How It Started

Armed with a core belief that rail management and operational practices could be better for the customer, the employee, and the rail industry as a whole, Steven and Cheryl Hawkins organized Western Carolina Railway Service Corporation in 2003 to build a new foundation for rail service in South Carolina and neighboring North Carolina.

In establishing the company, they focused their energies on a clearly defined region while reinvesting significant revenue back into the lines and assets that constitute their key offering — unparalleled service.

It is the conviction of Western Carolina Railway Service Corporation that an un-benchmarked level of rail service can be attained and sustained in the western Carolinas.

This Is Our Commitment

A message from the President, Steven C. Hawkins

How does a company like Western Carolina Railway Service Corporation reach a new benchmark of service in an industry whose roots are sewn in resistance to change?

We started by establishing unprecedented core values for the company itself. Our values promote thought processes that lead to constructive change and an ever-increasing bar to attain and surpass.

Our Core Values

At the heart of Western Carolina Railway Service Corporation are three simple and concise core values that I believe are the key to this company’s success in the rail industry.

Service to God

God is our Maker and Creator, and He must always come first in ALL things.

Service to Family

Our families are a top priority and must be second only to God.

Service to Career

Our career is a means of serving God and providing for our family, and it must come only after God and family are served.

Our Employees Are Our Greatest Asset

I believe that our employees are our greatest asset. By honoring our three core values, our employees will bring honor to the company by taking pride in their careers — a pride that will be seen by the company’s customers through the service they receive and in the heart and attitudes of those who provide the service.

Profitability Is Not Our Foremost Goal

While no company can succeed without profit, our company’s position is that profit does not have to be the foremost goal for us to succeed and attain a respectable profit margin.

It has been proven that customers in any market are willing to pay premium rates for premium service. At Western Carolina Railway Service Corporation, we believe that by providing a quality product at a reasonable rate, while focusing on our core values, two things will happen:

This growth in traffic or service thereby generates profit increase, and not at the expense of decreased customer service levels, diminished employment benefits, or deferral of necessary maintenance.

Honesty, Integrity, & Commitment

Nothing goes further toward growing our product and increasing our profits than honesty and integrity coupled with a genuine commitment to maintain the assets by which we earn your income. Period.

Four Principles To Achieve Success

I believe, as long as Western Carolina Railway Service Corporation commits to these four principles, we will be successful both corporately and financially and also, more importantly, morally and ethically.

  1. Honors our core values
  2. Focuses on a clearly defined region
  3. Provides a quality product at a reasonable rate
  4. Maintains our assets by reinvesting our earnings

Our Vision For Change

Western Carolina Railway Service Corporation is a company with a vision for changing how the rail industry is managed and operated.

As we are committed to serving God, our families, and our customers, we are also committed to our communities in the Carolinas. We hope to propagate change through the belief that we can and will lead by example.

Personally, I’m committed to making a difference in this industry, and I’m proud to call the Carolinas home.

“What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?”

Romans 8:31 KJV

Get Connected

For further information about our corporation or our subsidiaries, please feel free to visit these resources…

Get In Touch

To learn more about the services offered by Western Carolina Railway Service Corporation through its subsidiaries, please contact us.

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