Stay updated on news, articles and information for the rail industry
July 2025
Rail News: People
Rising Stars 2025: Jonathan Healy

Jonathan Healy, 35
Director of sales, export coal
CSX
Nominator’s quote: “[Jon] showcased his leadership after the Francis Scott Key bridge collapse in March 2024. The tragedy all but eliminated the vessel access to the export coal terminals on the Patapsco River in Baltimore, which CSX served. Jon led the effort to redirect traffic to other terminals and created temporary solutions to mitigate the impact for customers affected by the disruption. Through his leadership, he was able to develop even more meaningful relationships with CSX export coal customers following the accident.” — Kia Warren, CSX
Education: Florida State University; earned undergraduate degree in business administration with a concentration in sales.
Job responsibilities: As sales director for export coal, I manage a small team that handles upward of $1 billion in revenue for CSX annually. The team finds transportation solutions for coal producers and traders to move coal from the mine to the export piers on the East Coast and in the Gulf. Because transportation is such a high percentage of the total delivered cost, the team is heavily involved with pricing decisions, which are dynamically tied to the market and could change as often as every month.
Briefly describe your career path.
After graduating college, I began my career with CSX in our customer service department. I believe this was a great way to enter the industry, as I served as a liaison between the customer and my colleagues in operations. After a few years, I had roles in inside and regional sales before leaving for a startup medical equipment company before eventually coming back to CSX in 2020 as the export coal sales manager. I was promoted to sales director in 2023.
What sparked your interest in the rail industry?
My father worked for CSX. Growing up in Jacksonville, Florida, in the early 2000s, CSX was always the pinnacle of places to work.
What was your first job and what did it teach you?
My very first job was as a cart attendant at a local golf course in high school. At the time, there wasn’t a lot of focus from the management staff on customer service — cleaning customers’ clubs after the round or helping guests load into the golf carts in the parking lot. It was up to the individual cart attendants how much effort they wanted to put in, but the vast majority took the path of least resistance.
I decided to make the effort. I set up a club cleaning section on the 18th green and the tips eventually started rolling in. While it would have been easier to go with the flow, I learned that the extra effort pays off.
What’s one of the most valuable lessons you’ve learned so far in your career?
If you do things the right way, people will want to work with you, and you will find success. It might not be the easiest thing to do, or the quickest way to “get rich,” but it’s the best in the long term.
When things get tough — at work, in the industry or in life — how do you stay motivated and resilient?
I’ve been told that I’m too optimistic to a fault. I just always believe there is a way through any problem or that a problem will create a new/unforeseen opportunity.
In your view, what is the rail industry’s greatest challenge today?
Rail is traditionally slow to react to big upswings in demand. As we saw during COVID, rail carriers reduced workforces to be in line with expected demand and it took many months to build that workforce back up. Swings in the economy happen, but to the degree possible, long-term commitments and forecasts help ensure rail is there to react when it is needed.