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Platform Chats
Platform Chats
Non-Traditional Careers Paths to the Rail Industry
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It’s a family affair on this episode as host Walt Bleser chats with two generations of AREMA members about the different paths they took to a career in civil engineering. William “Bill” Riehl, III, Chief Engineer Structures, Genesee & Wyoming has over 35 years of experience in the rail industry, and his son William “Will” Riehl, IV, Territory Sales Engineer, Atlantic Track Turnout is days away from completing his first year. Father and son share more than a love of model trains, they both offer a unique perspective on the industry and finding a career in rail outside of the traditional path. They'll also discuss the importance of networking in a relationship-based industry like rail and discovering how much business happens outside of work hours. And we'll answer the question, what exactly is the sound of money? It’s an episode that is sure to bridge the generational gap.
It was a really neat experience being a student there. And actually, the funniest thing was we were walking the show floor, and everybody knew my dad, which I just thought was amazing. You know, we'd walk down, some guy would pop out of the booth and say, Oh, hey Bill, like how have you been? How's the family? Um, but it was it was a really good event, and I wish I'd gone as a student maybe like the 2018, but just life got in the way with work and school.
SPEAKER_00You may know the American Railway Engineering and Maintenance of Way Association, or AREMA, as the quote, keepers of the manuals. You may know them as the quote people behind the largest annual railroad conference in North America. Heck, you may not know about AREMA at all. This podcast is designed, no pun intended, to change your view of who AREMA is and how AREMA has changed the trajectory of many railway careers over its 100-plus year history. Welcome to Platform Chats with your host, Walt Blesser, where he takes a moment to discuss the impacts AREMA has had on the very people who are proud to be called members. Are you ready to roll with ARIMA?
SPEAKER_01ARE Corporation is a proud supporter of AREMA and Platform Chats. If you are looking to take your Railway Structure's career to the next level, or simply start it down the right track, please visit us at ARECorp.com. Please see our brand new job postings on our careers page or on our LinkedIn page.
SPEAKER_04Hello, everybody, and welcome back to another episode of Platform Chats, as I like to refer to it. This is episode 16. However, I believe this is season two and we're in close to episode four, five, or six. My memory slips me. I know we've been doing a decent job of getting these out about once a month, so I appreciate everybody hanging in there. I appreciate all of our listeners. And the feedback has been phenomenal. Uh, we are actually approaching 4,000 downloads since the beginning of this podcast, which I am just blown away by the number of people that continue to uh click on that podcast when they see a fresh release and listen to it. That is awesome. Uh we just got back from our my first uh in-person arema event, since this is an AREMA podcast. Uh there was a committee chairman's meeting and a committee uh board of directors meeting in Washington, D.C. last week. So first time I've seen some folks in uh I was calculating it's about two and a half years. Uh wow. So the last time we had one of those was November of 19. Uh and now it was June of 2022. Uh boy, in that time period, uh I added a child to my family. I had a massive heart condition. All kinds of stuff has happened. There was a COVID shutdown. Wow, what an amazing time we live in, and I cannot believe how much has happened. But with that, today we have two guests on the show. Uh, we have a third and we have a fourth. Uh personally, I'm a second, and my son is a third, so I'm kind of excited about this one because we got a little generational discussion about, well, frankly, generations in the rail industry. So uh my guests today obviously share the same name, and they both work in the rail industry. Uh one of them, William the fourth, goes by Bill, Bill Real, and his son, William the, excuse me, I said the fourth. Bill is the third, and then the other William, the fourth, he goes by Will, so there's no uh confusion in the household as to which one you're speaking with. Um so we're gonna go ahead and kick this off with Bill. If you've been in this industry for a minute, if you're in the structures uh functional group or having anything to do with structures in the last 30 plus years, I guarantee you've known this guy. Bill is currently with uh Genesee in Wyoming. He's got a colorful past, he's a colorful guy, and I'm excited to have him on here. So, Bill, why don't you just go ahead and give us a quick rundown on your history in the rail industry?
