When John and Pat welcomed their first son into the world in 1973, their dream was to one day start their own business, name it after their children, and eventually pass along the company to them to keep their legacy alive. This dream finally became a reality in 1992, when John and Pat founded BML Enterprises, with “BML” standing for the initials of all 3 of their children. The company was officially incorporated in 1998.

 

John’s career with the railroad industry began in 1973 working as a field service representative for True Temper Railway Appliances, with a territory that covered all railroads west of the Mississippi. After being promoted to Southeastern Sales Rep he moved to Roanoke, VA and later to Atlanta, GA while covering the CSX and other Class I and Shortline Railroads. Later, John offered his expertise to Portec Rail.

 

In January of 1990, John was instrumental in developing the original track mat that was initially sold to CSX. John remained directly involved in the sales, service, packaging, and design updates of these track mats throughout his career. Today, these track mats are still sold to Class I and Shortline Railroads in the USA, as well as Canada and Mexico. The success of these products is proof of his innate dexterity in the field.

 

John ultimately parted ways with the aforementioned companies to focus solely on BML Enterprises. Through his extensive knowledge and experience with the development of track mats, John was able to implement several design changes in order to address key areas of potential improvement that had been identified over the years. As a result of this development, BML Enterprises introduced our new track mats, the “Protector” (Grease) for Wayside Friction Management Applications and the “Absorber” (Oil) for Locomotive Ready Track Applications.

 

After being put through numerous stringent quality control inspections and tests, they have been approved for use on some of the largest Class I railroads, and the distribution of the new mats formally began in March of 2015. We have then widened our reach to shortlines and independent contracting companies that offer installation work for railroad companies.

 

In a bittersweet and unexpected fashion, another of John and Pat’s dream came true, when John was diagnosed with ALS in 2015. Upon learning of John’s diagnosis, Pat and John decided it was time to start bringing their children on board in order to carry on their father’s legacy. After a hard-fought battle, John passed away in 2016.

 

Today, Pat and her sons, Jamie and Bryan, proudly move BML Enterprises forward by utilizing the knowledge and passion of John’s more than 40 years of experience in the railroad industry.