NRC and REMSA member company A&K Railroad Materials hosted Representative Sharice Davids (D-KS 3rd District) Tuesday, April 19, on a tour its facility in Kansas City, Kan., which manufactures track components for the railway industry. It was the first stop on David’s “Made in Kansas” tour to promote domestic manufacturing and supply chain solutions.

Davids serves on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee as Vice Chair and as Chair of the Subcommittee onEconomic Growth, Tax and Capital Access. She recently was selected as a key negotiator for the House as lawmakers finalize a major, bipartisan supply chainpackage in Congress. Davids was first elected to Congress in 2019 after serving in the U.S. Army for 20 years.

A&K Railroad Materials President Kellen Desmond led an employee meeting with Davids and a tour through the manufacturing facility. “We’re glad to be the first stop on Representative Davids’ tour and show off the manufacturing capability we have here in Kansas City, Kan.,” said Desmond. “We’re excited to see what the bipartisan infrastructure law holds for the railroad industry and for A&K.”

Davids said she was pleased to get a boots-on-the-ground perspective to carry back to Washington. “When we make more here at home, and when we invest in strong supply chains, we lower costs for folks atthe store. The work at A&K Railroad Materials is important to every piece of that equation,” said Davids. “Today I got to see how both the bipartisan infrastructure law and the new supply chain legislation we’re working on in Congress will help Kansas manufacturers continue to serve our entire country’stransportation needs.”

A&K Railroad Materials is a member of the NRC (National Railroad Construction and Maintenance Association (NRC) and REMSA, two U.S. trade associations that advocate on behalf of railroad contractors and suppliers.

In addition to Desmond, other A&K Railroad Materials employees in attendance included Executive Vice President Operations Pat Reeves, Executive Vice President Sales Jim Huenefeldt, Vice President/General Manager Fastener Dan Britten, Vice President General Manager Trackwork Greg Cornett, General Manager Logistics Antoinee Gladney, Shop Supervisor Chino Andrade, and Shipping and Receiving Coordinator Megan Eshnaur. Mike McGonagle, NRC vice president of operations and REMSA Grassroots Event Manager, also participated in the event.

‍