SPEAKER_02Uh good morning. Bill Real, currently Chief Engineer of Structures for Genesee, Wyoming. Uh, for those that are not familiar, GW is a shortline railroad holding group with 110 properties in North America spanning 41 states and four provinces in Canada. Um, long journey to get here. Started out uh Penn State. Um thought I was smart way back when. Uh started dual degree mechanical and nuclear. Uh and I hit my second thermo class and realized nope, I wasn't that smart. Um switched majors to civil, found the structures world, fell in love with it, and thought I was on my way to designing uh building skeletons and highway bridges. At the time in the 80s, Penn State had a rail engineering course that uh uh at the time I thought would be fun to take since uh big into model trains, and figured that this would be a great way to learn how to build a better layout. Um turned out that it was my uh gateway drug into the rail industry. 1987 graduated after uh cramming a four-year degree into five and not sure it would fit. Uh started with a consulting firm in downtown Philadelphia, lasted there a year and a half before business downturn, and they wiped out their civil group. Went to work for the contractor, Atlas Railroad Construction, uh stayed with them for almost a year when uh individual I worked with in Philadelphia called me from Fort Myers, Florida, and said he desperately desperately needed a civil engineer. Uh moved to Fort Myers in 1989, followed him up to the Florida East Coast Railway in uh excuse me, in 1993, uh left the FEC to go back to consulting in uh 2000, hired into Real America to essentially use what this position is. Gene W bought Real America seven years ago, and here I am today. Um along the way, been very active in AREMA, joined in 87, uh, which makes me a paying life member today. Uh various committees as my interests have uh followed different points in my career. Committee 30, well, committee 24 originally, committee 30, which is ties, back to committee 24, where I became chairman. Uh in this role, I joined committee seven, which is Timber Structures, was a director in the structures functional group for a term, and now I'm the structures functional group vice president. So 30 years in uh in a nutshell there.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, that'd say that's a nutshell, all right. Uh so have you I know you're in structures now. Uh do you have a degree in structures too?
SPEAKER_02I do. Uh civil and my specialty was structures.
SPEAKER_04That's what I thought. Okay, but you've seen a little bit of everything.
SPEAKER_02Uh first half of my career was on the track side. Uh, and when I left uh Florida East Coast Railway and started consulting, is when I went home to my structures routes and been a bridge guy ever since.
SPEAKER_04Excellent. Yeah, I just want to make sure that uh the listeners that can think that all I bring on is structures people because I'm a structures guy. Just want to make sure they heard that uh half your career was with the track department. Speaking of track department, Will, uh, you know, fun fact here. It sounds like you're when are you gonna complete your first year in the industry?
SPEAKER_03Uh I will be completing my first year at Atlantic Track in about eight days. It'll be the one-year mark.
SPEAKER_04So we are eight days shy of your one year, uh, where your dad's got more than 30. Uh so obviously your introduction's probably not gonna be as long, but it's a fantastic transition. I'd really, instead of hearing about your uh, well, I guess that'd be your 356 or 57 days with Atlantic Track, I would love to hear how you got there. Uh, you know, do when you grow up in that household, obviously your dad spent his whole career in the industry. Uh, you know, my some of us would probably do the opposite of what our dad's doing. Uh, I might be one of those guys. Others might say, hey, I'm really inspired by what my dad's doing. Uh what was it for you?
SPEAKER_03So it was a little bit of both. Uh once I got out of high school, I was applying to a few colleges, and I actually got accepted into Penn State, which is where my dad went. So I was like, oh, you know, I can go and uh follow my dad's footsteps. So I moved a thousand miles away from home, and I was like, see you guys later, and uh never really looked back. I started out as a pre-med student, got into chem 1 and was like, wow, this is not for me. Let me go do something easy like civil engineering. And uh I started my engineering classes, fell in love with it, and uh once I moved to main campus, got involved in ASCE as well as AREMA on the student level. I'm actually a Committee 24 member, and when I went to the 2019 AREMA show, I actually met my employers. Uh my actual boss was at one of the booths at the Meet the Next Generation event. We spoke for about an hour and gave them my resume, gave them all my information. Then COVID hit, so I wasn't able to do an internship with them. Finished up my last two years of college or my my senior, super senior year, and uh sent them an email saying, hey, it looks like you guys have an opening. And they said, Oh yeah, we remember you from Arima. Let's give you a shot. You know, we like your degree, we want to see more engineering in our company, so we'll bring you in. So it was a neat little proving that the the industry, you know, it's such a tight-knit commit community.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, and that they actually remembered you from two years ago, uh, or two plus years ago. I I guess at the point at that time it was number two years ago. It's pretty impressive. Uh there's a lot to unpack there. I I I I was excited about this show, Will, uh, because when I graduated high school, and my dad said, What are you gonna do? And I was like, I don't know. Um, you know, he sent me straight on a bus to junior college. Uh and after about a semester there, you know, with uh what felt like high school with ashtrays, I quickly realized that I needed to figure out what I was gonna do. And I remember looking at some of the transfer sheets, and my dad was a civil, and I said, you know, I'm gonna be an engineer. And I remember my dad said, You will never get through engineering school. And uh that's pretty much all it took to go ahead and be motivated to get through engineering school. So I am with you. Uh, I actually started out as an M E and then I went to Civil as well, because maybe that's just the blood you were given from your dad, and vice versa. It made it simple for us to understand that that stuff. What do you think? Uh Bill, was would you say that was the same history or uh memories you have of how your son went through school?
