Gross & Janes Co. is the largest independent supplier and shipper of untreated railroad crossties in North America. We provide Class 1 railroads and track maintenance contractors with high quality green and borate pre-treated crossties, including our new patent pending Tuff-Tie™. Today we are a railroad industry leader in the development and implementation of processes that reduce the environmental impact of crossties and increase their longevity at a lower cost. The Benefits of Tuff-Tie™ We recently introduced our new borate pre-treated crosstie called Tuff-Tie™ to the railroad industry. This green crosstie is treated with borate using an innovative non-pressurized process prior to drying and shipping to the customer for creosote treatment. This ‘two-step’ treatment process eliminates the cost of pressurized application of borate at the time of creosote application, while also offsetting the amount of oil-based creosote needed for tie protection. Studies show that just a 2% weight loss from decay can reduce wood strength up to 50%. Our borate pre-treated Tuff-Tie™ stops wood decay before it starts, making our Tuff-Tie™ up to twice as strong as crossties that use standard air seasoning. Our innovative two-step process eliminates seasoning decay, which preserves critical tie strength and reduces waste. The result is a longer-lasting, lower-cost tie with enhanced environmental benefits including less creosote utilization and more environmentally friendly alternatives for the disposal of spent ties. Bill Behan is President of Gross & Janes Company with headquarters in St. Louis, MO. Bill is a fourth generation Forest Products Executive with a comprehensive background in hardwood and softwood sawmill operations, lumber and log markets, finance, and business acquisition. It is this unique stakeholder perspective that distinguishes Bill in the Crosstie Industry. Bill joined the management team of Gross & Janes in 2015 and was later named President and became an e