Getting to Know - Kim English - Professional Driver - Toyota Owensboro

John Johnson (Account Manager) rode with Kim English on May 25th.

Kim started his career at JB Hunt on the Toyota Owensboro account nearly 6 years ago, but that is by far not where he started his driving career.  Kim is in his 31^st year of professional driving.  In that time he has 15 years Reefer/Van, 12 years Flatbed, 2 years Dispatch and 2 years in Food Service.  Add into that his 6 years as a trainer and Kim truly has seen about everything there is in trucking.

In addition to being in transportation Kim has a degree in Divinity and has been an ordained minister for 10 years.

In his free time Kim enjoys seeing his 4 Grandchildren, collecting coins and doing woodworking in his workshop.  He finds it very therapeutic being able to make something creative out of an old piece of wood.

New Hire - Stephen Carl - Operations Intern - Columbus, OH

Please help us welcome Stephen Carl to the DCS Central Region!

Stephen is an Operations Intern based out of Columbus, OH.  Stephen comes to us from The Ohio State University where he's enrolled in the Fisher Business School.  Stephen is set to graduate this fall majoring in Logistics.  Stephen has also worked his way thru school helping his mother with her real estate business (painting, conducting minor repairs and leasing).  

In his free time Stephen enjoys playing the drums and jamming with his band.  He also enjoys going to concerns and playing/watching football & basketball.

Welcome aboard Stephen! 

Getting to Know - Zakaria Sako - Professional Driver CHEP Indy

On May 20, 2016 Scott Dorsey rode with Zakaria Sako with the Chep Indy site.  Zak is an 8 year veteran with JB Hunt and joined the Chep Indy fleet last fall.

Zak is from Côte d’Ivoire (The Ivory Coast) and speaks 4 languages (three fluently).  He is a devoted father of five with his youngest being 5 and his oldest in college.  When he isn’t working, he stays in shape by going to the gym and participating in his youngest child’s soccer organization.

Zak has been an exemplary driver since coming over to the Chep Indy account.  He has over three-quarter of a million safe miles and the account cannot wait until he hits this milestone and joins the fraternity of safe JB drivers.

New Hire - Michael Johnson - CHEP - Indianapolis (2nd Shift)

Please help us welcome Michael Johnson to the DCS Central Region!

Michael is our new 2nd shift Operations Supervisor at Chep Indianapolis.  Michael comes to us from Mercer University where he received his Bachlor's degree.  Over the last 6 years Michael worked for Wal-Mart where he held various positions (the most recent position being Assistant Manager).  

In his free time Michael enjoys golf, chess and basketball.  He is also an avid video gamer.  Welcome aboard Mike! 

Getting to Know - David Kinder - Home Depot - Monroe

Dave Kinder (KIND91) Professional Driver and Molly Lawson (Operations Supervisor) Home Depot - Monroe

Molly Lawson recently rode with Dave Kinder.  Here is what she learned:

Dave is a proud father of two; a 19 year old son and a 13 year old daughter.

He has been with the company for nearly 4 years. This is the longest he has stayed with a trucking company consistently, due to the relationships he has built with the staff here. He is currently working as a Driver Trainer and thoroughly enjoys teaching new drivers the ropes here at Home Depot Monroe.

Dave also enjoys spending quality time with Mother Nature by fishing as frequently as possible. Mr. Kinder is also quite the comedian; he likes to share his humor his fleet manager.

New Hire - Joe Terry - Operations Intern - Home Depot - Monroe

Please join me in welcoming Joe Terry to the Central Region as a Operations Intern at Home Depot - Monroe, OH.

Joe is currently attending the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, AL  where he is studying Operations Management with a specialization in Supply Chain and a minor in Computer Science. Joe is a member of the Phi Kappa Psi fraternity and has also done multiple missions trips with his local church.

Even though Joe grew up in the Monroe area, he somehow got out of Big Ten country into SEC land where he reminds the office daily of his true colors...Crimson and White.

We are excited to have Joe as a part of the team!

Happy Anniversary David Adkins!

Happy Anniversary to David Atkins as May 27th marks his 2nd anniversary with JB Hunt!

David is currently an Operations Supervisor on the Ohio Valley Aluminum Account in Shelbyville, KY.

Happy Anniversary David!

Happy Anniversary Chris Block!

Happy Anniversary to Chris Block as today marks his 2nd  anniversary with JB Hunt! 

