in 2018 and is engaged in growing NP’s business across North America and handling the company’s strategic development activities. Prior to joining NP, Mr. Mack had a respected career as a rail shipper – having started in railroad marketing & sales at Canadian Pacific, and subsequently serving as a member of CHS’ executive team focused on transportation and facility operations.

Ted Jakubiak

Vice President of Real Estate

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Mr. Jakubiak joined Northern Plains in 2019 and currently leads the company’s real estate strategy. He is responsible for overseeing all real estate acquisitions, sales, and land leasing activities across the organization. Prior to his current role, Mr. Jakubiak served as Senior Marketing & Sales Representative, where he leveraged his broad and diverse sales experience to drive the growth of Northern Plains’ Rail Services division throughout the Upper Midwest and targeted markets nationwide.

Jonathan R. Rentz

Assistant Vice President – Business Strategy & Corporate Development

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With over 18 years of experience in finance, corporate development, and strategic leadership, Jon has held key roles in commercial and agricultural lending and community banking. At Northern Plains Rail Services, he guides business growth initiatives, enhances operations, and advances project delivery across the company’s rail services. His background in finance and business strategy provides a strong foundation for driving continued growth. Jon’s proven leadership and strong community engagement reflect his value to the Northern Plains team.

NORTHERN PLAINS RAILROAD SERVICES

Meet Our Senior Leadership

Brent Bader

General Manager of Mechanical Services

Based in Lansford, ND, Brent leads the operations and maintenance activities required to keep NPR’s fleet of locomotives reliably pulling freight for our shippers, our contract locomotive services group, and our locomotive sales and leasing efforts.

Karl Carson

Director of Operations – Northern Plains Rail Services/Complete Track Works Division

Headquartered in Bismarck, ND, Carl is responsible for safe and quality execution and completion of our contracted track construction and maintenance services offered across the Midwest US, with headquarters in ND, SD, IA, and the Twin Cities Region.

Riley Ferguson

Facility Manager – Car Repair

Based at Fordville, ND, Riley is responsible for car inspections and repairs, together with related projects on Northern Plains Railroad.

Steven Fry

Superintendent Safety, Training, and Operating Practices

Mr. Fry is an experienced railroader who both supervises and delivers technical safety training to a host of shippers and rail industry clients across the US.

Todd Gullickson

General Manager – Northern Plains Railroad

Based in Fordville, ND, Todd is the senior leader responsible for the 350-route-mile operation of Northern Plains Railroad across Minnesota and North Dakota.

Ben Liden

Director of Safety and Operational Development

Ben is the senior leader for Northern Plains industrial railway services portfolio, which includes locations in UT, CO, ND, and MN. He also provides senior leadership to our internal safety team that supports the day-to-day management of our business with safety processes and improvements.

Derek Muir

Director Project Development – Northern Plains Rail Services/Complete Track Works Division

Based at our Grand Forks, ND HQ, Derek is responsible for planning and ensuring quality implementation of customer projects for clients of our track construction company located across the Midwest.

Rick Spiering

Superintendent of Industrial Switching, Terminals & Transloading

Rick has responsibility for day-to-day execution of rail operations delivered by Northern Plains at customer locations in a safe and efficient manner. In addition, he supervises operations of transloading activity on NPR and at our Grand Forks terminal.

Jalene Suda

Director of Human Resources

Jalene leads the Northern Plains HR team, supporting the continual demand for high-quality railroaders and support personnel to meet customer needs throughout our business.

Jesse J. Chalich

A Lasting Northern Plains Rail Services Legacy

Jesse J. Chalich was a lifelong railroader, a trusted leader, and a deeply respected member of the Northern Plains Rail Services family. He began his career with Northern Plains in 1997 as a conductor and grew with the company over nearly three decades, ultimately serving as President and Chief Operating Officer. Throughout his career, Jesse helped shape Northern Plains Rail Services through steady leadership, strong relationships, and a deep commitment to safety, service, and doing the job the right way.

More than his title, Jesse will be remembered for the heart he brought to this company and to the people within it. He led with humility, integrity, and genuine care for employees, customers, and partners alike. His legacy lives on in the culture he helped build – one grounded in hard work, trust, family, and pride in the railroad industry.

To learn more about Jesse’s life and legacy, we invite you to read more about Jesse, explore the Jesse J. Chalich Memorial Golf Tournament, and discover the Jesse J. Chalich Sports by Railroaders Fund, created in his honor.