About Kelly-Hill Company

Kelly‑Hill is led today by President Ed Conlon, a railroader with more than 20 years in the industry. Ed came up through the field — not from behind a desk — and he brings that experience to every decision the company makes. His leadership is built on attention to detail, fairness with customers and employees, and an uncompromising commitment to doing the job safely and doing it right. Under Ed’s direction, Kelly‑Hill continues the tradition of honest work, strong crews, and rail service you can count on.

Kelly‑Hill began in 1955 when two Burlington‑Northern engineers — Charles Kelly and Niles Hill — saw a gap in the industry. Private facilities needed someone they could trust to build and maintain the spur tracks that connected their operations to the main line. They built a company around that need, focused on solid workmanship, safety, and showing up when customers needed them.
In 1962, they hired Alice Houser to run the office and support the field crews. She learned the business from the ground up, and after 25 years, she and her husband Neal had the opportunity to purchase the company. At the time, Kelly‑Hill had fewer than 15 employees and only a handful of machines. Alice handled the business; Neal — a former pilot with a knack for fixing anything — learned the rail side directly from the foreman and supervisors.

As the work grew, so did the company. Alice and Neal invested in modern equipment — tampers, tie inserters, spikers — machines that made the work safer, faster, and more efficient. They expanded the team, expanded the yard, and in 2010 purchased the office and property that still anchor the company today.

From those early days to now, Kelly‑Hill has grown into a major rail‑service contractor with more than 200 pieces of equipment and around 75 employees. The company has earned a reputation for doing the job right, finishing on time, and standing behind the work.

Today, Kelly‑Hill serves a wide range of customers — from Class I railroads to power plants and industrial facilities across the region. What hasn’t changed is the commitment to safety, reliability, and being there when customers need us. Rail work doesn’t stop, and neither do we. Kelly‑Hill crews are ready 24/7, 365 days a year.