The Toronto Globe and Mail has a long profile of Hunter Harrison, the native Memphian who is retiring as chief executive of the Canadian National Railway Co. and in whose honor the company named its newly expanded Memphis distribution hub.The profile begins, as must all profiles of Memphians of a certain age (Harrison is 64), with an Elvis anecdote. Harrison, who went to Kingsbury High, accompanied a friend to one of Elvis' private get-togethers at the fairgrounds:
"Elvis leaned on a wall with his motorcycle hat on," recalls the chief executive officer of Canadian National Railway Co. "There was a lady then that Elvis was going with named Anita Wood. She was a local TV star on a dance show like American Bandstand .
"She knew me a little bit. Here I am at the fairgrounds with pimples, 16 years old. She comes over to me and my neighbour - another little acne kid. We talked to her for about 10 minutes. She approached us, we didn't go to her. But the man Elvis is over there. One of the bodyguards comes over and tells us, 'The man doesn't like that.' I'm thinking, 'Could Elvis be jealous of us?'"
More important, though, the Globe and Mail's piece also discusses Memphis' role in CN's recent success. The Canadian government spun off the company as a public entity in 1995, and Harrison has been in charge for seven years. He has said the company has invested nearly $150 million in Memphis in four years.
Memphis has emerged as CN's main southern U.S. hub, a strategic yard that handles freight that arrives after long journeys, including Asian imports sent along CN lines from the Port of Prince Rupert in British Columbia. Memphis, where CN interchanges traffic with all four major U.S. carriers, is also the company's gateway to its Gulf of Mexico region operations.
[snip]
"Memphis is particularly a very important spot for CN going forward," Mr. Harrison says.
Once he retires at the end of the year, Harrison plans to spend time at his family's equestrian horse ranches in Connecticut and Florida.
PICTURED: Canadian National Railway CEO Hunter Harrison is seen during a visit to Memphis for the dedication of the $100 million renovation and expansion of Harrison Yard, which was named in his honor.
Hy ...congrats for the very informative article.I'm really happy I found it on googleKeep up the good work because I for sure will visit for updates
Hi just a little curious, why did you choose that title for your page?