Herzog Timeline
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company milestones & innovations
1969
HCC
William Herzog founded Herzog Contracting Corp.
William “Bill” Herzog founded Herzog Contracting Corp., an asphalt paving company in St. Joseph, Missouri. Herzog’s reputation for safety and quality quickly spread in Northwest Missouri and were frequently subcontracted on large asphalt paving projects in the area.
1971
HCC
Expansion of Regional Paving Operations
To accommodate the rapidly growing business, a mobile asphalt plant is purchased for a staging site in Elwood, KS. This site eventually becomes permanent location for regional asphalt operations and an American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO)-accredited lab is installed on-site.
1972
HCC
Diversification into Railroad Construction and Rehabilitation
To offset overhead during the winter months, Herzog expands its services into the railroad construction and rehabilitation business. Railroad work eventually becomes the driving force behind Herzog’s future growth and sustainability.
1975
HCC
Herzog Awarded First Out-of-State Railroad Contract
Herzog wins its first substantial railroad job outside of Missouri to build a 15-mile welded railroad spur into a power plant in San Miguel, TX, a small town south of San Antonio.
1977
HRSI
Cartopper™ Revolutionizes Material Handling for Railroads
Herzog develops the CarTopper® Material Handling Services machine, one of its first equipment patents designed to be more economical, efficient, and safer method of unloading rail construction materials from railroad cars.
1978
HCC
Herzog Performs Critical Civil Work for Missouri Highways
Herzog’s first significant involvement with grading, electrical, sewer, utility, drainage, structures, and concrete paving work begins with a series of seven Interstate 229 projects near downtown St. Joseph, Missouri.
1979
HCC
First Transit Work Completed in California
Herzog serves as the prime contractor to build a trolley line from downtown San Diego to San Ysidro for the Metropolitan Transit Development Board (MTDB). This project set the stage for Herzog’s entrance into national transit work.
1980
HCC
Herzog Becomes a Top 3 Paving Contractor in Texas
Herzog tackles its first large-scale asphalt project as a prime contractor on a substantial section of Interstate 20 in Marshall, Texas. This project led to securing additional Texas asphalt contracts, significantly expanding Herzog’s operations across the entire state.
1981
HCC
Landfill Operations Propels Herzog Into Environmental Market
Herzog’s waste management division wins a major contract with the County of San Diego to operate their six landfills. Herzog’s expansion into environmental services later wins them additional work for landfills in Kansas, Colorado, and New Mexico and the U.S. Territory of Guam.
1985
HCC
Rock Quarry Operations Begins in Arkansas
The Kansas City Southern (KCS) railroad sought a way to easily obtain ballast near their railroad line and enlisted Herzog to develop a rock quarry in Hatton, AR. Herzog built a rail spur from the quarry to the KCS railroad to expedite transport. Sold in 1995, the 1,000+ acre quarry was producing ~2.2 million tons of rock per year.
1987
HCC
Herzog Establishes its New Headquarters
Herzog completes the build of its new corporate headquarters in St. Joseph, Missouri. The pace of hiring required Herzog to construct a second office on site in 2010 and purchase an adjacent property in 2015 to accommodate its growing employee base.
1988
HCC
Herzog Motorsports Founded
Herzog first dips its toes in the world of racing. The Motorsports division has sponsored legendary drivers such as Jimmie Johnson and brothers Tony and Cruz Pedregon over the years.
1990
HRSI
First Generation Clip Car Goes to Work
The Burlington Northern Railroad tasked Herzog to find a safer, cost-efficient method to clip rail to concrete ties. Herzog developed the Clip Car to install Safelok clips and insulations on concrete ties.
1991
HRSI
Railcar Equipment Leasing and Repair Begins
Herzog begins its railcar leasing program to contractors and Class 1 railroads, offering a diversified fleet of rail cars including gondolas, rapid discharge open-top hoppers, automated ballast cars, and side dumps. To support the service and repair of equipment, a new railcar repair shop is built the same year in St. Joseph, MO.
1992
HSI
Herzog Offers Ultrasonic Rail Testing Services
Herzog acquires SS Tech Co. to form Herzog Services, Inc. Ultrasonic rail testing begins with three hi-rail equipped test vehicles on the Burlington Northern line in Wyoming. Today, Herzog has approximately 85 test truck models operating for more than 30 clients.
1992
HRSI
New Automated Ballast Train Expedites Spreading
The Automated Ballast Train was the first in a series of ballast dumping technologies. This solar-powered, remote-control dump train replaced dangerous and time-consuming manual unloading. Ballast cars with 100-ton capacities quickly became available for use on many Class 1 railroads.
1993
HTSI
A New, Seamless Travel Experience for Passengers
Herzog acquires ownership of UTDC Transit Services, Inc. which operated Tri-Rail service between Miami and West Palm Beach, FL. Herzog incorporated the company as Herzog Transit Services (HTSI). HTSI is now the largest private passenger rail operations and maintenance provider for 13 transit agencies across North America.
1997
HRSI
Fleet Expansion Demands New Railcar Facility
Herzog purchases a railcar shop in Falls City, NE to support the repairs of its growing fleet and customer equipment. Served by the Burlington Northern and Union Pacific railroads, the 46,800-square foot repair facility is AAR-certified, fits 12 cars under roof in the mechanical areas, includes a washbay, and provides blast and paint services.
1999
HSI
Herzog Advances Technology in Rail Detection
Herzog pioneered the development of the FDX4 ultrasonic rail flaw detection system which has become the basis for today’s rail scanning technology. This system enables a technician to better assess rail integrity by viewing more comprehensive on-screen data that previous technology filtered out.
