Appalachian Railcar Services
ARS a multi-disciplinary rail services organization serving customers throughout the mid-Atlantic, Northeast and Midwest regions.
| Date | Investors | Amount | Round |
|---|---|---|---|
| investor | €0.0 | round | |
N/A | Acquisition | ||
| Total Funding | 000k | ||
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Appalachian Railcar Services (ARS) is a provider of multidisciplinary rail services in the United States, originally founded as a family-owned business in 2000 by Kurt Higginbotham and his wife. Higginbotham, who has over 30 years of experience as an entrepreneur in railcar services, served as the founder, President, and CEO, growing the business from a two-person operation to a significant market player. Under his leadership, the company expanded to over 40 facilities.
The company's business model is centered on providing a comprehensive suite of services to the rail industry, generating revenue through contracts for these services. ARS serves a blue-chip customer base, including numerous Fortune 500 companies across diverse sectors such as agriculture, chemicals, manufacturing, energy, food processing, and logistics. A notable client includes the U.S. Department of Defense, specifically the Department of the Army Materiel Command Surface Deployment and Distribution Command, for which ARS provides maintenance and repair services for its freight car fleet.
ARS offers a wide array of services, including certified tank and freight car repair, railcar cleaning, coating and lining services, mobile repairs, and on-site customer repair operations. The company also provides short-line railroad operations, coal loading and unloading, track maintenance, fleet management, and brokerage services. This diverse service offering establishes ARS as a key operator in the railcar maintenance and repair market. In March 2017, GenNx360 Capital Partners, a private equity firm, invested in ARS, aiming to professionalize the family-owned business and drive growth. This partnership led to the integration of four business units, implementation of new CRM and ERP systems, and a significant enhancement of the leadership team. A major milestone occurred in September 2020 when ARS was acquired by Cathcart Rail, a move that created one of the largest railcar services companies in North America and expanded its footprint to 60 locations across 22 states with 800 employees.
Keywords: railcar services, railcar repair, railcar maintenance, tank car services, freight car repair, railcar cleaning, railcar storage, short line railroad, fleet management, rail logistics, coal loading, track maintenance, mobile rail repair, Cathcart Rail, Kurt Higginbotham, railcar coating, railcar lining, on-site rail repair, Department of Defense freight, industrial logistics