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July 2026
By Bridget Dean, Senior Associate Editor
Jesse Chalich’s passion for railroading was intertwined with his genuine care for those around him. Chalich spent his nearly 30-year career with North Dakota’s Northern Plains Rail Services and the company’s 350-mile Northern Plains Railroad.
The fourth-generation railroader worked alongside immediate family and others who would become family in the ensuing years. Recognized as a Progressive Railroading Rising Star in 2014, Jesse later that year was appointed as Northern Plains’ president and chief operating officer, a position he held until his unexpected passing on March 11. He was 49.
“[Jesse] was a great leader,” says Ben Chalich, one of Jesse’s older brothers and a marketing and sales representative at Northern Plains. “I trusted in the team that he built and his vision.”
Jesse and his twin brother Justin Chalich joined Northern Plains in 1997, the same year Gregg Haug founded it. More members of the Chalich family joined the railroad company over the years, including Jesse’s wife of more than 25 years, Julie Chalich, and several of their children.
“The lines between my experiences with Jesse as a brother and my experiences with him as a leader can sometimes blur. The more I think about it, though, the more I realize they should. The qualities that made him a great brother were the same qualities that made him a great leader,” Ben says.
A father of four and proud grandfather to one, Jesse was heavily involved with his children. He enjoyed attending their sporting events and spending time outdoors with them.
“He always included me, even if it was a guys’ trip — fishing, hunting, football games. He made sure I could come,” says Morgan Chalich, one of Jesse’s two daughters and a marketing and brand coordinator for Northern Plains. “He just really made everyone feel included.”
Family or no, Jesse got along with everybody, says Ben. Jesse had a way of making the people around him feel important. He was very generous and strived to help people out whenever he could, adds Justin, manager of Northern Plains’ locomotive division for Minnesota and Iowa.
“Jesse was very compassionate and caring for the job and his family; he’d give guys second chances that deserved to get second chances,” says Justin. “He was a motivator. If he saw something that would benefit the employees, the company, he’d get a team together and he’d work on that and he’d push it through.”
Jesse also made sure his Northern Plains colleagues felt supported. During long days working on the railroad, Jesse’s positive attitude kept people motivated, says Ben Liden, Northern Plains’ vice president of operations. Jesse truly loved railroading, and he cared for the people he worked with, Liden adds.
Jesse was a valuable mentor to his team, as well. Northern Plains General Manager Todd Gullickson, who hired Jesse in 1997, says it was great to watch him progress from conductor to the role of president.
“He always encouraged fresh ideas. We could throw anything at him. He loved the idea of new ideas,” Gullickson says. “He held us all accountable as managers.”
With Jesse at the helm, Northern Plains managers were empowered to lead their departments. He didn’t micromanage, says Gullickson.
Not that Jesse didn’t guide Northern Plains managers; his phone line and office door were open, always, to anyone seeking who advice or reassurance. Jesse’s ability to foster trust also set him apart. To Liden, it helped build the Northern Plains team into what it is today.
“He hired me as a young manager, and I think I had a pretty good understanding of what the job needed, but the confidence probably wasn’t near where it needed to be,” Liden says. “And just the way he would empower us to make decisions — he’d back your play, and he trusted you. It went a long way for me, personally, in developing that self-confidence and trust in myself and my judgment.”
Jesse also put safety first and was a driving force behind improvements to the railroad’s safety program and culture. Rather than blame managers for things that went wrong, Jesse saw mistakes as opportunities for the entire team to make improvements, adds Shawn Smith, president of Northern Plains’ Canadian business unit and consulting division.
The company’s ability to keep operating smoothly since he passed is a testament to Jesse’s strength as a leader, says Smith.
Over the years, Jesse imbued his own family-first mindset and core value of respect for others into the guiding principles at Northern Plains. He’d do anything to help anyone, and he showed genuine appreciation for his employees, customers and partners in the rail industry, Gullickson says. Those values helped the company grow from under 20 people to more than 200 employees. Despite his success, Jesse always remained humble, he adds.
In recognition of Jesse’s love of sports, Northern Plains has dedicated its annual employee golf tournament to him, Morgan says. The tournament, the first of which will be held on July 31, will raise funds for community initiatives and the company’s newly established Jesse J. Chalich Sports by Railroaders fund. The foundation will accept applications from employees to fund sports programs in the communities where Northern Plains operates.
Jesse spent his life and his career caring for his community — family, friends, the Northern Plains team and many others he crossed paths with. He built his legacy on supporting others and working hard. Through the new foundation and the influence he had on those around him, that legacy will live on.
“[Jesse] didn’t just build a successful career. He built up everyone around him,” says Morgan. “He was the kind of leader that just never left anyone behind.”
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