Chris currently serves as an Account Manager for JMC Cici's Pizza!

Happy Anniversary Chris!

Getting to Know - Ontario Anderson - CHEP Indianapolis

Ontario Anderson (ONDO10) Professional Driver CHEP Indianapolis

Jerry White (Account Manager) recently rode with Ontario Anderson.  Here is what he learned:

Ontario has been trucking for 17 years.  He is one of the more tenured drivers on the account with 3 years on the account as of today.  Ontario joined JB Hunt with his half brother Percy. 

Ontario has a son, Ontario Jr, who is 11 years old.  They live in Indianapolis and both love sports.  Ontario played Little League Baseball at Eagledale Little League and now his son also plays at the same Little League.  Ontario coaches at the little league and also coaches football in his spare time.

New Hire - Max Messinger - Operations Intern - Home Depot - Van Buren

Please welcome Max Messinger to the Central Region!

Max comes from Sylvania, OH and currently is a senior at Bowling Green State University majoring in Supply Chain Management. He is also a proud member of the Delta Chi Fraternity.

While Max is not busy working or attending classes, Max enjoys working out, playing basketball or golf and spending time with family and friends.

Max is our Operations Intern at the Home Depot account in Van Buren.     

Welcome to the J.B. Hunt family, Max! 

New Hire - Jeff Sabol - DMIT - Home Depot - Monroe

Please join me in welcoming Jeff Sabol to the Central Region as a DMIT at Home Depot - Monroe, OH.

Jeff is a recent graduate of McDaniel College in Westminster, MD where he studied Business Administration. Before attending McDaniel he served in the United States Marine Corps for four years where he worked in transportation.

Jeff and his wife (Sarah) are in the middle of moving to the Monroe area with their daughter (Hunter)

In his spare time he enjoys playing hockey and watching football. His favorite professional team is the Pittsburgh Steelers and has already began to ruffle some feathers with the Bengal faithful in Monroe.

Once again, please join me in welcoming Jeff and we look forward to him joining the Monroe team and continuing to build the momentum the team has going!

Happy Anniversary Terri Knight!

Dana Crosby has this to say about Terri:  

Terri Knight is celebrating her Sixth year with us at the JBH/Ellwood City Forge Account.  Terri is out ICS Carrier Sales Coordinator and has done a magnificent job with us here at the account level. 

Terri is responsible for all OTR freight at the account. She is responsible for anything outside of a 300 mile radius.  She does an impeccable job dealing with carriers, dispatchers and drivers.

In addition, Terri can also assist in covering our dedicated fleet and manages ECH shop personnel to get the job done!  She is very versatile for us here and wears many hats.

We appreciate everything she has done.  Congratulations on your sixth year with JB Hunt!  May we see many, many more!

Central Farm & Garden's 1st Quarter 2016 Observation Extravaganza

In an ongoing mission to keep their safety culture fresh the Central Farm & Garden team held an Observation Extravaganza during the 1st quarter of 2016. 

This entailed the CFG staff  as well as their ARM to complete an observation on every driver in the fleet.

 All drivers with positive observations were put into a hat and the lucky winner received dinner at the restaurant of his choosing.

Left to Right: Brian Tabor, Tracy Walker, Don McCarty, Andrew Vincent and Orin Schumucher

CFG Professional Driver Don McCarty was our winner!

 Don choose to eat at Jerzee's Sports Grill in Canton, OH.

Don was accompanied by Account Manager Andrew Vincent, Operations Supervisor Orin Schumacher, Area Risk Manager Tracy Walker and Regional Operations Manager Brian Tabor. 

It was a fun night as Don shared stories about his time working at Jerzee's Sports Grill (his very first job back in his high school days) as well as his time in the military serving our country.  

Congratulations Don on winning our first annual Observation Extravaganza contest!

Happy Anniversary Brian Faust!

Happy Anniversary to Brian Faust as today marks his 5 year anniversary with JB Hunt.

A graduate of the University of Pittsburgh, Brian began his career in DCS in Northeast Region.  Brian's is currently the Account Manager for PPG - Global in downtown Pittsburgh.  

Happy Anniversary Brian!

Happy Anniversary John Johnson!

Happy Anniversary to John Johnson May 21st marks his 4th year with JB Hunt!

John is the Account Manager on our Toyota Account and is based out of Owensboro, KY. 

Happy Anniversary!

