DISTINGUISHED ALUMNI
Photo credit: The Gerstle family
L to R: Madison Leach Gerstle, Nate Gerstle, Peter, and Sandy Gerstle (pictured above), Peter Gerstle with his brother, Tom Gerstle (pictured right), Peter Gerstle with his wife, Sandy Gerstle (pictured far right)
PETERGERSTLE: LAYINGTRACKS It’s approximately 384 miles from Blacksburg, Virginia to Louisville, Kentucky, traveling on I-64. Alum Peter Gerstle is very familiar with that distance—he used to hitchhike his way from his hometown of Louisville to Virginia Tech as an undergrad. “My mom would let me out by the offramp, and I’d hitchhike all the way to Blacksburg,” said Gerstle. “That’s before I came home to UofL.” Peter Gerstle understands what it means to go the distance. Since 1987 the company he co-founded with his brother, Tom, Road & Rail Services, has evolved from light maintenance on rail cars to offering a full complement of logistic services to the railroad industry with 70 locations, 36 locomotives, and employing 1,400 people. From moving nearly six million vehicles a year to servicing and repairing over a million rail cars annually, Road & Rail Services is built upon the sweat equity and foundation rooted in work ethic and family. 10
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UofL College of Business: CURRENCY
Peter Gerstle is the youngest of seven, born in the working-class Germantown section of Louisville. His parents’ commitment to the family meant sacrifice and instilling a work ethic in every one of their children. “All we knew how to do was work,” Gerstle laughs. This ethic was further codified during his time at Saint Xavier High School, creating a lifelong learner. “I’ve been lucky enough to be surrounded by teachers everywhere in my life—from my parents to professors at UofL and St. X, to my wife and even my ex-wife! I’ve always tried to put myself in a room with people who were smarter and more successful than me. I got good at observing and listening—that’s where you really learn.” After a coaching change at Virginia Tech, Gerstle left Blacksburg and returned to Louisville to finish his degree at UofL. To make ends meet, Gerstle worked the day shift in construction and industrial maintenance while taking night classes—ultimately graduating in 1980. “There was never a question about going to college,” said Gerstle. He spent the next several years working in warehouses in progressively supervisory roles until 1987 when he and his brother formed Road & Rail Services.
9/15/20 5:54 PM
