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10/7/2026
The American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association (ASLRRA) has awarded Kern Schumacher, chair and founder of A&K Railroad Materials Inc., the inaugural Short Line Industry Catalyst Award.
The Catalyst Award recognizes individuals whose out-of-the-box thinking has changed the industry for the better, or who have changed how short lines and their stakeholders do business, association officials said in a press release.
Over nearly 70 years in the rail industry, Schumacher pioneered the practice of recycling rail materials on a national scale. For short lines, having these more affordable resources was often the key that allowed them to remain in business, ASLRRA officials said.
He started his first company, A&K Tie Co., for buying and reselling used railroad ties. Under the name A&K Railroad Materials, the company expanded to locations in 13 states to recover and supply recycled materials nationwide as well as provide new materials to the North American rail industry.
Schumacher has owned 13 small railroads in the U.S. and Canada, helped finance acquisition of railroad lines and has been a strong advocate for short-line issues.
“From the humble and scrappy beginning of seeing an opportunity in used railroad ties as a young entrepreneur to building A&K into one of the most trusted and innovative names in the rail industry, Kern has spent more than seven decades demonstrating what vision, perseverance and integrity can accomplish,” said ASLRRA President Chuck Baker. “Through his support of the short line industry, his commitment to ASLRRA and its members, and his personal advocacy at the most senior levels of government for policies that strengthen short line railroads, Kern has helped shape the industry in lasting ways.”