Southeast Association of Rail Shippers (SEARS)

What Southeast Association of Rail Shippers (SEARS) does

Southeast Association of Rail Shippers (SEARS) is a non-profit regional trade association headquartered in Durham, NC, serving rail shippers across 11 southeastern U.S. states: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia. Its core membership spans heavy and light industry, mining, consumer products, forest products, agriculture, port operations, and rail-related service organizations, with the association providing a structured forum for shippers to engage with both major Class I and short line railroad management.

SEARS's core offerings are organized around twice-yearly spring and fall meetings held at rotating locations within its territory, featuring presentations, panels, keynote speakers (e.g., Norfolk Southern CEO James Squires in 2020, GMXT USA CEO Bernardo Ayala in 2025), and networking. Adjacent programs include the Mona W. Moorman Scholarship (annual $1,000 awards to students in transportation, business, or engineering), the Person of the Year and Railroader of the Year awards, and a tiered sponsorship program (Double-Diamond, Diamond, Platinum, Gold, Bronze) that draws financial support from major rail carriers and service providers. The organization is led by Executive Director Kim Gennarelli and President Thomas Gennarelli, with a board comprising executive officers, consulting directors, and a Railroad Advisory Committee drawing representatives from CN, CPKC, BNSF, Norfolk Southern, Union Pacific, CSX, Genesee & Wyoming, and Florida East Coast Railroad.

The business model is a non-profit membership-and-sponsorship revenue model: SEARS generates income from member dues and corporate sponsorships, with the sponsor roster including TrinityRail, American Truck & Rail Audits, Marmon, FreightCar America, GMXT, Kaleris, Union Pacific, UTLX, BNSF, Norfolk Southern, CSX, CN, CPKC, GATX, and Genesee & Wyoming. Distribution is delivered through in-person meetings (a Cvent-registered event for 2026 Fall Meeting in Norfolk, VA), the website (serailshippers.com), and email newsletters. Revenue figures are not publicly disclosed.

Name

Southeast Association of Rail Shippers (SEARS)

Legal name

Southeast Association of Rail Shippers

Website

https://serailshippers.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Southeast Association of Rail Shippers (SEARS) is a non-profit regional trade association serving rail shippers across 11 southeastern U.S. states, delivering semi-annual meetings, scholarships, and industry awards funded by membership fees and corporate sponsorships from Class I railroads and rail service providers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Trade Association Services

NAICS

Short Line Railroads (482112)

SIC

Railroads, Line-Haul Operating (4011)

akta.pro primary industry

Unit Train & Dedicated Contract Rail Services (TLADACAK)

akta.pro secondary industry

Bulk Commodity Railroads (Coal/Grain/Ore/Aggregates) (TLADACAA)

Keywords

• Rail shipping association
• Trade association events
• Rail freight networking
• Shipper-carrier meetings
• Industry scholarship programs

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

SEARS is a regional non-profit trade association that connects rail shippers with railroad carriers (both major Class I and short line railroads) across 11 southeastern U.S. states. Its core offerings are semi-annual spring and fall meetings featuring presentations, panels, and networking, complemented by the Mona W. Moorman Scholarship program, industry awards (Person of the Year, Railroader of the Year), and tiered corporate sponsorship opportunities.

Product overview

SEARS is a professional association serving rail shippers across the Southeast United States. The organization offers a portfolio of member services including twice-yearly meetings and events (spring and fall conferences), the Mona W. Moorman Scholarship program for students in transportation/business/engineering fields, annual awards recognizing industry contributions (Person of the Year and Railroader of the Year), and tiered sponsorship opportunities for industry partners. The association connects major and short line railroads with shippers representing heavy and light industry, mining, consumer products, forest products, agriculture, port operations, and service organizations across 11 states.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• SEARS Meetings & Events Twice-yearly spring and fall meetings held at various locations throughout the Southeast region, featuring presentations, panels, and networking opportunities for rail shippers and railroad representatives (both major and short line railroads).
• Mona W. Moorman Scholarship Annual scholarship program awarding $1,000 one-time disbursements to students pursuing degrees in Transportation, Business, or Engineering fields.
• SEARS Awards Program Annual recognition program honoring individuals for contributions to the rail industry, including Person of the Year and Railroader of the Year awards.
• SEARS Sponsorship Opportunities Tiered corporate sponsorship program (Double-Diamond, Diamond, Platinum, Gold, Bronze) enabling companies to support the association and gain visibility among rail industry professionals. Scholarship sponsorship tiers by academic level: Doctoral Sponsor $2,500, Masters Sponsor $1,500, Bachelor Sponsor $750, Associate Sponsor $500.

