On October 30, 2015, U.S. Congressman Jim Jordan (R-OH-04) joined National Railroad Construction & Maintenance Association (NRC) member Fritz-Rumer Cooke Co., Inc., a railroad and general contractor based in Columbus, Ohio, for a tour of its track project at Heritage Cooperative in Marysville, Ohio.
Webster gave an overview of Fritz-Rumer Cooke and its current operations. The company was established in 1879 and has been in continuous operation for over 135 years. In that time, Fritz-Rumer Cooke has never failed to complete a project, the company says. It specializes in track design, track construction, track repair, track inspection and related services. It is family owned and operated—the fifth generation of the Cooke family now manages the company. It serves customers throughout Ohio, Michigan, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, Indiana, and Illinois.
Webster led a tour of Fritz-Rumer Cooke’s project at Heritage Cooperative, a member-owned cooperative founded in 2009, which serves over 3,500 farmer members, and over 4,000 rural and urban customers. Fritz-Rumer Cooke designed and is currently constructing 11,457 feet of track to serve the new facility. The majority of the track consists of a 1.24-mile-long loop track to handle 90-car unit trains, and is one of only two such loop tracks in the state of Ohio at an agricultural complex. The track design avoided all wetlands on the project and includes a wye connection with CSX Transportation’s mainline. This type of connection allows trains to enter and exit the facility in either direction, reducing delays at any nearby road crossings.
Attendees included Gordon Webster, Project Engineer at Fritz-Rumer Cooke Co., Inc.; Tom Willhelm, Project Engineer at Fritz-Rumer Cooke Co., Inc.; Ben Swope, Safety Officer at Fritz-Rumer Cooke Co., Inc.; Bud Lykins, Foreman at Fritz-Rumer Cooke Co., Inc.; Tyrone Robinson, Foreman at Fritz-Rumer Cooke Co., Inc.; Eric Parthemore, President & CEO at Heritage Cooperative; Dave McIntosh, Project Manager at Heritage Cooperative; Travis Rowe, VP Marketing & Sales at Heritage Cooperative; Steve Davis, Regional Development Manager at CSX Transportation; Roger Orben, VP State relations at CSX Transportation; Ray Yonkura, Chief of Staff for Congressman Jordan; Barbara Taylor, Deputy District Director for Congressman Jordan; and Lindsey Collins, VP of Grassroots Advocacy at NRC.
Heritage Cooperative broke ground May 14, 2014 for the Ag Campus and Research Farm. This state-of-the-art facility is being built on a 277-acre plot and will include an express unit grain terminal; a 30,000-ton dry fertilizer warehouse; and a 10,000-ton liquid UAN (nitrogen fertilizer) storage with 24/7 distribution options. All of these commodities can be shipped/received by rail at the site, Fritz-Rumer said.
“I always say that the Fourth District grows things and makes things,” said Congressman Jordan. “Fritz-Rumer Cooke has played a big part in that, serving as an employer and manufacturer in Ohio for over 100 years, and now employing folks in our district to continue improving and advancing the railroad industry. I’m proud of the work they are doing in Marysville, and look forward to seeing the project at its completion.”
Congressman Jordan serves on the House Judiciary Committee and the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, on which he serves as Chairman of the Subcommittee on Economic Growth, Job Creation and Regulatory Affairs. He is serving as the first Chairman of the House Freedom Caucus. As one of the most conservative members of Congress, his efforts have earned him recognition from Citizens against Government Waste, Family Research Council, and as Americans for Tax Reform’s Friend of the Taxpayer. He was also the recipient of the 2012 Weyrich Award for “National Legislator of the Year.”