Welcome Christina Palmer!

Please welcome Christina Palmer as the new DMIT in the Hoban Region.  Christina has been with JB Hunt for 5 years as an Administrative Assistant in Chattanooga, TN with Final Mile. Previous to that she was in the United States Army for 12 years doing trucking and warehouse supply. She moved to Albany with her 19 year old son and 15 year old daughter and has a 21 year old son and granddaughter back in Chattanooga. Outside of work she volunteered with the Family Readiness Group for the Georgia National Guard and enjoys researching genealogy, spending time with her children and playing Xbox. Welcome Christina!

What is a Safety Culture?

This sums up a Safety Culture pretty well....

I Could Have Saved a Life That Day

I could have saved a life that day,

But I chose to look the other way.
It wasn’t that I didn’t care;
I had the time, and I was there.

But I didn’t want to seem a fool,

Or argue over a safety rule.
I knew he’d done the job before;
If I spoke up he might get sore.

The chances didn’t seem that bad;

I’d done the same, he knew I had.
So I shook my head and walked by;
He knew the risks as well as I.

He took the chance, I closed an eye;

And with that act, I let him die.
I could have saved a life that day,
But I chose to look the other way.

Now every time I see his wife,

I know I should have saved his life.
That guilt is something I must bear;
But isn’t’ something you need to share.

If you see a risk that others take

That puts their health or life at stake,
The question asked or thing you say;
Could help them live another day.

If you see a risk and walk away,

Then hope you never have to say,
“I could have saved a life that day,
But I chose to look the other way.”

by: Don Merrell

Falcon Packaging Annual Account Assessment4

 

Today we held our Annual Account Assessment for Falcon Packaging in Greenville, OH.  As part of our Customer Value Delivery process, we perform formal six month meetings with our clients.  The goal of this event is to ensure we are meeting our customers expectations and communicating the value we have provided to the business.  Falcon Packaging has been a customer of ours since June of 2011.  We initially started with 4 drivers in Covington, OH and in time added Falcon's other plant in Flowery Branch, GA.  This past year, Falcon Packaging moved to a larger facility in Greenville, OH.  Here, we employ 6 drivers in Greenville and another 4 in Flowery Branch.  Both sites are managed by Jeremy Starry out of Greenville.  Falcon Packaging is a wholesale distributor of egg cartons.  Thus our drivers are delivering to chicken farms throughout the Central and Southeastern States. 

 

 

Above Account Manager Jeremy Starry poses in front of one our tractors in Greenville.  The tractor to the right is the current yard truck in Greenville that Falcon uses to swap out trailers.  This tractor has actually been around longer then Jeremy!  We look forward to a continued partnership with this client!

Congratulations Cortash Family!

Congratulations to Chris and Jenna Cortash on the birth of their second child this past Friday evening.  Callen Joseph was born Friday evening in the Rochester, NY area.  Jenna and Callen are doing well.  Congrats once again!

Central Farm & Garden Startup Update

Three days into our startup with Central Farm and Garden in Wooster, OH things are running well.  Outside of some normal startup hiccups, things are running as planned.  Thank you to Tracy Walker, John Dodson, and Chris James for the additional support over the last few weeks.  Above, Sam Djung lends some support to the account.

Hazmat Training at PPG in Pittsburgh

 

 
Did you know that PPG DCS hauls the majority of hazmat loads within all of J.B. Hunt? This is a critical focus point as it relates to our CSA scores, and something we recognize as an area for needed improvement within training and development. The PPG DCS team was honored to host J.B. Hunt Hazmat Coordinator, James Cherry, for a 2 day training exercise to help improve our operators knowledge base and streamline the current processes. We look forward to working with James on future initiatives and becoming subject matter experts in this field!

