Flags across the Canadian Pacific Kansas City transnational railroad network are flying at half-mast in honor of Patrick J. Ottensmeyer, who served as final President and CEO of Kansas City Southern from 2015 until April 14, 2023, upon completion of the Canadian Pacific-KCS combination that created CPKC. Ottensmeyer died July 28. He was 67.
“Pat’s vision and leadership played a monumental role in the great history of Kansas City Southern as he helped reshape the railway industry,” said Keith Creel, CPKC President and CEO. “We have lost a remarkable leader and a cherished friend. Pat’s legacy lives on and can be seen in the work we do every day at CPKC. His contributions as a railroader and as a person will never be forgotten. We mourn his tragic passing and extend our deepest condolences to his fiancée Deanne, his entire family, many friends and former colleagues.”
“It’s hard to capture in words the sense of loss I and our CPKC family feel about the loss of Pat,” Creel told Railway Age. “All who knew him as a professional and railroader had nothing but respect and admiration for the material impact he made across so many aspects of our industry. True leaders always leave their organizations better. Pat’s legacy will forever reflect that for many organizations, especially the KCS, where he served until his recent retirement.
“Personally, if you had the honor to have enjoyed a friendship with Pat as I did, words will never capture what a class gentleman and human being he was. The manner he cared for others, served others and always treated others set an example few could ever meet, much less have a chance to exceed. Our hearts are broken processing the loss of Pat. Focusing on the joy of knowing him and the memories we shared will have to be where we find the strength to press forward. He will forever be missed but never forgotten.”
When Ottensmeyer was named 2020 Railroader of the Year, Mike Haverty, Railway Age’s 2001 honoree, shared his observations:
“Pat joined Kansas City Southern as Chief Financial Officer in 2006. With his banking and finance background, and his time in the railroad business as Vice President of Finance and Treasurer for BNSF, he was the individual we needed as CFO. Just prior to his arrival, KCS had taken over 100% of the Mexican Northeast rail concession, was preparing to rebuild the acquired old Southern Pacific ‘Macaroni Line’ between Rosenberg and Victoria, Tex., and completely rebuild the line serving the critical Port of Lazaro Cardenas that was being upgraded by the Mexican government and Hutchison International Terminals to be a competitive North American port on the Pacific Coast. These were all critical investments that have led to the success that Kansas City Southern enjoys today, but the company needed a financial leader at that time who could help craft these major capital investments during a time KCS was struggling financially. Pat was that person.
“Eventually, Pat became Executive Vice President Sales and Marketing for Kansas City Southern and led the team to grow the revenue benefits of the strategic investments that he had helped to finance. He clearly understood the importance of these investments in developing the value of the KCS franchise and, as the current CEO, he continues to lead the management team in executing plans to improve that value.
“Free trade in North America is critical to the success of Kansas City Southern, its customers, employees, shareholders, and communities and states that it serves in the U.S. and Mexico. The survival of Kansas City Southern as a rail transportation holding company can be attributed to its successful investment in the privatized Mexican rail network in 1996 that was developed following the passage of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) in 1994. That is why it was so gratifying to see that Pat was chosen by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce U.S.-Mexico Economic Council in 2019 to serve as Chairman and as leader of the U.S.-Mexico CEO Dialogue while NAFTA was being renegotiated as the new United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA).
“What impresses me about Pat’s role as KCS CEO today is that while he has developed a team to help improve operations and reduce the operating ratio, just as important, he has them focused on revenue growth as well. There has been an overemphasis, in my opinion, on focusing too much on reducing operating ratios in the railroad industry today, but Pat clearly understands that growth is essential to the success of the company, and you cannot just concentrate solely on cutting costs. In other words, he understands that a company cannot save itself into prosperity and must have growth.”
“One of Pat’s biggest impacts started the day after the 2016 Presidential election,” said Norfolk Southern Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer John Orr, who worked closely with Ottensmeyer as EVP Operations at KCS during the CPKC merger process. “President-elect Trump had attacked Mexican trade. As a newly minted CEO, Pat found himself with KCS in Presidential crosshairs, a falling share price, and the KCS team deeply concerned. What did he do? He engaged. He wrote to the KCS team, calming them in a way only Pat could. It was his long-standing commitment to his vision and values and to be a ‘person’ before a ‘CEO’ that create belief and commitment to use high quality service to ‘beget growth.’ This inspired and energized the KCS team.
“Pat then went to Washington D.C., right into the lion’s den, and got to work educating lawmakers, staffers, trade groups—anyone who would take a meeting. He helped people understand the value KCS meant to U.S. farmers, suppliers and industry. He took a lot on the chin. The popular ‘anti-Mexico-trade’ noise was difficult. He pushed hard on USMCA and cross-border trade security. He invested resources to create best-in-class railroad cross-border standards. Pat kept a humble, confident tone in every employee and Capitol Hill discussion. He bore the weight quietly on his shoulders. He was selfless and loyal, brilliant and articulate. He had a voice that was respected, educated and deeply needed.
“Pat was a generational leader. He had everything—emotional intelligence, people commitment and genuine humility.”
Pat Ottensmeyer was elected KCS President and CEO July 1, 2016. From April 2015 to June 2016, he served as President of KCS. From October 2008 through March 2015, he served as KCS EVP Sales and Marketing. He joined KCS in May 2006 as EVP and CFO and served in that role until October 2008. Ottensmeyer had a broad range of railroad experience from various senior executive positions he held at KCS and BNSF. He came to KCS with substantial experience in financial matters from serving in various executive roles, including treasurer and chief financial officer positions. Ottensmeyer earned a Bachelor of Science in Finance from Indiana University.
Following the CPKC merger in 2023, Ottensmeyer stayed on for the remainder of that year as a special advisor on Mexican affairs. He joined the board of directors of The Greenbrier Companies, Watco and J.B. Hunt. He also was co-chair of the Brookings Institute USMCA Initiative and chair of the Truman Library Institute.
Ottensmeyer had served on Greenbrier’s Board since 2023, “bringing decades of industry and international relations expertise,” Greenbrier noted. Board Chair Admiral Thomas B. Fargo (USN Retired), said that he “demonstrated a remarkable passion for this industry. From day one, he became an invaluable member of our Board of Directors. We are forever grateful for his contributions to Greenbrier, its shareholders and the broader rail industry. He will be greatly missed, as he was a wonderful friend to his Board colleagues and many at the company.
“Working alongside Pat has been a privilege for the other board members and me,” said Lorie Tekorius, CEO and President. “He was a visionary leader who left a lasting legacy for the North American rail industry and the broader trade policy landscape. The Greenbrier family offers our deepest condolences to his friends and family. Pat will be deeply missed.”
Among his many career recognitions, Pat Ottensmeyer received the North American Rail Shippers Association Edward R. Hamberger Lifetime Achievement Award in 2023. He was a two-time Railway Age Railroader of the Year recipient, in 2020 and 2022, with Keith Creel.
