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.
Dave Hunter
Vice President, Finance
Dave is the primary executive responsible for fiduciary oversight of TNW’s assets, controls, accounting and measurement processes, and treasury function. He provides strategic financial, operating, and budgetary recommendations to achieve TNW’s overall business and strategic plan.
Dave has extensive experience and leadership from private equity-backed and public accounting firms of all sizes. Prior roles include VP, Finance and Controller at Medecision, Inc., and Corporate Controller at Layered Tech, Inc. He is a veteran of the United States Army.
Cheryl Hart
Director, Sales & Marketing
Cheryl leads the development and implementation of strategic sales, marketing and communications initiatives for TNW. Responsibilities include creating, implementing and evaluating comprehensive sales, marketing and communications programs, playing an active role in strategic community and business partnerships, and providing input for business planning.
Previously, Cheryl served as TNW’s Director of Marketing and Communications from October, 2021, and Manager of Marketing and Branding for TNW from January 2019 to October 2021. Cheryl's sales and marketing leadership spans over 25 years, including her own marketing production company, roles in the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) Fort Worth, and she currently serves on the advisory panel for the C.T. Bauer Mini MBA program at the University of Houston. Cheryl holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of North Texas.
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.
Jeremy Bush
Director, TNW Operations
Jeremy is responsible for overseeing and integrating all operational aspects of TNW Corporation's rail and logistics divisions. This encompasses strategic planning, safety management, financial performance, budgeting, capital investment returns, policy development, regulatory compliance, and employee recruitment, retention, and training.
Prior to this role, he was TNW's Superintendent of Operations at TXGN, TXR, POV and TNW Logistics – Gonzales.
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Before joining TNW in 2022 Jeremy was with Norfolk Southern, working his way up from Conductor to Terminal Superintendent; he was also a Manager of Operating Practices at New Orleans Public Belt.
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.
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.
Doug Campbell
Director, Infrastructure and Strategic Initiatives
Doug is responsible for providing the overall business strategy and management of the engineering and maintenance of TNW’s 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.
Ayanna Smith
Controller
Ayanna oversees the company’s operational accounting. She is responsible for maintaining the general ledger, managing and analyzing financial statements, payroll, budgets, tax compliance issues, and more. She manages financial controls, as well as oversight policies and processes for the company’s business segments.
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.