Marco's 500 Strong

 

From Memorial Day, through Flag Day, June 14,Marco’s Pizza, is celebrating 500 Strong, by honoring veterans and military families nationwide. During the three week period Marco’s stores will be accepting $1 donations to benefit USA Cares Jobs Assistance Program, a national nonprofit that provides financial and advocacy assistance to post-9/11 U.S. military families. The veteran unemployment rate is around double the general population, and donations will directly benefit veterans seeking employment.
The 500^th location is set to hold its grand opening celebration on Flag Day, June 14 at Hoggard High across from the new store located at 2305 S. College Road in Wilmington, NC. The milestone location is owned by area representative and military veteran, Joe Walker. Walker spent four years in active duty serving as an Infantry Platoon Leader in Iraq. After leaving the military in 2008, Walker saw franchise ownership as an appealing option given the similarities between the military and franchising. This milestone location adds to Walker’s resume of owning and operating 11 locations with plans to open an additional three Marco’s Pizza stores this year.
“This is really an exciting time in our brand’s history, expanding across the country, entering new markets and opening our 500^th location, with plans to open a total of 200 new stores this year,” said Bryon Stephens, Marco’s Pizza President and COO. “We share this milestone and our successes with our dedicated franchise partners and their hardworking teams, and of course with our loyal customers.”
With hundreds of veteran employees and franchisees in the system, Marco’s Pizza sees veterans as a great fit both as employees and franchise owners. Many of the attributes gained from military service such as leadership, attention to detail, working as a team, and following a structured plan directly translate to operating a successful franchise business. For this reason, and in celebration of the milestone 500^th opening, Marco’s Pizza is determined to help 500 veterans find employment.
As members of the International Franchise Association’s (IFA) VetFran program, Marco’s Pizza is dedicated to help provide ownership and job opportunities to returning veterans. In conjunction with the White House and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, VetFran helped more than 151,000 veterans, military spouses and wounded warriors enter the franchise industry by the end of 2013, with nearly 5,200 as franchise owners.
Marco’s Pizza’s recipe for growth has been a combination of a robust authentic product, a strong community image, and a mission to delight customers. As the only national franchise chain founded by a native Italian, Marco’s Pizza has carved out a niche in the industry as experts in authentic Italian pizza, known for its fresh never-frozen dough made daily on site, a proprietary cheese blend that is fresh never frozen and a secret pizza sauce recipe. With 500 locations strong and more than 1,500 new franchise deals signed in 2013, the company is on track to quadruple its store count in the coming 5-7 years.

Welcome James Winland!

Please welcome James Winland to the Central Region!  James is a new Operations Supervisor at The Home Depot in Monroe, OH.  James comes to JB Hunt with a Bachelors Degree from Sheperd University.  In addition, James has tremendous industry experience working for companies such as Con-Way Freight, Total Quality Logistics, and Fed Ex.  This experience will be valuable to our operation in Monroe.  In his spare time, James enjoy spending time with his family.  James also enjoys playing league basketball and attending Cincinnati Bengals games.  Welcome aboard James!

Welcome George Vera!

Please join me in welcoming George Vera to the Central Region as a DMIT in Indianapolis, IN. George recently transferred from Lowell, AR where he was in the ICS division in the RISE Program. George hails from the Chicago area, where he graduated from Loyola University Chicago and is currently working on his MBA from The University of Memphis. Prior to coming over to JB Hunt, George worked at a few non-profit organizations focusing primarily on youth. In his free time, George enjoys the outdoors and is an avid waterfowl hunter. He spends his weekends and free time with his wife and 3 children going to parks and just playing at the house.

Welcome Sean Maines!

Please welcome Sean Maines to the Central Region!  Sean was recently hired as an Operations Supervisor at The Home Depot in Monroe, OH.  Sean is from the Cincinnati area, where he attended Northern Kentucky University with a degree in Business Management.  Prior to coming over to JB Hunt, Sean worked at UPS in Cincinnati as a Safety Manager and Dispatch Supervisor.

In his free time, Sean enjoys playing softball and raquetball.  He also enjoys following his favorite teams: the Cincinnati Bengals, the Cincinnati Reds, and the Kentucky Wildcats!

Welcome aboard Sean!

Congratulations Jason Craig!

