Lawrence, KS – On November 9, U.S. Congresswoman Lynn Jenkins (R-KS-02) joined National Railroad Construction & Maintenance Association (NRC) member – Brown Industries, LLC – for a tour of their facility.

Attendees included:

Mr. David Price, CEO of Brown Industries, LLC

Mr. Stuart Seeger, Director of Rail at Brown Industries, LLC

Mr. Phil Poce, EVP and COO of A&K Railroad Materials

Mr. Ryan McCune, President of ASM Engineering Consultants

Mr. Mike Murphy, Business Development Leader at Bartlett & West

Ms. Kate Webb, Controller at Coreslab Structures

Mr. Jerry Darnaby, Insurance Broker, Cretcher Heartland

Ms. Lindsey Douglas, Director of Northern Region Public Affairs, Union Pacific

Mr. Lee Modesitt, District Representative for Congresswoman Jenkins

Ms. Lindsey Collins, VP of Grassroots Advocacy at the NRC

Mr. Price gave an overview of Brown Industries and their current operations. Brown is a manufacturer of cargo vans and HyRail Maintenance of Way equipment headquartered in Lawrence with a satellite plant in Henderson, CO. Brown builds approximately 750 custom trucks per year, 10 percent of which are sold directly to Kansas-based clients.

Brown was founded in 1946 in Spokane, WA, and moved to Lawrence in 1975. In 2008, Brown added a rail division. Since 2013, the company has nearly doubled in revenue and has added almost 20 new employees. The Lawrence plant employs 72 people.

The Congresswoman and guests went on a walk-through of Brown’s facility at which Brown builds track inspectors, heavy duty track inspectors, material handlers, and custom rail equipment. Brown’s engineers fit trucks with Hi-Rail gear to meet or exceed Federal Rail Administration regulations. Their Material Handlers have crane lift capacities from 4,500 to 16,000 pounds, and boom lengths ranging from 22 to 30 feet. Custom crane trucks can lift up to 138,000 pounds with boom lengths of 140 feet.

“It was great to tour Brown Industries and hear first-hand from folks about their priorities so that I ensure they are my priorities,” said Congresswoman Jenkins. “Small businesses like Brown Industries, and so many others in the rail industry world, are part of the lifeblood of Kansas and American economies. I am proud to champion their cause in Washington through items like my Railroad Rehabilitation and Investment Act legislation promoting the 45G tax credit. I will continue to fight to ensure that these rail industry businesses have the opportunities they need to grow and compete in an increasingly competitive marketplace.”

Attendees thanked Congresswoman Jenkins for her leadership regarding an extension of the 45G tax credit, which leverages private sector investment in rail infrastructure by providing a tax credit of 50 cents for every dollar spent on track improvements. The congresswoman introduced the Short Line Railroad Rehabilitation and Investment Act of 2015, also known as H.R. 721, in February. The bill already has over 50 percent co-sponsorship in the House with 246 co-sponsors. H.R. 721 would extend section 45G of the tax code which expired at the end of last year.

Congresswoman Jenkins is serving her fourth term in the U.S. House of Representatives. She was reelected by her colleagues to again serve as the Vice Chair of the House Republican Conference during the 114^th Congressional session, making her the fifth-highest ranking member in House Republican Leadership. Congresswoman Jenkins serves on the House Committee on Ways and Means, the chief tax writing committee in the House of Representatives, on both the Health and Trade Subcommittees.

The NRC is the national trade association representing the independent railroad construction and supply industry. The NC represents 375 rail construction and maintenance contractors, suppliers, and associated professional service firms which serve Class 1, short line and regional railroads, industrial track owners, the U.S. military, port facilities and terminals, and rail transit agencies. NRC members employ over 30,000 people in all 50 states, and take in $10 billion in annual revenue.

Brown was excited to display with an indoor booth, and have a truck in the outdoor exhibit at the American Moving and Storage Association conference in Palm Springs, CA from February 26th to March 1st. This great organization serves the moving and storage industry well, and Brown was proud to support it at their annual conference. At the outdoor exhibit, we had the latest version of our patented Lock N Load moving system. This system utilizes a single sided curtainside body for maximum flexibility in loading containers or vaults, yet also features lightweight, movable wall panels that can be easily installed creating a moving van for household moving. Utilizing lightweight construction technology, including an industry leading extruded aluminum logistic post, Brown is able to package this 24′ body on a 26,000 lb. GVW chassis and still have over 10,000 lbs. of payload capacity.

