Growing up in Elmhurst, Illinois, along two major rail lines – the Union Pacific and the Canadian National Line – gave University of Utah entrepreneurship student and Lassonde Founder Barry Carta a unique perspective on the everyday issues caused by railways and a personal reason to step in and do something about them.
That’s where Kroy Railway Group was born. It’s a company dedicated to mitigating the issues known to be caused by rail lines. They have a special focus on issues including delays for commuters and first responders, safety issues around the rail lines, objects falling on tracks, and suicides. Carta’s passion for this problem runs deep and personal, which is what led him to co-find this company at such a young age.
“Having grown up in Elmhurst, it was very important to me to solve an issue within my community. I was constantly personally delayed by trains, and I also noticed first responders getting delayed by these trains as well,” Carta said. “I thought it would be a good idea to find out how long a train would be at a crossing as well so I could tell commuters and first responders.”
Carta’s draw to entrepreneurship came from his own independent nature. Having grown up as someone who always valued his own freedom and independence, he knew that entrepreneurship was a method he could use to maintain that kind of freedom to pursue his ideas. To Carta, entrepreneurship is greater than simply having your own ideas: it’s taking it a step further and acting on them. “It’s more than having an original thought. It’s trying to make that thought a reality,” Carta said.
Carta went on to say that his time at Lassonde Studios – both as a Lassonde Founders program participant and a resident – has proven itself to be invaluable on his quest toward success. “It’s been great living in a community where I can view others’ passion toward their ideas. I can take that and inspire myself with their own visions,” Carta said. “All of the Lassonde Founders program managers that I’ve met with have been great. They’ve been connecting me with outside resources as well as resources within the university and Lassonde program … their guidance has been very valuable”.
Carta was drawn to the Lassonde Entrepreneur Institute after it was recommended to him on his college search. After doing some research, he was drawn to Lassonde’s entrepreneurial spirit and its emphasis on startups … something that was very important to him on his own journey.
“The most unique thing to me about the Lassonde Founders program is the flexibility that it offers each individual person,” Carta said. “They really take the time to understand what you’re trying to do and what your passionate about, and then tailor the program to your needs.”
Kroy Railway has become a very large part of Carta’s life, and he hopes that with the help of Lassonde, he can someday transform it into a career.
Learn more about Kroy Railway at kroyrailwaygroup.com.
Learn more about Lassonde Founders at lassonde.utah.edu/founders.
