Review
"Hunter Harrison was a colorful man with a zest for life and a passionfor railroading. He was certainly the greatest modern manager of thesemassive networks of commerce that undergird industrial society. Railroader is the story of an interesting life and the intricacies of complexmanagerial challenges, woven into an enjoyable and highly informativebook."
Frederick W. Smith, chairman and CEO, FedEx Corporation
"Railroader presents both a fascinating business story with global resonance and avery personal tale of a life fully lived in a 'no-holds barred' fashionto the very end. It is a brilliant profile of an enigmatic, somewhatobsessed, railroad mercenary, who turned his industry on its head, withnew benchmarks for future generations of leaders. Lots of juicylearnings throughout."
Calin Rovinescu, president & CEO, Air Canada
"Precision railroading was his vision and unbending will his advantage. In this tightly written account of Hunter Harrison's fifty years ofextraordinary achievement, Howard Green has captured the essence of theman. A valuable history and, as well, a great read."
Bill Downe, former president & CEO, BMO Financial Group
"A riveting, up-close profile of one of the most successful and controversial CEOs of the modern era. Railroader is a master class in sharp-elbowed management in a fabled industry.Part hard ass, part mentor, part preacher, Hunter Harrison goes from one railroad to another to another to another, turning them all around andcreating conflict everywhere he went. You won't be able to put this book down."
Ali Velshi, anchor, MSNBC and business correspondent, NBC News
"Howard Green infuses his narrative with the passion and snap thatepitomized Hunter Harrison's consummate success running four differentNorth American railroads. Railroader is an affectionate but blunt portrayal that is a lively, compelling read, giving vibrant, humantexture to an exceptional business career."
Derek Burney, former Canadian ambassador to the United States
"This book energized me to approach business and life just a littlemore like Hunter Harrison. . . . Howard Green masterfully puts you upclose and personal with a man who's both utterly straightforward yetcomplicated, all while giving a great perspective on what was happeningin business at the time. . . . This is one of the best books I've everread."
Nicole Verkindt, founder and CEO, OMX
"Revered and reviled, Hunter Harrison was a CEO like no other. Hetransformed North American railroads. He repriced executivecompensation. He ignited debates about safety and competitiveness, andleft us all debating the price of precision. . . . In Railroader, Howard Green captures the man in full, with an intimate yet nuancedportrait of an uncompromising, compulsive executive whose legacy bothendures and confounds."
John Stackhouse, senior vice-president, RBC, and former editor-in-chief, the Globe and Mail
About the Author
Howard Green was a broadcast journalist for thirty-three years, bestknown as founding anchor at Canada's Business News Network, where hehosted the flagship interview program, Headline with Howard Green.During his almost fifteen years at BNN, he conducted more than 14,000interviews, many with leading CEOs and the biggest names in business and politics, including Sir Richard Branson, Federal Reserve chairman AlanGreenspan, and former British prime minister Tony Blair. Prior to that,Green spent eighteen years as a correspondent, producer, and directormaking programs for a variety of networks, including the CanadianBroadcasting Corporation and PBS. Green is a two-time Emmy nominee andwinner of Canada's top television prize for his documentary work, andhis films have been broadcast worldwide. In 2013, Green became abestselling author with the release of his first book, Banking onAmerica: How TD Bank Rose to the Top and Took on the USA. His secondbook, Distilled: A Memoir of Family, Seagram, Baseball and Philanthropy, co-authored with Charles Bronfman, was also an instant Globe and Mail and Toronto Star bestseller and finalist for the National Business BookAward. Howard Green lives in Toronto.
