LAKE OSWEGO, Ore., May 8, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The Greenbrier
Companies, Inc. (NYSE:GBX) remembers Benjamin R. Whiteley, a former Chairman of
Greenbrier's Board of Directors. Whiteley died at his Portland home on May
4 at the age of 87. The Company extends its condolences to
his family, particularly his wife Elaine, a great supporter of his
many endeavors, including his years of service to Greenbrier.
Whiteley was elected to Greenbrier's board at the time of its
initial public offering in 1994. He remained in that position for
two decades, serving as Chairman from 2004 to 2014. His tenure as
Chairman was a decade of tremendous growth and success for the
Company. As a Greenbrier board member, Whiteley approved the global
expansion of Greenbrier's manufacturing and commercial operations
from roots at Gunderson in Portland to a worldwide network that today
spans four continents. He also helped guide the Company into new
and critical product lines like automotive-related rail products
and tank cars.
Whiteley is remembered as a talented executive. He began his
career with The Standard, an Oregon-based insurance company, in 1956,
serving as CEO from 1983 to 1994. He retired as CEO in 1994,
remaining as Chairman until 1998. In addition, he served as a board
director at many other companies headquartered in Oregon, including Northwest Natural Gas Co.,
StanCorp Financial Group, Inc. and Willamette Industries, Inc.
In 1985, while president and CEO of The Standard, Ben helped
negotiate and secure the co- participation of the State of Oregon with The Standard in a debt
transaction that enabled Greenbrier to acquire its Gunderson
manufacturing operations in Portland. Gunderson continues to this day as
Greenbrier's North American flagship manufacturing and engineering
location, employing nearly 1,000 people.
A well-known supporter of higher education, Whiteley served two
decades on Oregon State University
Foundation's Board of Trustees, serving on its Executive Committee
and as chair of its Investment Committee. His OSU legacy also
includes service on the Valley Library Expansion Committee and
College of Science Board of Visitors. Greenbrier will make
donations to the OSU Foundation and Providence Foundations of
Oregon in Whiteley's honor.
"Ben was a dear friend and always generous with his advice and
counsel," said William A. Furman,
Chairman and CEO. "Through the years, he gave us unflagging
encouragement to embrace bold choices and take smart risks in the
face of often uncompromising circumstances. We will always remember
his legacy."
About Greenbrier
Greenbrier (www.gbrx.com), headquartered in Lake Oswego, Oregon, is a leading
international supplier of equipment and services to freight rail
transportation markets. Greenbrier designs, builds and markets
freight railcars in North America
and Europe. We also build and market marine barges in North
America. We manufacture freight railcars and rail castings in
Brazil through a strategic
partnership. Through our European manufacturing operations, we
recently began delivery of U.S.-designed tank cars to Saudi Arabia. In October 2016, we entered into an agreement with
Astra Rail Management GmbH to form a new company, Greenbrier-Astra
Rail, which will create an end-to-end, Europe-based freight railcar manufacturing,
engineering and repair business. We expect this combination to be
completed during 2017. We are a leading provider of wheel services,
parts, leasing and other services to the railroad and related
transportation industries in North
America and a supplier of freight railcar repair,
refurbishment and retrofitting services in North America through a joint venture
partnership with Watco Companies, LLC. Through other joint
ventures, we produce rail castings, tank heads and other railcar
components. Greenbrier owns a lease fleet of over 8,000 railcars
and performs management services for over 266,000 railcars.
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SOURCE The Greenbrier Companies, Inc. (GBX)