Entrepreneur loses 12-year battle with multiple myeloma
NICHOLASVILLE, Ky. (Aug. 26, 2013) — Funeral services for railroad entrepreneur Richard “Rick” Jay Corman will be conducted today at the Nicholasville company he founded.
Corman, owner of R.J. Corman Railroad Group, died Friday morning at age 58 after a 12-year battle with multiple myeloma. The railroad entrepreneur was known for having a colorful personality and a deep and quick laugh. He was a “demanding boss who was especially insightful and strategic in growing his business,” the company said in a news release.
“Mr. Corman will be remembered for his character, energy, determination, generosity and vision,” said Craig King, president of R.J. Corman Railroad Group.
Corman founded the company in 1973, the same year he graduated from high school. Through his hands-on approach and exemplary customer service, he built his business into the R. J. Corman Railroad Group, a diversified railroad service provider that has more than 1,150 employees and operates in more than 21 states. The short line company, R. J. Corman Railroad Co., was awarded the Railway Age Magazine 2007 Short Line of the Year.
King noted that the final line of the Fortune Magazine article of May 2011, “The ballad of Richard Jay Corman,” by Carol Loomis, captures what those who knew Rick Corman are feeling as they mourn his passing.
Loomis wrote, “And, when his luck runs out, the word will go up on the company website, and the world will have lost some of its style.”
The funeral is today at 4 p.m. at the Hangar 1 on the R.J. Corman Railroad Group property, at 101 R.J. Corman Drive in Nicholasville. The front gate will be open at 2:30 p.m.
In lieu of flowers, friends may make donations to the:
The Richard Corman Research Fund in Multiple Myeloma
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
PO Box 849168
Boston, MA 02284-9168.
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