26th ANNUAL WHEEL RAIL INTERACTION CONFERENCE

Biography: Larry Biess graduated with a degree in Marine Engineering with a concentration in Nuclear Power from the United States Merchant Marine Academy, earned an MBA from the University of North Florida, and holds a PMP certification from the Project Management Institute. He began his career working for the United States Department of Defense as a Nuclear Shift Test Engineer. He qualified as an engineering officer on two different submarine reactor plants. After 8 years in this position he spent two years as a production superintendent repairing ships at Atlantic Drydock in Jacksonville, Florida. In 1996 he joined CSX as a Mechanical Systems Engineer where he developed idle reduction technologies and was awarded 7 patents. In 2004 he was assigned as Director, Advanced Engineering where he worked to develop CSX’s Integrated Track Inspection System for the Engineering Department and the Joint Wayside Diagnostic System for the Mechanical Department. In 2010 he accepted his current position of Director- Track Testing where he oversees the testing of over 21,000 miles of mainline track. Current work includes the development of track forecasting and analysis tools and the integration of his wayside and mechanical knowledge with track health assessment. He resides with his wife and three daughters in Jacksonville, Florida.