2000
HRSI
Burlington Northern Railroad contracts Herzog’s First MPM Machine
The Multi-Purpose Machine® (MPM) is developed and contracted to the BNSF. The self-propelled, on-track unit handles labor-intensive tasks such as ditching, picking up, stacking or distributing ties, tie butts, rail, and maintenance.
2001
HRSI
New GPS PLUS Train Increases Efficiency
Herzog’s next-generation GPS-enabled ballast dumping car is released. Named the Programmable Linear Unloading System (PLUS) Train, the equipment further increased cycle times, reduced the required work window, eliminated ground forces, and reduced fuel usage.
2004
HCC
Construction Work Starts in the Caribbean
Herzog begins construction activities in the Turks & Caicos Islands. Over the next decade, Herzog was involved in major infrastructure projects throughout the Caribbean, including the construction of asphalt and concrete roadways, airport runways, drainage systems, utilities, and internationally-certified 400M running tracks.
2005
HRSI
Rail Unloading Machine Revolutionizes Rail Unloading
Herzog designed and built the Rail Unloading Machine (RUM). The self-contained unit travels highways and rails under its own power, mounts easily onto existing rails, and goes to work unloading rail from a CWR train. Within an hour, the RUM can unload 10-12 rails eliminating the need for extensive manpower and greatly reduces the risk of injury.
2005
HTSI
TransitAmerica Services Inc. Becomes Part of the Herzog Family
TransitAmerica Services Inc. (TASI), a wholly owned subsidiary of HTSI was formed as a response to agencies that required workers and operators to be covered under the Railroad Retirement Act and the Railroad Unemployment Insurance Act.
2008
HRSI
Railcar Repair and Modification Facility Expansion
Herzog builds a new railcar repair facility In St. Joseph, MO boasting a 54,000-square-foot shop area, a self-contained car interior cleaning bay, research and development lab, and GPS software testing area. Touted as one of the best in the country, this location is AAR-certified and served by the BNSF.
2009
HRSI
PLUS Train Evolves into SMART Train
Herzog’s third-generation ballast train, the SMART Train, is equipped with the same capabilities of the PLUS Train but features high-tech flow sensors and ballast doors that open to both the center and shoulder of the track. It can dump 30 cars per mile on existing or newly skeletonized concrete tie track.
2010
HI
International Opportunities Drives Operational Restructuring
To streamline the business development and management of several growing Caribbean and international projects, Herzog International was incorporated.
2010
Formation of New Environmental Services Company
In partnership with Phillips & Jordan, Herzog formed Green Group Holdings, LLC, an environmental services company. Herzog’s waste management division transferred its landfill assets to the subsidiary to manage the planning, implementation and operation of waste disposal, recycling, reuse, and restoration projects.
2011
HTI
Herzog Adds Signal and Communication Services to its Portfolio
Herzog acquires Hax Technologies, expanding its capabilities for wayside signaling and communications. Today Herzog Technologies, Inc. (HTI), is a leading provider of PTC system integration and hosting, software development, data collection, and management.
2011
HRSI
Automated Tie Down Car Revolutionizes Rail Handling
Herzog’s development of the Automated Tie Down Car significantly reduced safety hazards and decreased labor costs associated with the time-consuming loading and unloading process of rail. Used in conjunction with the Rail Unloading Machine, rail clamps are operated via remote control at the end of the train which saves the railroad valuable track time.
2011
HRSI
ProScan LIDAR Truck Reduces Track Survey Time
The ProScan LIDAR truck was developed to expedite the track survey process. It scans the track surface for defects and generates GPS maps of critical rail assets in the corridor. This data can help identify the proper placement of ballast for distribution and be exported to Herzog’s PLUS and SMART train fleet for automated dumping.
2012
HSI
Herzog Constructs New Rail Research and Development Facility
To expand service capabilities and ensure Herzog’s rail flaw detection are the most advanced and reliable systems available, Herzog housed its software engineering, R&D, and maintenance departments in one St. Joseph, MO location where researchers can test rail track technologies under various simulated conditions.
2012
HRSI
Rail Handling Made Easier
The GEN II Rail Train was designed to improve train handling during transport from the rail plant to the job site. Herzog’s trains are built with end cars on both ends to allow for unloading regardless of which direction the train is heading (when loaded with full-length sticks of rail).
2014
HTI
New Service Offering: PTC Hosting
Herzog’s PTC hosting solution grew out of a realization that implementing and maintaining complex back offices at individual railroad offices was not a realistic nor sustainable plan. As a result, Herzog developed a centralized way to support railroads to continue running from Herzog’s state-of-the-art data center and 24/7/365 support desk.
2015
HSI
Rail Testing Vehicle, Series 4000 Is Released
Herzog’s latest rail testing vehicle was created with an ultra-light compact design to allow rail testing where clearance envelopes or tight curves are too restrictive (i.e. yards, crossovers, industry spurs, or transit tunnels) for conventional hi-rail equipped vehicles.
2016
HTSI
HTSI Carries Its 200,000,000th Passenger
HTSI carries Its 200,000,000th passenger.
2016
HRSI
Automated Conveyor Train is Developed
Herzog’s newest unloading machine, the Automated Conveyor Train (ACT) was released to stockpile stone, ballast, or sand around road crossings and curves. The operator can control which car is unloaded first, enabling multiple material types to be handled in one consist. The ACT can unload in a 13-degree curve and dump up to 2,000 tons an hour.
2018
HTI
Cutover trailer improves S&C testing process
Herzog develops a cutover trailer for railway signal and communications system testing. The mobile unit offers engineers a safe, lab environment to test one or multiple control points along the line.