OmniTRAX Names Garin Board Chair, Elects Piacente to Board
Written by Carolina Worrell, Senior Editor
Left to Right: Garin, Piacente, and Scott.
OmniTRAX, an affiliate of The Broe Group, announced Jan. 29 that David Garin has been named Board Chairman and CEO Dean Piacente has been elected to the company's Board of Directors.
The new appointments, OmniTRAX says, “cap an explosive four-year growth period for the company, marked by network acquisitions, new industrial development, record volumes, and industry-leading safety.” Network-wide, OmniTRAX posted 50% growth since 2020 and added new rail operations in strategic growth markets. An expanded base of new Fortune 500 customers has fueled record freight volumes. With a combined market cap of nearly $1 trillion, these new customers have added $5 billion of new rail-served projects to the North American OmniTRAX rail network, according to the railroad and transportation management company.
“OmniTRAX’s record-setting performance can be traced to a bold vision laid out four years ago and the disciplined execution of that business plan,” said The Broe Group Founder Pat Broe. “David, Dean, and outgoing chair Cameron Scott have been critical in shaping our strategy and pacing our record-setting trajectory. These new elections secure the knowledge, relationships, and leadership that have been invaluable to our growth.”
Garin’s 2019 OmniTRAX Board election followed a 35-year Class I rail career, including multiple leadership roles in 19 years at BNSF. Garin oversaw all sales and marketing responsibilities for BNSF industrial products and cultivated direct relationships with more than 6,000 industrial customers, to pace BNSF’s industry leading revenue growth. A staunch advocate of the critical role that “First and Last Mile” rail service plays in growing the North American rail network, Garin earned industry recognition and committee appointments for his advocacy of short line railroads. “His extensive industry relationships and steadfast belief in first and last mile rail have been integral in OmniTRAX’s explosive growth,” the company said.
“Rail is playing a critical role in the transformation of North American supply chains,” said former BNSF Chairman and CEO Matt Rose. “The intense wave of manufacturing and distribution nearshoring has companies placing a very high premium on location and logistics efficiency. David Garin’s industry relationships and his experience with each link of the North American rail network are ideal to help OmniTRAX meet the evolving market demand.”
Piacente, the former CSX Vice President, was named OmniTRAX CEO on Feb. 1, 2021. His appointment to helm the company added strategic industry relationships, as well as more than three decades of dynamic financial planning, analysis, and multi-commodity expertise across the North American rail network, OmniTRAX noted. As CEO, and new Board member, Piacente manages the daily operations of the company’s railroads, terminal services, transload services, acquisition, and industrial development.
“Dean’s industry reputation and record of results are exceeded only by the achievements he has earned while leading OmniTRAX,” said Garin. “We sought Dean for his extensive leadership experience and industry knowledge and this board appointment ensures that OmniTRAX will continue to benefit from those invaluable resources.”
With the conclusion of Cameron Scott’s OmniTRAX Board Chair term and Michael Brothers’ OmniTRAX Board position this month, Scott has been named Board Chair for The Broe Family Board and Brothers begins a new appointment to The Broe Family Board.
