- Union Pacific CEO Jim Vena started out as a teenage laborer making mere dollars a day, maintaining tracks. Now he’s earning over $17 million at its helm. And as his company plans to become a railroad empire by acquiring rival Norfolk Southern for $85 billion, Vena’s secret for success hasn’t been reading management books or nabbing a top mentor. Instead, he tells Gen Z to have curiosity and grit.
America’s dream of having a transcontinental railroad is finally speedily heading down the tracks, with Union Pacific planning to acquire Norfolk Southern—two of the country’s largest railroad companies—in a $85 billion deal. For Jim Vena, the CEO of Union Pacific, this deal is just the latest part of a 40-year climb up the railroad ladder.