SPEAKER_02I yeah, more or less. He uh Yeah, I I was actually kind of surprised. Well, uh yes and no. I was you know, getting into chem and starting to fall out of it, yeah, I understood that. All the friends he had were engineering students, um, so it wasn't it wasn't real surprising that he changed majors uh to civil, uh, but I did have to remind him that you know I started out mechanical, rolled back to civil. Um he's starting out civil. The only thing that you can roll to from civil if you can't hack it as a civil is basket weaving or management, you know. So there is constant constant conversation about grades. I don't know what you're talking about.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, I did hear pre-med though. You know, I I thought I wanted to be a vet, uh, and then quickly realized I couldn't look at blood. So that makes that career path relatively short. Sounds like chem one got you.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, it was uh it was funny because I did really well in biology, but I just for some reason could not get any of that chemical stuff down. So chemical engineering was out for me. I don't like things that move, so mechanical was out for me. Dynamics was probably the hardest class I've ever taken. And uh it's actually kind of funny. I love structures, everything kind of makes sense. So technically, I didn't mate or my focus wasn't structures, it was actually highway design, but I took seven or eight structure high-level structures classes, but just the way that the the capstones fell at Penn State, I wasn't able to make it.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, that makes sense. I I'm with you. I I I always had the same issue with dynamics and then uh uh statics, though. Oof, that was easy. That just made complete sense for me. So, you know, it sounds like you know, Bill, you said something about model trains. I mean, have you been into trains your entire life? Who was the the second, I guess? Where was he in the all of this? Was he in the rail industry? Looks like we might have lost Bill here for a second, but we're gonna try to get him back. Perhaps, Will, you remember your granddad. Was he in the industry?
SPEAKER_03Actually, I never met my grandfather. Oh well, okay. He passed away when my dad was 24, I believe.
SPEAKER_04Oh man. Okay.
SPEAKER_03But I know growing up, uh going to my grandmother's house, the there was a model train set that took up an entire room, and we uh we were always down there playing with it, and um it was a lot of fun. I really enjoyed it. It I think that's really what sparked my interest in the railroad industry. Um it was it was a lot of fun, and especially growing up with my dad, you know, we'd we'd hear a train go by and he'd say, Oh, that's the sound of making money. And um, you know, it was always interesting learning about what he did on the job and what he's seen the last week.
SPEAKER_04Interesting. Yeah, I I hear you as far as uh seeing trains and and whatnot. My dad had a big model railroad set, but I was never really into it more like my brother. Um what was it like growing up in a family though? Because I I guarantee you Bill was probably on the road a lot.
SPEAKER_03Right.
SPEAKER_04Uh yeah, was that rough?
SPEAKER_03So it was uh it was a challenge mostly for my mom because I am a lot like her, so we were constantly hitting heads. The um I'd say he was probably gone about 20 to 25 weeks a year and as I got older, once he took up the position with Rail America. Um and you know, it was it was a little tough, but he was always there for the important things. So it was uh but like I said, it was really cool when he'd get home from work, we'd talk about what he was doing that week or what he saw, especially when there was a catastrophic failure or really big derailment. He'd show me all the photos and all the fun stuff like that. Sure. So that was interesting growing up, especially as a teenage boy. You know, you love to see destruction.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, I I I think most people seem to like that. Bill, Will did say you were traveling a lot, and I guess I'd like to hear the flip side of that is raising a child and being on the road 20 to 25 weeks out of the year uh has to have its difficulties, and that and we've kind of got Will's side of view or point of view on that, so maybe you could jump in there.