Come see us next year at the AMSA conference in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.

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Please join us in welcoming Mike Gonnerman to the B12 Transportation Group/Brown Industries team as VP-Operations. Mike formally joined the team on March 29th 2017, however, he has been a consultant at Brown for several months, and helped us drive to a record production month in March. With Mike on board full time we plan to deliver even more units in April!

The Vice President of Operations is a newly created position for the B12 Transportation Group and Brown. Mike will be responsible for operations including manufacturing, purchasing, and engineering and will report directly to our CEO, Jeff Hupke. We are excited to have Mike on board to tackle our full backlog and growing mix of product offerings.

Mike will be based on our Lawrence, Kansas office. Mike and his wife Dana live in Overland Park, KS. They have three children: Mallory (16), Ashley (22), and Erica (24). Mike received his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Engineering as well as his MBA from Iowa State.

Mike most recently worked with his wife, Dana, at Mastering Excellence Consulting. Prior to Mastering Excellence, Mike spent eleven years at Safe Fleet (formerly ROM Corporation) in roles ranging from Design Engineer to Chief Operating Officer. Previous career stops include nine years at Pella Windows and seven years at Honeywell. Mike has also been awarded “Black Belt” status for his work in Six Sigma and Lean Manufacturing.

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LAWRENCE, Kan. (September 26, 2017) – At the 2017 Railway Interchange trade show, Brown Industries introduced a new Car Mover / Material Handler that allows operators to work more efficiently when conducting track maintenance.

“Our new Car Mover / Material Handler brings several unique advantages to the marketplace,” said Director of Rail Equipment Sales, Stuart Seeger.

Rail operators can work smarter, not harder, with the new Car Mover/Material Handler from Brown Industries

“First, it easily pulls up to four loaded rail cars and still functions as a material handler. From a safety perspective, the suspension on the rail gear stays engaged to the track the entire time–no derailing. The truck also includes a train knuckle with double articulation to keep cars properly aligned.”

“For a single man crew, the truck can be optioned with our hydrostatic drive and wireless remote control. The remote has a 4.3” video screen that allows the operator to position the truck without physically being in the cab,” said Seeger.

Fleets of all sizes will appreciate the reduced time it takes to charge rail car air brakes. For example, several railroads require a 15-minute wait per car. The Brown Car Mover / Material Handler has an air brake system with digital air flow meter that notifies the operator when the charge is fully complete, greatly reducing unproductive down time.

“Response to the Car Mover / Material Handler has been strong,” said President Dane Jennison. “This new product adds greater breadth and depth to our growing portfolio of rail solutions.”

About Brown Industries

Since 1946, Brown Industries has helped companies move cargo from location to location by manufacturing quality-built van bodies, curtainsides, and flatbeds. More recently, Brown has grown their portfolio of customized vehicle solutions to include trolleys and rail vehicles. Headquartered in Lawrence, KS, Brown Industries is part of B12 Transportation Group of Kansas City, MO. To learn more, visit www.bcvi.com.

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(Lawrence, KS) Brown Industries reduces costs for customers from the front-range westward by converting their Denver location into a van body manufacturing plant.

Early this summer, Brown Industries made a strategic decision to grow national accounts in the Western United States. To support this decision, management converted their Denver-based upfit location into a full manufacturing plant. In addition to supporting national accounts, this plant will serve local truck dealers, leasing companies, and regional distributors.

“Due to the increasing demand west of the Rockies, we are manufacturing everything from box trucks to curtainsides from our Denver plant,” said Matt Archambault, Technical Fleet Sales Manager. “We’re hopeful that customers, who have not yet purchased a Brown, will have more financial incentive than if they had to take delivery from just our Kansas location.”

“We are manufacturing everything from box trucks to curtainsides from our Denver plant.”
– Matt Archambault

Commenting on the move, Brown President, Dane Jennison noted, “We faced a unique opportunity. Grow our upfit services or our manufacturing capabilities. We chose manufacturing. We think this decision will grow the footprint of our business in the years to come.”

Since 1946, Brown Industries has helped companies move their cargo forward by manufacturing van bodies, curtainsides, and flatbeds. More recently, Brown has grown their portfolio of customized vehicle solutions to include trolleys and rail vehicles. Headquartered in Lawrence, KS, Brown Industries is part of B12 Transportation Group of Kansas City, MO. To learn more, visit www.bcvi.com.

