From the Owosso Argus-Press

Steam Railroading Institute’s new executive director is a whiz at fundraising, but he’s no expert on steam locomotives.

Not a problem: David Shorter, who is relocating to Owosso from his home in Miami, Fla., will soon receive a crash course in railroads — from SRI’s new full-time project manager, Kevin Mayer.

“I’m really looking forward to working with (Shorter) and basically teaching him the ways of the railroad and its historical aspects,” said Mayer, who has been overseeing SRI’s big project — rebuilding the Pere Marquette 1225 steam engine — on a volunteer basis since last June.

At the same time, perhaps Shorter can give Mayer a few tips on generating donations. He raised $25 million for the city of Miami-owned Virginia Key Beach Park Trust, an 82.5-acre park nestled along the Atlantic Ocean, during his nine-year tenure as the non-profit trust’s project coordinator and executive director.

Shorter hopes to work a similar kind of fundraising magic for SRI, which has been plagued by financial difficulties since 2009.

“People love causes,” said Shorter, who replaces T.J.Gaffney, who resigned in December.

In a recent telephone interview, Shorter said, “I plan to bring people into SRI to see the work that is going on so they’ll marry the project.”

SRI President Richard Greter said he is impressed by Shorter’s background, which includes serving as the finance director of the Boy Scouts of America for nine years.

“First and foremost, he has 20 years’ experience working at non-profits,” Greter said. “He’s the type of personality who enjoys a challenge. He’s very focused and motivated.”

Virginia Key Beach was closed in 1982 due to lack of city funding to maintain the park. Under Shorter’s watch, the park was restored and reopened. He raised enough money to build a 30,000-square-foot museum on park property, but Miami’s budget crisis put the project on hold and eliminated his job.

With the goal of beginning his new position April 1, Shorter said he’s coming to Owosso this week on a house-hunting mission. It will be the second visit.

“I loved the city. The people, I found, were very friendly,” said Shorter, who has two adult sons. “My first impression is that it’s a very nice place.”

The Los Angeles native said his immediate goals for SRI include developing an educational program for local schools and renovating SRI’s gift shop to give it “more of a museum feel.”

More generally, “I’m listening to the board (of directors), trying to fulfill their aspirations,” he said. “I think it’s going to be wonderful. I love the project, and I’ve always had a passion for steam engines.”

SRI’s top priority is getting SRI’s prized Pere Marquette 1225 steam locomotive into compliance with federal safety laws. That requires taking apart the engine and replacing boiler tubes every 15 years. The engine has not run since 2009’s North Pole Express.

Much of the engine already has been disassembled for the reconstruction project. The federal inspection and rebuild will cost about $600,000. A federal grant is covering $347,000 as long as SRI contributes $280,000 in matching funds. By the end of last year, SRI had raised $120,000 in match funds through other grants, fundraisers and train excursions.

Mayer, who saw the 1225 for the first time in 1988 when he was 11 years old, said he jumped at the chance to come on board as SRI’s second full-time chief mechanical officer a decade later.

“It’s been a lifelong dream of mine to restore a steam locomotive, and then I had the chance to do it,” said Mayer, an Owosso native who lives in Montrose with wife Carol and 20-month-old daughter Valerie. The couple breeds, trains and races standard-bred horses at Mayer Racing in Montrose.

Mayer returned to volunteer status at SRI after hiring on at Great Lakes Central Railroad as a mechanical engineering conductor. He currently has the same title at Rail America, but plans to quit that job and start as SRI’s project manager in May.

Greter said Mayer is the right person for the position.

“One great thing about (Mayer) is his interactions with the volunteers — he’s very well liked,” the board president said. “A great deal of the work done on the 1225 will be by volunteers.”

Mayer said, “I know it’s going to be stressful, with all the work. But I’m real excited.”

Source: http://www.argus-press.com/business/article_0688c3b2-48d0-11e0-8205-001cc4c03286.html