LEADERSHIP TEAM
Paul Treangen
Chief Executive Officer
Paul is responsible for the strategic direction, operations, corporate culture, and fiscal performance of TNW’s suite of operations. He also serves as a member of the firm’s Board of Directors.
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Paul has over 34 years of experience in senior executive leadership, primarily focused in the transportation and energy sectors. Prior to joining TNW in 2014, he was the Chief Executive Officer of Colo Railroad Builders. He has served as President of Alliant Energy Transportation, President of Cedar Rapids and Iowa City Railway, Director of Generation, and Director of Electric and Gas Delivery for Alliant Energy Corporation, a NYSE company. Currently, Paul is serving on the Texas Freight Advisory Committee.
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Paul has a B.B.A. and M.B.A. from the University of Iowa. He has been a member of the Board of Directors for numerous professional organizations, including Colo Railroad Builders, Iowa Interstate Railway, Heartland Corporation, Iowa Northern Railway, Cedar Rapids and Iowa City Railway, the American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association, and was president of the Texas Short Line Railroad Association from 2017 to 2023.
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Bobby M. Franklin
Chief Operating Officer
Bobby is responsible for the performance, staffing, resource alignment, and implementation of strategic initiatives for all TNW Corporation operating units.
Previously, Mr. Franklin served in TNW roles of Vice President, Transportation, Director, Railway Operations, and General Manager, TXNW.
Before coming to TNW Corporation in 2020, Bobby served as the Vice President of the New Orleans Public Belt Railroad (NOPB). Other rail industry roles include Chief Transportations Officer at the NOPB and Superintendent and Terminal Manager at CSX Transportation. He is a graduate of The University of Southern Mississippi.
Doug Campbell
Director, Operations and Infrastructure
Doug is responsible for providing leadership, vision, strategy, and guidance for all TNW operations and infrastructure, including all trackage, signals, bridges and buildings.
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Before joining TNW, Doug’s 23-plus years in the railroad industry included serving as interim Chief Executive Officer, Executive Vice President, General Manager and Vice President of Engineering for New Orleans Public Belt Railroad (NOPBR). Prior to that, Doug was the Director of Engineering and Maintenance at South Carolina Public Railways. Doug is a certified engineer and holds a degree in Political Science from the College of Charleston.
Joey Evans
Director, Business Support & Development
Joey is responsible for developing business relationships with new and existing customers while ensuring the accuracy and efficiency of TNW’s metric reporting system and technology integration. In addition, Joey will support government relations and real estate opportunities.
Previously, Joey was Director of Customer Success at TNW, and prior to that, Customer Success Manager at GE Digital. He has more than 17 years of experience in the railroad industry, serving as Operations Manager for a variety of short lines, and as a Director of Transportation Technology for Rail America, where, after a takeover by Genesee and Wyoming, Inc., he oversaw the automation of Genesee and Wyoming’s North American Railroads.
Vlieta Pennington
Director, Human Resources
Vlieta is responsible for strategic human resource planning to recruit, develop and retain top talent for TNW; providing, educating and assisting employees with a comprehensive benefits package; implementing our competitive compensation program; and developing and implementing personnel policies.
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Vlieta has over 14 years of experience in the railroad industry. Prior to that, she served as Vice President/CFO of Dallas Brewery, Inc. Vlieta has a B.B.A. in Finance from the University of Oklahoma.
Dan Blank
Senior Manager of Sales
Dan's responsibilities entail managing the overall sales strategy and execution for all TNW companies, where he works closely with people at various levels within and outside of TNW Corporation. He develops and implements solutions for an array of customers along with his direct report, our Key Accounts Manager.
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Dan joined TNW in early 2024 after having served in various senior leadership positions at Union Pacific Railroad, where he was employed for over 14 years. He also served on numerous UP committees and councils, and is active on community organizations' boards. Dan has a Bachelor's Degree in Business Marketing from Arizona State University.
Ayanna Smith
Director of Finance
Ayanna oversees corporate financial operations and controls including accounting functions, reporting, strategy, analysis, budgeting, forecasting, and long-term planning.
Ayanna has over 15 years of experience in accountancy, including positions with Waste Control Specialists, LLC, as a Senior Accountant and Revenue Analyst. She holds a Bachelor of Business Administration and Master of Accountancy from Texas State University in San Marcos, Texas.
Jacob Noe
Director of Safety
Jacob is responsible for leading the Corporate safety culture, objectives, and strategic functions for all TNW properties and their associated departments. This includes safety performance and vision training strategies, regulatory policy development, and regulatory compliance and reporting.
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Jacob joined TNW in the summer of 2023 as a Manager of Railroad Safety and Operations. Prior to that, he was a second-generation employee at Norfolk Southern for 28 years.