KCS to move jobs from Shreveport to Missouri
(The following story by John Andrew Prime appeared on the Shreveport Times website on December 21.)
SHREVEPORT, La. — Trimming an association with Shreveport that dates to just after World War II, Kansas City Southern Railroad says it soon will move its Customer Solutions Center and Network Operations Center from here to its corporate headquarters in Kansas City, Mo.
According to a release from the railroad, the relocation of the centers to align with its sales and marketing, e-commerce, revenue and asset management and service design functions "will help to streamline processes and promote synergies that will improve quality and enhance overall execution."
The move will result in about 130 new jobs in Missouri, though how many of these will be actual cuts here in Shreveport is uncertain, according to the Kansas City Star, which said the move will represent about $10 million in annual payroll.
Still, there's a glimmer of hope for the local operation.
"While we are planning to reposition some of the employee base from Shreveport to Kansas City, there are still plans to add additional transportation employees to Shreveport over the next year," said company spokeswoman Doniele Kane.
Kansas City Southern's operation here is centered on its sprawling Deramus Yard in north Shreveport, named after longtime company president William Neal Deramus, who in the 1950s oversaw the construction of the yard that bears his name. The yard has long served as KCS's operating and dispatching hub. Based in Kansas City, KCS operates railroads across the United States, Mexico and Panama.