Our team has work at Class 1 railroads, with roles in operations, transportation and marketing for more than 18 years, with responsibilities for planning which included capital improvements, transloads,  business unit profit responsibility and asset allocation.

Prime Grant Advantage is a DBE/WBE certified small business which specializes in freight transportation and logistics planning. Prime Grant Advantage is a division of Prime Focus LLC. Prior to launching Prime Focus LLC, Libby Ogard spent more than 25 years working for rail and intermodal transportation companies which designed and delivered service to Fortune 100 Companies. 

At Burlington Northern Railroad Ms. Ogard supported marketing and planning efforts responsible for chemicals, food, consumer and forest products transportation. Specific accomplishments included transportation service design and car supply. At Conrail Ms. Ogard was responsible for the domestic and international intermodal business and executed contracts with ocean carriers and 3PL’s.

At Schneider National, Ogard was responsible for the launch of TruckRail and managed supply chain service products  for Retail National Accounts such as Target, Walgreens, Family Dollar and Home Depot. Prime Focus LLC has supported stakeholder engagement for 8 National Cooperative Research Program projects related to freight planning, trucking tolling, economic impacts of freight development and rail related services. As a Federal discretionary grant writer, Ogard relies on GIS data to make the case for facility development and uses GIS data to map population characteristics, freight nodes and competitors as well as environmental justice attributes of the proposed transportation investments.  Relevant Project Experience – Ms. Ogard’s project experience covers all modes and DOT Administrations.  All projects resulted in detailed reports and often TRB presentations and published papers. National Academy of Science – Appointed to a working committee, coordinated by TRB to make recommendations on changes and programs associated with the re-authorization of the Intermodal Surface Transportation Act. The Committee published findings 1998 publication “Policy Options for Intermodal Freight” Eno Foundation – Appointed to international committee to address Intermodal Freight Transportation Policy in Europe and the US, proceedings published in 1998. Recommendations provided the basis for freight transportation policy in Europe. Memphis Multi-Modal Freight Study – For Memphis MPO completed an analysis of freight performance measures and bench marked bi-state planning regions measures.  NCFRP 12:Specifications for Freight Transportation Data Architecture - With Texas Transportation Institute and ATRI, identified stakeholder data needs and information to help planners improve decisions through access to improved data resources, coordinated workshop for final report and outreach efforts. 2017 Freight Facts Book for BTS – On the team that transitioned the freight book from a printed document to a web-based visualization. Interview stakeholders to identify which statistics were most used and how future editions should use visualization. NCFRP 43: Guidebook for Assessing Evolving International Container Chassis Supply Models - With CPCS Transcom completed an analysis of the impacts of changes in chassis ownership. Completed more than fifty surveys and wrote report chapters to describe impacts on the public, shipper and carrier stakeholders, validated the findings through a series of webinars and interviews with IANA members. St. Louis Freightways 3- The St. Louis MPO and Bi-state development group sought to enhance freight rail service in the region in order to position itself as a Global Logistics Hub and promote economic development opportunities to expand logistics and manufacturing capabilities. Use cases were prepared to increase rail performance.  Freight Train to Community Prosperity – Prepared a compendium of performance measures to support cargo oriented development. The report included public data sources to measure freight system efficiency, environmental impact, safety and jobs. Wisconsin Container Pooling Study – Analyzed the economic benefits of providing public pooling sites for intermodal containers to help reduce the cost and increase the supply of empty equipment.  Understanding and Modeling Freight Stakeholder Behavior. With University of Wisconsin Madison (CFIRE) and East Central Wisconsin Region Planning Commission, developed a model of private sector freight forecasting and freight demand in response to key policy variables. Truck Trip Generation Modeling –Designed a supply chain modeling tool to predict truck trips based on site location and functions within a supply chain in the Chicago region. North Carolina Logistics Plan – For the NC State Legislature analyzed logistics performance, facilities, freight needs and capital investments to improve freight logistics.  Los Angeles County Metro Goods Movement Action Plan - With Wilbur Smith Associates developed three investment scenarios to prioritize highway, port, rail, air cargo and air quality capacity in a multi-county region. Worked with regional stakeholders on investment recommendations. Mapped freight volumes & nodes, population density and environmental conditions. Maine State Rail Plan - With HNTB mapped port connections and energy transportation corridors, production areas and refineries and transportation nodes. Completed add-on tasks which included customer interviews and a successful tiger grant application for port improvements. Michigan State Rail Plan - With HNTB prepared freight outreach activities for all user groups across the state. Prepared outreach materials for private sector industrial rail users. Illinois State Rail Plan - With CDM Smith prepared freight outreach activities for freight user groups. Inventoried all intermodal, multi-modal and port related freight facilities. Alternative Fuels Symposium - For CSCMP developed a seminar on alternative fuels, distribution, grant opportunities and provided carrier case studies on use and future applications. Wisconsin State of Intermodal Seminar – For CSCMP developed a seminar featuring subject matter experts about intermodal development opportunities in Wisconsin. Chicago CSCMP Spring Seminar 2009 and 2010 – Increased attendance and profitability by adding vendor booth options, increased scholarship applicants and awards. St. Lawrence Seaway Intermodal Symposium – Hosted a seminar funded by CN and Port of Halifax. Minnesota Freight Rail Economic Development Study – lead effort to identify funding needs to support the Minnesota rail network. Benchmarked neighboring states, hosted a 2 day, 10 state peer review workshop supporting freight rail. Illinois Soybean Association – Led a team which developed educational materials, an outreach seminar and brochures to educate over 2000 Illinois soybean growers about the advantages of container transportation. Prepared background reports on trends, pricing and mode choice benefits. Interviewed over 35 growers, trans loaders, carriers and merchandisers about export preferences. Increased the containerization of soybeans by 4%. NCFRP 19: Truck Tolling Understanding Industry Tradeoffs When Using or Avoiding Toll Facilities – With Parsons Brinkerhoff spearheaded the trucker survey which reached over 300 drivers, operating in over 35 states, prepared background analysis, a literature review and survey tools. NCHRP 8-53: Integrating Freight into Transportation Planning and Project Selection: Developed a guidebook for freight planning and project selection. Developed case studies representing multiple planning viewpoints within the state planning process. 

Professional Affiliations (present and Former):

• U.S. Department of Commerce - Supply Chain Competitiveness Committee (Freight Committee)
• Intermodal Association of North America – Board Member Motor Carrier Division 1999-2000
• Illinois Freight Advisory Committee (Data and Technology Sub Committee Leader)
• Council of Supply Chain Mgmt. Professionals Roundtable (1985-present – Past President)
• Coalition for America's Gateways & Trade Corridors (2007-Present)
• Member Intermodal Assoc. of Chicago (1992-Present)
• Chicago Intermodal Advisory Task Force (2001-2006)
• Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning – Freight Committee (2006-2021)
• Transportation Research Board Committees

• Vice Chair Transportation and Logistics (AT015) 2001-2010
• Intermodal Committee (AT045) 2001-2010
• Ag Transportation Committee (AT030) 2005-2009
• Freight Railroad – State Sub Committee Chair (AR040) 2010-Present
• Truck Size and Weight Committee (AT055) 2010-Present
• Inland Waterways Committee (AW020) 2010-Present

• Illinois State Freight Advisory Council 2013- present
• North American Rail Association 2000 – Present
• Inland Rivers Ports and Terminals 2015- Present