Getting to Know Sam Peprah - Professional Driver for The Sanson Company

Sam Peprah (PEPS0)- Professional Driver - The Sanson Company

Eladio Yenderrozos rode with Sam Peprah a few weeks ago.  He is what he learned:

Sam was born and raised in Ghana where he learned to drive a truck with his Father.

He and his wife moved to the United States for better opportunities for themselves and their daughters.

Sam has been with JB Hunt since December 2015 and enjoys driving very much.

During his time off he appreciates his time with his family. 

Happy Anniversary Amanda Reyes!

Happy Anniversary to Amanda Reyes as she hits her first year anniversary with JB Hunt!

Amanda is a graduate of the University of Louisville with a Degree in Communications.

She is currently serving as the Operations Supervisor for 11 Drivers on the Toyota Owensboro account out of Louisville.

Happy Anniversary Amanda !

Happy Anniversary Nick Banister!

Congratulations to Nick Banister who is celebrating his one year anniversary at JB Hunt!

He came to us as a recent graduate working at PSP.  He is now Account Manager at Southern States - Flowery Branch!

Happy Anniversary!

Happy Anniversary Adam Spannbauer!

Happy Anniversary Adam Spannbauer!  He is celebrating FIVE years JB Hunt. 

 Adam is a proud graduate of Ashland University.  Adam began his career with JB Hunt Final Mile Services where he served the Solon RDC for 2 years.

In his current role, Adam is the Account Manager for our CHEP Account in Solon, OH. 

Happy Anniversary Adam!

New Palfinger Forklifts for Team Toyota

Since the Toyota OWEKY account has used the same Hiab forklifts for over the past 7 years. These units have helped the Toyota account delivery over 115,000 frames to Toyota Dealerships across the U.S. Over that course of time the moffetts have taken an extreme amount of wear and tear and have aged quite a bit. The account is very appreciative of the performance they got out of the moffetts, however it was time for an upgrade.

(Palfinger Unit - Right,   Hiab Unit - Left)

Starting in May the account received their first group of NEW 2016 Palfinger Truck Mounted Forklifts. These new units have several new safety features that are beneficial to the drivers while operating them. The units also provide more cab space for the driver for comfort. One of the major changes is the seat position. The previous Hiab unit's seat was positioned on the left side of the moffett. The new Palfinger units have a centered seat position which allows the drivers to have more visibility while operating the forklift.

(Driver Trainer - James Sanders)                       (Driver Trainer - Brian Sayles)

Several Palfinger representatives accompanied the delivery of the first group of new units. The Palfinger reps helped with facilitating training with account management and drivers. Over the next 3 months the account will phase out the Hiab units and bring in the new Palfinger units, being fully operational with all 50 units by July 2016. The account hopes to delivery at least another 115,000 frames with the new Palfinger units!

  

Promotion Announcement - Naomi Eaton - Aurora Parts & Hanson Logistics

Please join us in congratulating Naomi Eaton on her promotion to Account Manager of Aurora Parts in Lebanon, IN, and Hanson Logistics in Hobart, IN.

In this new role, she will lead a team of 24 drivers, and one operation supervisor. Both accounts will be a new challenge for Naomi as she will be dealing with reefer freight, as well as a heavily backhaul dependent account.

Unfortunately for her, she will not be making any more trips out to southern California for meetings. However, she will get to enjoy the corn and soybean fields of central Indiana. 

 Welcome to the Kimble Krew Naomi.  We all look forward to working with you!

Getting to Know - Harvey Burton - Professional Driver - Tyson Corydon

Harvey Burton - Professional Driver - Tyson Corydon

Jess Caudill (Account Manager) had the pleasure to ride with Harvey on a feed delivery run, and learned a few more things about him.

He is a loving family man, living with his wife of 20+ years and loves the fact he gets to come home to her every night and able to help around the house and tending to his animals.

He enjoys able to go fishing on his property as well when it suits him, not being on the road several days during the week definitely has its perks.

Harvey used to race dirt bikes when he was younger and still has scars to prove his experiences from riding them. He used to dream of becoming a professional dirt bike racer. Instead he settled with becoming a professional truck driver like his dad. His dad used to be a truck driver has well, hauling swinging meat is what really set Harvey into being a 2^nd generation Burton driver. 

