Dan Smith is Chief Executive Officer of Watco Companies, a role he has held since July 2018. Dan’s career with Watco started in 2009 with him spearheading the purchase of Greens Port, the largest multi-tenanted industrial park on the Gulf Coast. Since that time, he has taken on several roles of increasing responsibility. Prior to being named CEO, he was Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer. Over the years, Dan has driven significant performance improvements for Watco. Under his leadership, Watco has achieved more than $1 billion in annual revenue through strategic planning and acquisitions. His vision and operational direction have been the driving force behind the successful integration of more than 150 new business locations since 2015. Dan has strengthened Watco’s safety culture and played an instrumental role in developing Watco’s Safety and Training Center, which provides team members with standardized training to safely perform their duties. Dan’s unwavering commitment to innovation and results led him to successfully realign operations, sales, safety, and marketing to better serve our customers. Dan is a member of the 2020 class of “50 Kansans You Should Know” presented by Ingram’s magazine, a business publication covering Kansas and Missouri. As for the team culture that Watco is known for, it’s only natural that Dan helps inspire it. He’s drawing on 13 years as a pitcher with five Major League Baseball organizations.

Executive Vice President and Chief Business Officer Rachael Peterson oversees Watco operations and safety, along with the People Services and Marketing & Communications departments. Her responsibilities include making sure Watco team members are in the right position, inspired and prepared to execute the company’s business strategy, and that they have a path for leadership development. Rachael joined Watco in 2006 and has worked in various capacities since then. She is a member of multiple human resources and railroad industry organizations and serves on the board of directors for the American Association of Railroad Superintendents. Rachael earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Pittsburg State University in Pittsburg, Kansas, and a master’s degree in industrial/organizational psychology from Missouri State University in Springfield, Missouri.

As Watco’s Executive Vice President and Chief Solutions Officer, Nick Coomes ensures the company finds ways to say “yes” to customers while creating value for both them and Watco. To accomplish this, he leads the areas of customer solutions and sales, real estate and industrial development, service assurance, project design and engineering, construction management, and information technology. Nick is also responsible for initiatives that ensure Watco has the right assets in the right locations and in the right condition. In addition, he oversees the design and construction of industrial projects for Watco and customers as well as the implementation of technology solutions. Nick joined the Watco team in 2014. He received a bachelor’s degree in plastics engineering and a master’s degree in business administration from Pittsburg State University in Pittsburg, Kansas.

Andy Nielsen joined the Watco team in 2015 as Vice President of Accounting and Finance and has held various financial positions in the company since that time. In his role today, Andy has accountability over all accounting functions, tax, daily cash management, risk management, and procurement. He led the professionalization and management of Watco’s annual capital plan and plays an integral role in the execution of acquisitions and investments. Prior to joining Watco, Andy was a divisional Chief Financial Officer at a global manufacturing, distribution, and technical solutions company. He began his career at KPMG, is a certified public accountant, and earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in accounting from Kansas State University.

Rick Baden serves as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer for Watco. A certified public accountant with more than 30 years of experience in accounting, corporate finance, operations, and business leadership, Rick oversees company finance and  treasury operations. He is on the Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas board of directors and serves as a member of the Pittsburg Economic Development Advisory Committee. Ingram’s business magazine, which covers Kansas and Missouri, named Rick to its 2024 Ingram’s 250 list of influential business leaders. Before coming to Watco, Rick served as President and Chief Financial Officer of a plastics manufacturer based in Pittsburg, Kansas. Rick graduated magna cum laude from Kansas State University with a bachelor’s degree in accounting.