Esri
Esri
Helping Esri to Think Like a Railroader
This article first appeared in the Railway-News Magazine Issue 3 2024.
After an illustrious career working for CSX’s GIS team, Erik Henderson was headhunted by Esri to take on its newly created position of Director Rail Industry Solutions. We spoke to him about his transition from railroader to railroad vendor, career highlights so far and his plans at Esri.
Railway-News: When and why did you take on this role at ESRI?
Erik Henderson: After a long career in the railroad, I went to work for a start-up LIDAR company out of Australia, trying to bring their technology here to the US. At that point I really wanted to get back to my GIS roots, and someone from the Industry Solutions Team here at ESRI reached out to me, as they were looking for a rail expert to come join their team for the first time.
I wanted to stay connected to the industry, working to help railroaders understand the value of GIS, so it was the perfect fit. I’ve now been here over a year.
RN: Why do you think they approached you?
EH: I’ve been using their products my whole career – essentially, I’ve been an Esri customer for over 25 years! Plus, I have a history in the industry. It’s a small one in the US, there are six major railroads and then Amtrak is our one passenger line, so all the railroads have to work very closely together.
