Ryan Snow was recently promoted to vice president of Modern Railway Systems, a fully owned subsidiary of Stacy and Witbeck. He has steadily advanced in his career since joining Stacy and Witbeck (SWI) after graduating with a civil engineering degree from the University of Utah.
Snow has more than 14 years of experience on large rail transit construction projects in California, Arizona and Utah. He was recently project manager on the $450 million airport/West Valley TRAX light rail project in Salt Lake City, which won multiple awards for partnering and community involvement. The AGC of America recognized the Airport TRAX segment of the project as the most significant construction project of 2013 with the Alliant Build America Grand Award.
In 2012, Snow was recognized by the AGC of Utah as Transportation/Rail Project Manager of the Year for being “Energetic and owner conscientious, a true leader who inspires, motivates, guides, and gives credit to others.”
Bilingual, speaking both English and Spanish, he is able to communicate effectively with America’s modern day workforce. He is active in the transit construction industry, serving on the Education Committee for the AGC of Utah where he participates in construction safety assemblies at elementary schools and is involved with universities to promote careers in construction. He is a member of the AGC of America Construction Leadership Committee, the ARTBA Young Executive Leadership Council, and APTA Track, Noise, and Vibration Technical Committee and Streetcar Committee. Snow also initiated SWI’s involvement in APTA’s Sustainability Committee.
Snow was recently recognized by Operation Lifesaver for his contribution to safety in railroad construction. He has also been involved in many innovations in mass transit construction. Technical innovations include the first use of Geofoam lightweight polystyrene fill on a transit project to mitigate settlement, and encapsulation of special trackwork through vulcanizing rubber to castings to mitigate stray current, noise and vibration.
Snow was instrumental in developing an innovative “Alliance Agreement,” a partnership between SWI, Utah Transit Authority, and the city of Salt Lake to reconstruct a viaduct not in the original project scope. This agreement eliminated traditional barriers among governmental agencies and resulted in a $12 million savings which was split among the partners. He helped draft a “reverse incentive” plan on the West Valley TRAX project where the owner and contractor were accountable for critical milestones for project deliverables. This mutual accountability resulted in project completion one year early.
Snow’s contributions extend to the communities where we work. Under his management, project teams in Salt Lake City developed programs to benefit communities, including fundraising to provide a Thanksgiving dinner for a veterans’ housing facility. Enough money was raised to provide the dinner, new furniture and a flatscreen TV for its community room. Additional funds were used to distribute turkeys to an under-served area of Salt Lake City. He oversaw programs with West High School and Neighborhood Works to host field trips, provide classroom speakers, and offer internships to develop opportunities for low income youth.
Snow is active in his church and his community. He has been involved in the Boy Scouts of America since receiving his Eagle Scout rank 20 years ago.
“I enjoy being in an industry that improves the quality of life for society. Not only does providing mass transit projects improve congestion, environmental footprint and quality of life, the transit project allows us to understand the individual needs of passengers, businesses, and adjacent residents that will utilize the system. Building a transit project is more than just construction; it is providing a project while meeting everyone’s needs and expectations throughout the process. The relationships developed extend much further than just one project!”