He has a young nephew that is set to play college basketball that he mentors and enjoys practicing with him. Harvey convinced him to apply his skills towards the Kentucky Wildcats, instead of the Louisville Cardinals, telling him that “Blue” is a much better color. Harvey has been rooting for the Wildcats for as long as he could yell.         

  

Harvey is one-of-a-kind driver, he has been on the Tyson account since the start up in Nov. 2014, coming from the Toyota account in Louisville. He hands down has done everything here and is happy to step in when needed to help out the account. He truly treats this account as if it was his own and takes proud in his work and trains in majority of our newer feed drivers, and follows up with them even after training is completed to ensure that they have all the support and knowledge possible.

Happy Anniversary Sean Maines!

Happy Anniversary to Sean Maines as today marks his two year anniversary with JB Hunt!

Sean is a graduate of Northern Kentucky University with a Bachelors Degree in Business Administration.

He is currently serving as the Account Manager at CHEP - Hamilton

Happy Anniversary Sean! 

Happy Anniversary Zach Oakes!

Happy Anniversary to Zach Oakes as today marks his two year anniversary with JB Hunt! 

Zach is currently the Logistics Coordinator at Home Depot - Monroe.

In his spare time Zach likes to hunt and fish in his boat that he recently remodeled. 

 Happy Anniversary Zach!

Happy Anniversary Jeff Holle!

Congratulations to Jeff Holle as today marks his 22 year anniversary with JB Hunt!

Jeff started his career with JB Hunt as a professional driver.

Jeff has since held a variety of roles including Fleet Manager.  Jeff is currently the Area Risk Manager residing in Seymour, IN.

Congratulations Jeff!

Happy Anniversary Dan Tebbutt!

Dan is celebrating his one year anniversary at JB Hunt!  He is currently the OS at CHEP - Columbus

Dan describes himself as a family oriented guy.   He's part of a large family with four older siblings and 11 nephews / nieces.

In his free time Dan enjoys playing soccer.   He played four years of soccer for Hudson High School as well as four years for the University of Toledo.

In high school, he was part of club teams that won three state cup championships!  He also enjoys golfing, watching his favorite NBA team (the Cleveland Cavaliers) and collecting vinyl records.

Happy Anniversary!

2016 2nd Quarter Training At Central Farm & Garden

 Our Central Farm & Garden management team (Andrew Vincent and Orin Schumacher)are known for thinking outside of the box when it comes to safety.

That thinking led to an "Observation Extravaganza" during the 1st quarter of 2016.  They completed a targeted observation on every driving on their fleet. 

For the 2nd quarter they wanted to do something special centered around quarterly training.

Our Driving Team going thru the 2nd Quarter Training mirror check training

As a result, they gave up their Saturday morning to complete a large quarterly training/driver roundtable event on May 7.  

Central Farm & Garden Driver Round Table meeting done right!

Drew and Orin did it right by having Bob Evans catering and completing a gift card drawings to finish their driver roundtable meeting.

It's no wonder Central Farm & Garden has shown great improvement over it's 2 year existence in driver retention and safety results.

Great job team!

Central Region Driver of the Month for April - Allan Bryson

Congratulations to Allan Bryson for winning the Central Region Driver of the Month for April!  Allan has been with JB Hunt for 2.5 years where he is currently working at the CHEP Account in Twinsburg, OH.  During his tenure, Allan has displayed a strong work ethic as well as a positive attitude and a willingness to do whatever is needed of him.  Congratulations to Allan for this great accomplishment!

 

 

Below is the write-up on Allan:

 

When it comes to customer relationships and interactions Allan could very well be the poster child. Working for CHEP Allan has the pleasure to be on site working from Millwood Solon and their employees. I have heard absolutely zero complaints and no negative feedback from all of Millwood's staff. Debbie, the Mill's admin and Matt, the plant manager have said on countless occasions that Allan has gone above and beyond his job responsibilities to help them in a time of need to better service CHEP. Whether it be helping swap some trailers because their yard driver was out that day or strapping a flat bed for another driver so they can pull the other flat bed in to start loading. Matt and Debbie has also mentioned that they enjoy Allan's presence because of his easy-going and care-free personality. That personality does not transfer to Allan's driving habits because he has proven to be one of the safest drivers on the fleet.

CHEP's customers have also become accustomed to Allan's timeliness and readiness for every load he is bringing in. Since he is running about 85% of our flat bed loads he is seeing customers daily that have expressed their appreciation for such a determined and trustworthy driver.