SPEAKER_02So, whatnot what I didn't say in my intro, um, along with my 35 plus years in the rail industry, I've been in the reserves uh Air Force for over 41 now. Um and so when I wasn't traveling for railroad events, I was traveling for military because I haven't lived within 200 miles of my reserve unit since 1985. Uh so I've always traveled for drill. That's at least a weekend a month and two weeks during the year, uh, and was always more than that. And then I traveled for work, um, especially as he got to the fun age. Uh that's when my military career and my railroad career took off with equally high demand. So um left Deborah running running the show a lot and creating Will into the the guy he is today because it it wasn't me, I wasn't home. Um yeah, uh and so now you know this uh we are here together at Hilton Head uh for some joint vacation and you know having the adult conversations, uh it's really refreshing to see that hey, he turned out okay after all. Just you know, and all those years of beatings finally paid off.
SPEAKER_04Right. Yeah, exactly. The uh now do you have siblings? No. No, okay, got it, understood. And uh the other question I thought I was gonna have was that. We were going to wait a little bit, maybe where I missed and you, Bill, was uh Yeah, we were we were going to wait a little bit.
SPEAKER_02Bill, did you uh and we decided that you know once Will came along, it's like, yeah, no, we're we're done with one.
SPEAKER_04Bill, did you uh could you tell us a little bit about the second? Was he involved in the industry?
SPEAKER_02Uh no, my father was uh a World War II vet, uh, got that all-expense pay trip to North Africa, Italy, and France back in the 40s, came back home, used his GI Bill to uh build a house out in the suburbs, went to work for Western Electric, which was back during the Mob Bell days, that was their manufacturing arm. You know, all telephones hanging on the walls had Western Electric on them. Uh so uh he was interested in trains. That was the genesis of the train layout in the basement. But uh but yeah, he was a telecom guy by vocation.
SPEAKER_04Okay, but so he did have a passion for trains. And where did he grow up? Where did you where did you grow up as a kid? You guys are based in the northeast, right?
SPEAKER_02Yes, uh the real family is uh Philadelphia based and grew up in the suburbs right off the northeast corner of the city.
SPEAKER_04Okay, so you guys got exposed to passenger trains and all the things as a kid, for sure.
SPEAKER_02Sure. Uh trips to the city were always by trains, so yeah.
SPEAKER_04Cool. Um I guess, you know, was that the genesis of why you chose civil engineering out of high school, Bill?
SPEAKER_02Uh no, I was uh uh no, I was gonna go dual degree mechanical nuclear. The nuclear power industry is has always been a passion of mine, and uh uh I thought that was the direction I was gonna head until I couldn't hack the thermo.
SPEAKER_04Ah, understood. So both of you uh started out with a different direction. Both of you then fell into civil engineering and into this group. So uh, you know, I was trying to, I think if you were on, I was telling a story about how my dad kind of pushed me towards uh engineering by telling me uh that there was no way I could get a degree in engineering. So uh would you say that you uh had a positive push on Will to do that, or did you just completely steer clear of the vocation discussion when he was in high school?
SPEAKER_02I I would say I tried to steer clear of it um because I want him to find his passion. And a and a path that he wanted to do. You know. Following my footsteps while that sounds cool. Um, is that where his heart's gonna be? And life is long and full of lots of choices, and you know, you you gotta find your own path.
SPEAKER_04Yes, I I agree with that uh completely. And I think that we all landed in a pretty good spot. I'm gonna come back to you, Will. Um, I know you work for Atlantic Track now. You I assume you went to that AREMA conference in 19 because your dad must have invited you, right? Right.
SPEAKER_03Was that a part of a student chapter or so there wasn't a there was a student chapter out of the Altoona campus, but I came more of a student who was just there. Um and because of my involvement in committee 24, I was actually helping with some of the student events instead of participating in them. So I was helping run like the the uh quizo and stuff like that. The it was a really neat experience being a student there, and actually the funniest thing was we were walking the show floor and everybody knew my dad, which I just thought was amazing. You know, we'd walk down, some guy would pop out of a booth, say, Oh hey Bill, like how have you been? How's a family? Um but it was it was a really good event, and I wish I'd gone as a student, maybe like the 2018, but just life got in the way with work and school.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, I think it's a good opportunity to go. I mean, I think it'd be really cool to go like you did with your dad, because uh to me, I feel like the arema conferences kind of turn into old home week, so to speak, where every year you go back and and you see folks that you've been working with for 15, 20 years, and maybe you haven't seen them for five, but uh everyone seems to remember each other. And uh I I think the one thing everyone's gotta also remember is the the flip side is also in effect. So if you did something not very good, uh people remember that too. And you gotta be careful with the fact that this is a small swimming pool to swim in, right? So now you're part of the family, and what exactly do you do for Atlantic Track now? Are you in the bridge world? I know we mentioned uh Bill obviously is in structures, but and you're a civil.
