Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, May 14, 1993 TAG: 9305140192
SECTION: BUSINESS PAGE: B4 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: DANIEL HOWES STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
The company said Thursday that Chief Financial Officer John Turbyfill will become vice chairman on June 1, and Henry Wolf, vice president of taxation, will succeed Turbyfill as CFO.
Turbyfill, who has held his post since the Norfolk and Western Railway Co. merged with the Southern Railway Co. in 1982, will replace Joseph Neikirk, who reaches the company's mandatory retirement age of 65 this month.
As vice chairman, the 61-year-old Turbyfill is expected to continue playing a key role in the company's long-range planning as well as "whatever the chairman wants him to do," a spokesman said.
"This is not a situation where John Turbyfill has been put out to pasture," said Wolf, who has worked for Turbyfill for the past 15 years.
Goode's predecessor as chairman and chief executive officer, Arnold McKinnon, created the post of vice chairman. Neikirk undertook long-term, sometimes confidential, assignments; he was empowered to make key decisions while McKinnon, an inveterate traveler who believed in face-to-face contact with customers, was away.
Neikirk also oversaw the company's charitable foundation and other corporate giving, a responsibility Turbyfill said will be transferred to William Romig, vice president and treasurer.
Wolf's promotion signals Goode's intention to build a team of colleagues nearer his age. Wolf, 50, spent 18 years working with Goode in the company's tax department, rising to vice president for taxation when Goode left the job to become executive vice president for administration.
Wolf said the promotion, which he hoped to have a shot at once Turbyfill retired, "came as a surprise, and I had very little notice of it." Indeed, Neikirk's retirement appears to have given Goode an early opportunity to elevate a younger colleague to the key post.
"No question," Turbyfill said, Wolf's "a player. That doesn't mean he's the only player; we've got a lot of players. We've got a deep bench."
As chief financial officer, Turbyfill received high marks from industry analysts for being open and honest, often encouraging them to contact other company officers for more detailed answers to questions.
Turbyfill, joking that he referred analysts to other officers because he "was just lazy," doesn't expect that open-door policy to change. "To a large extent, we're all out of the same mold. Hank Wolf is a very capable guy and I don't think there'll be much difference."
Wolf will be succeeded by James A. Hixon, assistant vice president-tax counsel. Hixon joined Norfolk Southern's tax department in 1985, having been recruited to the railroad by a fellow graduate of the College of William and Mary's law school - Wolf.
For Wolf and Turbyfill, fun comes before new responsibilities. Months ago, the two decided to take their spouses on a two-week trip to Italy, figuring the best time to leave would be after the company's annual shareholder meeting.
What they didn't know is they'd be leaving today with promotions in hand and returning to new jobs working for the man they got to know at Roanoke's NW.
by CNB