A model modem CEO

摘要

On this 19th-straight day of 100-degree heat in Fort Worth, Texas, Matt Rose sits in his office at BNSF Railway Co., sipping from a strawed Sonic cup. The Class I's chairman, president and CEO is amiably cool, comfortable and clearly in the zone - definitely ready to field a range of questions from this reporter. But if the analogy root is baseball (it is) and word/phrase choice matters (it does), Rose, on this mid-August morning, isn't really "fielding" - he's at the plate, hitting the ball where it's pitched. At times, it seems, he's hitting the pitch before it's delivered. During the 75-minute conversation, he consistently drove the ball with the confidence befitting a CEO who's used to connecting on drive after authoritative drive during his first 10 years at BNSF's helm.