SPEAKER_03So I am in sales of all things. Uh don't really know how I got roped into that, but I actually work on the crane rail side of our company. So our company is split into three major business groups. We have the railroad transit side, we have the uh transit, like uh they do a lot of work with like SEPTA and the purple line that's being put in, I believe, Baltimore. And then they have the crane runway division, which is where I work. So I'm not a hundred percent in the industry. I still am active in our REMA Committee 24, but what I deal with mostly is steel mills. So I'm actually uh completely active in AIST, which is the American industry of steel and technology, I believe. I'm not quite sure how that acronym plays out. Um so it's we deal a lot with port projects that we see a lot of railroad stuff in, but what I deal with on a day-to-day is more on the the heavy industry side.
SPEAKER_04Okay, and for those that don't know, a crane reel, my understanding is a crane that literally is in a very large building, correct? And it can move back and forth on, in essence, rails. Is that correct?
SPEAKER_03Yes, yeah. So it's the so the like in the steel mills, they're like 250 up to 500 ton cranes that are running on essentially a very large railroad profile. So instead of 136 pounds per yard or 132, we're looking in the 175 pound per yard range. So they're massive profiles with a five-inch head, they're six inches tall, and they they're just beasts of rail. And it's a pretty cool, it's a pretty cool industry.
SPEAKER_04Well, actually, I had no idea that they even had rail that large. I don't know why I would know that, but that is actually pretty cool. So I think the interesting takeaway here is uh as an engineering student, you may have zero interest in the railroad world, and it's still worth going out to a place like Arima or honestly any of these major uh industry conferences just to get exposed to what's out there. Um, just because you show up at the AREMA National Conference, it doesn't mean you're gonna work for a Class 1 railroad. Um there are a huge system of suppliers and consultants and owners that are all swimming in the same pool trying to get things done. And and to your point, there's tangential businesses uh that are are related, right? Like the crane rail world. Uh we had a podcast not long ago about the hyperloop world. Um also kind of a neat tangential piece where you've got these tubes, but the at the end of the day, it's still a vehicle uh running uh terrestrial vehicle on on rails, in essence, inside of a tube. So uh there's all kinds of neat stuff out there. You just gotta kind of expose yourself to it. Bill, what got anything to pile on there?
SPEAKER_02No, the uh the the invitation for Rima in 2019 was really around he will had made the switch to civil, um was interested in construction, transportation, hadn't really settled on a major. Um but one of the things, and and while we were while my connection had broken, uh REMA Committee 24 came to Jacksonville for the January-February meeting forever. And one of the things we always did, kind of like Committee 7, very social committee, uh, they were always at the house after the Friday night group dinner. So Will grew up around these committee 24 members since he was little. And so as he's uh watching him wander down his college path, as he's trying to settle on a major and then settle on a specialization, uh, I think the interaction with those railroad people through growing up really started to solidify in an interest as he was becoming a uh junior, then a senior in college, and he mumbled railroad once or twice in our conversations. That's how he became a student member of REMA. Um so if he went so far as to become a student member, then it made sense to bring him to Minneapolis in 2019 as a participating member of the REMA. And we'll mention about not going as part of a student chapter to be a student at the conference, but as a student member of a REMA, participating at the conference itself as a committee member, which I think is a is a different perspective. Um and it and I think it helped solidify his his interest.
SPEAKER_04Alright, so Will, did it?
SPEAKER_03Yeah, oh definitely. I I had a blast. Um I just turned 21, so I've been out drinking with everybody, and it was I mean, I never understood how much quote unquote business is done outside of work hours and at dinners, and you know, in a it's weird, weirdly enough, in a bar just talking. Um the amount of business and and contacts that you meet doing stuff like that is just unbelievable. And I think that really opened my eyes to the industry and made me really want to be part of it.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, I think you hit a really good uh nail on the head there. Uh, and really the purpose of this podcast uh when we first started it is just uh trying to explain to people that sure, you can go to your job and work from eight to five and you can do that at home or in a cubicle or whatever, but uh in an old, old, mature industry such as the rail industry, uh, this is a relationship-based industry. And you might have the best widget to sell to someone like your dad, uh, who works as a bridge owner or rail owner, but if he doesn't know you or he can't trust you, or he views you as you know, fly by night kind of guy, he's probably not gonna buy from you. So, I mean, Bill, would you agree with that? I feel like I've been on one end of that stick before.
