Mark Ferguson followed in the footsteps of his esteemed predecessor, Randy Smith, by stepping into the role of chief engineer May 1.

Ferguson moved from being manager of signals and communication. He joined the railroad in April 1994 and quickly fell in love with the sense of accomplishment and construction found in the railroad.

“I like seeing projects all the way through,” he said. “I especially enjoy the satisfaction of finishing a project — seeing what we have done.”

Ferguson looks forward to enhancing BRC, whether through maintenance or project work. The continued success of upgrades and infrastructure improvements is important to him.

With all the projects he is working on, he emphasizes safety first.

“Safety is important to me,” Ferguson said. “I hope I was selected for this role because of my history of accomplishing things safely. I want everyone to come to work and leave the same way that they came.”

Outside of work, he enjoys time with his wife, Dawn; and children, Alyssa, Amy, Ashley, Mark and Mason. All are active in sports. Ferguson has coached his children’s softball, baseball and football teams for about 14 years.

“Sports keep them busy and in shape,” he said.