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Brown’s newest rail vehicle combines the benefits of a Car Mover with those of a Grapple Truck. This new “hybrid” Car Mover generates 20,000+ lbs tractive effort with ease.

Both the Car Mover and the Medium Duty Section truck have outriggers that deploy independently providing greater flexibility for obstacles and grades.

Take advantage of special year end savings on both trucks by contacting Stuart Seeger @ 785-766-6950, or s.seeger@bcvi.com.

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“The partnership between Specialty Vehiclesand Brown Industries has now become official. Brown Industries in Lawrence, KS, is now the manufacturer of the American Heritage line of trolleys for Specialty Vehicles, the exclusive domestic and international distributor,” according to a press release. Dane Jennison, president of Brown Industries, said, “It is a perfect match combining the industry experience and sales capacity of SVI with the manufacturing expertise of Brown. While it has been a challenge to start a new product line of this magnitude from scratch, I am proud to say that we are making tremendous progress. With an eight-man engineering department, and the recent startup of our dedicated trolley second shift, we will have a competitive lead time.” Nancy Munoz, CEO of Specialty Vehicles, said, “We are thrilled about the new relationship with Brown Industries. With their experience, capabilities and willingness to build high quality vehicles for the trolley industry, we are looking forward to a successful relationship while providing beautiful trolleys for every type of application.”

According to the release, last summer Specialty Vehicles started the trolley discussion with Brown Industries. After shifts in the industry, Specialty Vehicles needed a manufacturer, and Brown was interested in building trolleys. Following several meetings, factory visits, phone calls and planning hours, Brown started on the first units last fall. Several trolleys have been completed and delivered, and more are in production. Brown Industries manufactures both frontengine and rear-engine trolleys, with seating from 18 – 40 passengers, built on either a Ford or Freightliner chassis, with a variety of fueling options and ADA accessibility. Aesthetic options such as a conductor’s platform, brass or stainless steel stanchions, single or dual door entries, a variety of seating configurations and a multitude of upgrades are also available. Brown Industries has been manufacturing van bodies and custom truck equipment for over 70 years, with manufacturing facilities in Lawrence, KS, and Henderson, CO. Van bodies have typically been the backbone of Brown’s business, but the company also manufactures custom products. Specialty Vehicles is a family owned and operated Nevada-based business providing trolleys, trams and mini electric vehicles for the last 35 years.

For more information, visit www.specialtyvehicles.com

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(Lawrence, KS) On the heels of expanding manufacturing capabilities at their Henderson, CO plant, Brown Industries seeks to develop new customer relationships by attending the 2018 Work Truck Show (booth #124).

“We have met a lot of potential customers here at the Work Truck Show. Last year, we expanded manufacturing capabilities at our Henderson plant while at the same time increasing production slots at our Kansas plant. By attending this show, we’re hoping to educate new customers on Brown’s value,” said Dane Jennison, President.

This was the first time that Brown Industries showcased both of its brands at a single trade event. The first brand, Brown Rail, manufactures maintenance-of- way (MOW) vehicles for railroad applications. Its newest product, the Brown Car Mover, generates 20,000+ pounds of tractive effort. A similar grapple truck is on display in the Western Star Trucks booth – #4959.

The second brand, Brown Cargo Van, manufactures van and truck bodies (a.k.a. box trucks) that include dry freight, platform bodies, curtainsides, and a unique dry freight solution that allows for side- loading with a forklift.

“Regardless which brand appeals to our client’s needs, we understand that relationships are earned. We look forward to working with clients that place a high value on strength, honesty, and open communication” said Jennison.

For more information, visit www.specialtyvehicles.com

(Lawrence, KS) John Resnik has been named CEO of B12 Transportation Group, which includes Brown Industries and Diamond Coach.

John comes to B12 Transportation with over 25 years’ experience in vehicle manufacturing. John is originally from central Kansas, and has been CEO, CFO and COO of a number of entities, including three in the vehicle upfitting industry at the manufacturing level, and one at the dealer level. His experience set includes leadership roles with ElDorado National, Champion Bus, Goshen Coach and Master’s Transportation.

John is a CPA by trade, but has been in operating roles most of his career. John is well-known, well respected and brings enormous amounts of knowledge, wisdom and insight to the B12 Transportation Group.

John and his wife Jayme live in Shawnee, KS and have two adult children, Tori and Alex.