Page 12 - August 2021 Track N Times

Spotlight—Mark Riola

and upgrade work on the machine. It was a lot to get done in two months. There were many contractors involved as
well as overhaul crew and technicians working together. In the end getting to see the machine rolled out and back
working with no issues. Success for me is also the little things I get fixed on machines, where they go back out to work
better than they were the day before.

Do you have any hobbies or hidden talents? My hobbies include working on my ‘hot rods’ or Jeep and putting to-
gether military plastic model kits.

How do you pass time when you get a day off? I find the nearest hiking trails and spend the day exploring. I carry a
small urn of my dad’s ashes with me everywhere I travel and leave some at the prettiest views. If there’s no hiking
trails near me then hopefully there is a museum or aquarium to visit.

What’s your favorite way to spend your time off when you’re at home? Going to car shows, the drag strip or
fishing. If the weathers not good for any of that I will tear something apart on one of my vehicles and improve it in
some way.

Where did you grow up and where do you live now? What’s your favorite thing about your hometown? Was
born and raised in Chicago. I went into the Army when I graduated high school and spent most of that time overseas.
When I left the military, my parents had moved to Marble Hill, Missouri, so I chose to move my family there as well.
My mom ended up not liking being away from family in Chicago and made my Dad move back there. I stayed another
3 years until I started with Loram. Chicago is great; the lake front, all the museums and stuff to do. Even the car
shows are way better, but there are just too many people. I moved back to Missouri in 2013. It’s a nice small town in
the heart of the Ozarks.

What is something about yourself that would surprise your co-workers? One of my hidden hobbies is gardening. I
like flowers, plants, vines and flowering trees. I have planted lots of stuff on my 14 acres.

What’s the best advice you were ever given and who was it from? Why do you think it stuck with you? My dad
was a perfectionist and always would tell me ‘if you are going to do something do it right and to the best of your abili-
ties’. He also told me to have pride in what you do. It sticks with me because I do the same. If I am fixing something
on a Loram machine or my vehicle, the repair is done correctly. No shortcuts are taken.

What advice would you give a new Field Operations employee? Pay attention and ask a lot of questions. Try to
learn everything you can. Jump in and help whenever possible. Follow that advice and you will be promoted quickly.

What’s one thing that surprises you about working at
Loram? Probably the thing that surprises me the most now
is how quickly the technology is changing as compared to the
early 2000’s.

Is there a skill you would like to master and is there a
skill your proud of mastering? The skill I would love to
master is being able to weld without blowing a hole through
something or have it look like popcorn. Since I was already a
mechanic before starting with Loram and able to fix just
about anything mechanical, I would say mastering how to
operate a rail grinder – especially RG15 with its DOS com-
puter and 100’s of manual switches and a grind car in front of
the operating cab.

Volume 2 : Issue 7 Page 10