 

 

There is not a more deserving driver of this award than Allan Bryson. He is handling almost all of CHEP's flat bed loads and has never turned away from a load.  He is a young gun that loves to work and can hang with the best of them. His effortless and efficient strapping allows him to complete runs that most would have a hard time completing, let alone five times in a week. Allan has attributes that the most elite performers portray day in and day out. His accountability is never gone unnoticed or taken for granted by his manager.

Allan very rarely calls, but the times he does it's simply to let his manager know of an issue he may be having and the solution he has already set in motion for it.  His dependability is like clockwork because if he has the hours to operate a given task there are no questions asked, he will take care of it. The last one being a very overlooked aspect of every JB Hunt driver's job duties and how being technologically savvy would not seem to be necessary. Allan grew up with technology at his fingertips so it is almost second nature to him, but entering correct times for all his load activities, timely and accurate logging of all events, and even the new roll out of the DRIVE application never go unnoticed by his manager. Allan downloaded the application the first day it was available and become very accustomed to

it and explaining the benefits in detail to the other drivers on the account as well as his manager,

Allan is every manager's dream driver.  Allan has been sent over to Central Farm & Garden countless times and that is not by his manager's choice. He is being requested. Allan does not mind, but

 

Andrew Vincent time and time again requested Allan to be the driver sent to help at his account. Here is a quote from Drew regarding Allen "I would like to

vouch for BRYA23. He is a top notch driver with excellent communication. He is welcome to our account anytime and is also welcomed by our customer. 

 

Also, Allan has been 100% compliant for over an entire year! Helping out other accounts while managing this feat is extremely difficult, but only possible because he has called to find out locations of approved stations near him while out in an area he is unsure of.  Simply put, Allan is a phenomenal and irreplaceable asset to out driving fleet. Having a driver like Allan who follows all the proper procedures even when it does not benefit him in any direct way. Someone who wants to do what is best for the account and thinks of the big picture in regards to best servicing JB Hunt's customer is a driver that deserves this Driver of the Month Award.

Congratulations Allan Bryson for becoming a benchmark for CHEP Twinsburg's driving fleet.

 

 

 

 

 

Northeast Ohio DCS Accounts Partner For A Special Quarterly Training Session

On April 29,  management from Intigral Glass, Soft-Lite Windows and CHEP Pallets partnered for a quarterly training session.

Classroom Training

This session took place at our Intigral Glass facility in Walton Hills, OH.  The event consisted of a combined total of 22 drivers, 3 Account Managers, 1 Area Risk Manager, 1 Operations Manager and 1 Operations Supervisor.

Stories From The Road" being shared over lunch. 

The event contained two sessions.  The first session was class room training as well as a driver roundtable.

 Chep Solon driver Bob Ritondaro (1 million safe miles) and Intigral driver Chester Mayle both pictured in the rear of the room had plenty of stories to share from the road

This was led by Account Managers Sam Marcotte, Adam Spannbauer and Operations Manager Brian Tabor.

Area Risk Manager Rich Schwartz rounding up the class for mirror check training

The second session consisted of a mirror check station led by ARM Rich Schwartz, Account Manager Michael Varty and Operations Supervisor Eladio Yenderrozos.

Mirror check training being conducted as our managers and driving team brave the cold rainy day

The event was a huge success combining training with team building.  Food was supplied for all attendees and "War Stories" from the road were shared among our driving team with the group.

Very rarely do we get a chance to bring drivers and managers alike from multiple fleets together.  This event was a real hit and will become the new norm for quarterly training on the Intigral, Soft-Lite and CHEP fleets!

Happy Anniversary Christa Altman!

Please join us in celebrating Christa Altman at the Home Depot Monroe account for her 1 Year Anniversary!

Christa joined us 1 year ago during Home Depot's busy season on the 2nd shift and caught on quickly to her responsibilities. Now, anyone who has worked at a large account knows there are always a few curve balls, and Christa is always eager to learn new things & stay at the top of her game.

She has also chaired the Cincinnati Social Committee and has assisted in planning events for JB Hunt staff outside of the office. In 1st quarter she planned a trip to Dave and Busters as well as Sky Zone, is currently planning for a trip to Great American Ballpark to see the Reds in June, and already looking forward to Driver Appreciation in September. 

We want to thank Christa for her dedicated service over the last year, and we hope for many more to come!