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered double-diamond, diamond, gold, bronze and platinum.

• TrinityRaildouble-diamondOthersDouble-Diamond sponsor of SEARS. TrinityRail is a leading provider of railcar services and solutions, supporting the association's mission to connect rail carriers with shippers.
• American Truck & Rail AuditsdiamondOthersDiamond level sponsor. AMTR provides expert-based freight cost auditing and overcharge recovery services.
• MarmondiamondOthersDiamond level sponsor. Marmon provides railcar services and solutions.
• FreightCar AmericadiamondOthersDiamond level sponsor. FreightCar America manufactures railroad freight cars.
• GMXT (Grupo Mexico Transports)diamondOthersDiamond level sponsor. GMXT is a rail transport company providing rail services across Mexico and the US.
• KalerisdiamondTechnology or IntegrationDiamond level sponsor. Kaleris provides rail and intermodal software solutions for shipment visibility and management.
• Union Pacific RailroaddiamondOthersDiamond level sponsor. Major U.S. Class I railroad serving the western two-thirds of the country.
• UTLXdiamondOthersDiamond level sponsor. UTLX provides railcar leasing and transportation services.
• BNSF RailwaygoldOthersGold level sponsor. BNSF is one of the largest freight railroad networks in North America.
• Norfolk SoutherngoldOthersGold level sponsor. Norfolk Southern is a major U.S. Class I railroad operating in the eastern United States.
• CSX TransportationbronzeOthersBronze level sponsor. CSX is a major U.S. Class I railroad serving the eastern United States.
• CN RailwayplatinumOthersPlatinum level sponsor. CN is a Canadian Class I railway serving North America.
• CPKCplatinumOthersPlatinum level sponsor. CPKC is a North American railway created from the merger of Canadian Pacific and Kansas City Southern.
• GATX CorporationplatinumOthersPlatinum level sponsor. GATX provides railcar leasing and asset management services.
• Genesee & WyomingplatinumOthersPlatinum level sponsor. Genesee & Wyoming operates short line and regional freight railroads.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Regional players

• Railway Industrial Clearance Association of North America (RICA): Trade association focused specifically on industrial track clearance and dimensional shipping issues for rail. Highly relevant to SEARS's industrial shipper constituents but narrower scope and Canada/North America focus.

Direct peers

• Northeast Association of Rail Shippers (NEARS): Sister regional association under the NARS umbrella covering the Northeast US. Same membership model and meeting cadence; cited directly in SEARS's footer as a sibling body.
• Southwest Rail Shippers Association: Sister regional rail shipper association covering Southwest states. Directly linked from SEARS's website footer; provides same networking, scholarship, and meeting services in an adjacent region.
• Pacific Northwest Rail Shippers Association: Sister regional rail shipper association covering Pacific Northwest states. Same structure, sponsor base, and member constituencies — explicitly linked from SEARS's website.
• Midwest Association of Rail Shippers (MARS): Sister regional rail shipper association covering the Midwest under the NARS umbrella. Operates with the same charter (semi-annual meetings, shipper-carrier networking, scholarships) but in a different geography.
• North American Rail Shippers Association (NARS): Umbrella organization for the regional rail shipper associations including SEARS. SEARS's own website footer links directly to NARS. It serves the same shipper base but at a national level, providing the most direct comparable peer.

Broad incumbents

• Association of American Railroads (AAR): National trade association representing major North American railroads. While SEARS serves shippers and AAR represents carriers, AAR is the dominant rail-industry convening body and competes for industry mindshare and sponsorship dollars.
• American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association (ASLRRA): National trade association for short line and regional railroads. SEARS's membership includes many short line operators (Genesee & Wyoming, Pinsly, Florida East Coast), making ASLRRA a directly related industry body competing for similar audience.

Emerging players

• National Industrial Transportation League (NITL): National shipper-focused association advocating on transportation policy and serving industrial shippers across modes (rail, truck, ocean). Overlaps with SEARS's mission at a national/policy level but with a broader modal scope.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/southeast-association-of-rail-shippers

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles19 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Southeast Association of Rail Shippers (SEARS)