Please join me in congratulating Jason Craig on his promotion to the Account Manager at JMC/Cici's in Richmond, IN. Jason joined JBH in March as a DMIT in Indianapolis, IN and gained his experience at Quaker, CHEP, and Home Depot - Monroe. Since starting Jason has shown a great willingness to learn and quickly proved that he is ready for this opportunity. Please wish Jason the best of luck as he helps to ensure the Cici's Restaurants from Missouri to the Atlantic Ocean are fully stocked!

Congratulations to Bobby Wilson for Winning the May Driver of the Month Award Central Region!

Congratulations to Robert Wilson of C&S Wholesale Grocers in Yorktown, IN on winning the May Driver of the Month Award for the Central Region.  Bobby has been an intigral part of not only the C&S Team, but of Team Tully as well.  Bobby is one of those drivers that is willing to do whatever is needed to help a customer.  In addition, recently Bobby has been certified as a Smith System Trainer for the region.  Below is a writeup on Bobby:

"Recently Bobby was asked by Jeff Holle to become a Smith System Certified trainer. Bobby attended a week long training session at the Louisville terminal. Bobby received positive recognition for his ability to communicate the Smith System Keys and definitions. Bobby has been the Yorktown DOM on 2 occasions and the Tully Region DOM in October 2013. We talk about Driver Dedicated - Bobby is Account Dedicated. Always willing to run the "special chicken runs," Saturday emergency load for C&S or any account that is looking for a driver. PPE and uniform are daily work attire. 9.22 mpg and 10.11 idle fuel numbers are at the top of the fleet. Tractor inspections are "spotless," inside and "taking care of" his Volvo. RAIR a total of 14 points with the months of April and May perfect! Bobby volunteered to be the start up trainer at the new Armour Eckrich account in Indianapolis. Shipping the first load on June 2nd. Bobby was with the JB Hunt management team for the Americold tour to help make sure the drivers concerns were answered for a "smooth" 1st pickup and delivery. Bobby is anxious to utilize his new Smith System certification in making Armour's start up accident free! Mr. Wilson deserves to be the Yorktown May DOM!"-Scott Tully Region Ops Manager 

Central Farm & Garden Startup

 

Today is the official start date of our new account Central Farm and Garden in Wooster, OH.  Here we are contracted for 8 drivers and 1 Account Manager.  We will be delivering farm and garden supplies to retailers throughout Ohio, Western PA, and West Virginia.  Special thanks to Account Manager Drew Vincent, center of pic, Adam Kleeh, Tracy Walker, and John Dodson for all of their work on this startup.



Gus Weber Collects His Award!

This past week, March Driver of the Month Patrick "Gus" Weber collected his award with Account Manager John Schaar.  Congratulations once again Gus!

Welcome Alex Lueken!

Please welcome Team Warchol’s newest member, Alex Lueken.  Alex is transferring from Intermodal Chicago where he worked as a Fleet Manager for 1 year.   Alex will be working in the Warchol Region specifically starting out focusing on Tyson Foods.  Alex grew up and worked his family dairy farm in Southern Indiana while going to college at Indiana University.

In his spare time he enjoys shooting sports, driving, and watching Indiana Basketball.

Welcome Alex!!

Marco's Renews!

 

This past week we gained signatures from our customer on our dedicated agreement with Marco's Pizza Distribution in Maumee, OH.  This three year renewal is a direct reflection on the work our local team has done over the past six months.  Great work by Ops Manager Brian Tabor, not pictured, as well as our Account Manager Andrew Ferguson, above, and Operations Supervisor Chris Wulf!

JMC Crew Gets After It!

 


Our JMC Account in Richmond, IN services Cici's Pizza Restaurants throughout the Midwest and Northeast.  We recentlhy passed our 3 year anniversary with this client.  While restaurant delivery is a very difficult business, our top notch service is a direct result of our on-site management and professional drivers.  Here, we employ 1 Account Manager and 9 Drivers who are solely dedicated to servicing JMC and their customers.  This is a very demanding unload that requires night-time, unattended deliveries unloaded by hand.

Above,  Jason Craig enjoys the last few days of having support around.  Congratulations to Dallas Mudd who is being promoted to Driver Recruiter Manager in our CDP Department and is relocating to our corporate office in Lowell, AR.