SPEAKER_02Absolutely. Uh, you mentioned about memories, this industry is full of elephants that never forget anything. So, and and the attaboys, you can be the best at what you do in the industry, but if you hurt somebody or hurt their reputation, that will live with you forever. So, in in this relationship-based world we're in, um being uh putting your best foot forward and then having the the integrity to follow through, I think, is everything. Uh, as you said, relationship-based industry, and it's so true.
SPEAKER_04And I feel like the best way to build those relationships, I mean, it it is a REMA. I I just I I realize this is an AREMA based podcast, and I have to say some of those things, but I believe it too, because uh, you know, when I met you, let's see, probably 2005 or 6 when I first joined uh committee 7, you know, I was nobody. I just graduated. I had two or three years of experience under my belt, which is nothing. Uh, but when you stick with it, right? It's what year is it? 2022? I mean, it's kind of one of those things where I feel like I've known you forever and I see you twice a year. Um, it's a powerful thing.
SPEAKER_02Oh, yeah, it's uh it's very interesting when you when you uh committee meetings, you do the round of introductions and you start talking, uh you give a very brief who you are, where you work from, your why you're there at that meeting. And all of a sudden I have woken up to the fact I'm an old head. You know, I'm I'm 35 years in the industry. I'm one of those guys now that I used to look up and say, Man, that old dinosaur there, when's he going to get out of the way? Well, crap, I'm that now.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, and so let me let's let's finish that question. When are you gonna get out of the way, Bill? Are you planning on retiring soon, or what is your plan?
SPEAKER_02Yeah, so for railroad retirement purposes, I have four more years. Um, but I think I will be one of those. You you see them running around the conferences, I'll be one of those retirees that keeps showing up. Uh keep my fingers in it, dabble, do a little consulting, um, and come out for the to to meet and greet everybody that I hadn't seen for the past year.
SPEAKER_04Understood. And it looks like uh Will you're just getting started. So I sounds like you're excited and you're you're already a member of are you a member of Committee 24 still? Yes.
SPEAKER_03Yes, I still am.
SPEAKER_04Okay. And I guess for all intents and purposes, you plan on sticking with it for a while?
SPEAKER_03Yeah, it's uh committee 24 is all about the education and you know the next generation and bringing them in. And who not who would not be the best person than someone who Arima has helped get a job through college. I mean, I think that it's really important to have the next generation in the committees because not only does it give them more experience, but it also helps get more activity from the college students. Because we have that that most recent, you know, ability or or mindset, I guess.
SPEAKER_04And I think that having folks right out of school, uh, even if you're not a full member of the committee, is is great to have you on board. And it just goes to show that you know you're coming up on one year of experience, but you're already participating. Obviously, you have a leg up because you kind of know what uh the committee is all about with your dad, etc. But uh, you know, I just encourage anyone and everyone that's in the industry that's listening to this to join something and give it a shot, show up to a meeting as a guest, uh, and see where your fit is. And to your point, Will, earlier, uh a lot of the most important conversations you probably are gonna have are outside of those committee meetings. It's probably gonna be afterwards and in the evenings, etc., etc. Gentlemen, it's been a pleasure having both of you on today. Um I will give Bill a chance here. I know he had some technical difficulties. If there's anything else you'd like to say on your way out the door here, Bill, I appreciate it.
SPEAKER_02No, Walt, I appreciate the uh the opportunity. I think uh we were a little skeptical. Um this idea floated in uh committee 24 meeting, and uh, I think Will and I both were holding back and yeah, why don't feel like it. And uh thanks, Walt. I've had a lot of fun.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, this has been great.
SPEAKER_04Cool. Well, it's been fun talking to both of you. I it's an inspiration, I'm sure, for for others out there, and uh as a father myself of a of a third, uh it'll be interesting to see if he ends up in this industry or something different, uh, although the difference in age between Will and my son is probably about 20 years. Uh so who knows? Uh who knows where we'll be uh in 2042. But uh hopefully, hopefully I'll still be around. So, guys, thanks again. I appreciate you taking the time. I know you mentioned earlier you're both on vacation, so thanks for taking time out of your vacation to sit down with us on platform chats. And I look forward to seeing both of you in Denver in August at the conference.
SPEAKER_00Thank you for rolling with Arima on today's episode of Platform Chats. For further information about Arima, please visit arema.org or contact us at info at arema.org.
