Happy Halloween from Home Depot Monroe!

 

Thanks to The Home Depot Account in Monroe, OH for sharing their group photo for today's Halloween festivities.  Keep the pictures coming!

Happy Halloween Central Region!

 

Happy Halloween to all of our managers, drivers, and support staff who serve DCS Central Region!  The weather will be cool and crisp tonight, make sure to bundle up.  Take your time in getting home this evening and make sure you are aware of all of the children that will be out and about.  Enjoy the festivities with your family and remember to always be safe! 

Toyota Roundtable

 

On Thursday, the Toyota-LOUKY account held a driver roundtable. In attendance were 10 of the account’s drivers, Cort Duggins and Rob Turner from the Louisville maintenance team, as well as the Toyota management team. The meeting started with open dialogue around tractor maintenance, which Cort and Rob provided very insightful feedback to all of the questions and comments. Account, company, and industry stats and updates were discussed following the maintenance discussion. The feedback provided by our drivers was positive and gives us a few items to follow-up on as well. We appreciate Cort and Rob for attending! A special thanks, goes to our drivers for the positive dialogue and all of their feedback as well!

Getting to Know - Phil Holmes

Last week, Ross Holden of The Home Depot Account in Monroe, OH was able to catch a ride with professional driver Phil Holmes.  Phil is a regional driver, hired back in April and resides in Miamisburg OH.  It was a great day, and both got the opportunity to learn more about each other and getting a better idea of what each goes through on a daily basis.  

 

 

Below is the write-up from Ross:

 

Phil has been driving for about 3 years. He began his professional career at Swift and has bounced around to multiple carriers before finding a comfortable home at JB Hunt. Phil mentioned he enjoys being able to get home every night and watch sports or play video games. He is an avid Philadelphia Eagles and Penn State Nittany Lions fan. Phil grew up in Philadelphia for most of his life. Phil’s mother moved him and his siblings to the Cincinnati area when Phil was in high school. He was an exceptional football player and received a scholarship to play at Grand Valley State University in Grand Rapids, MI. Unfortunately, Phil suffered multiple knee injuries, preventing him from pursuing a lifelong dream of playing in the NFL. Phil wants to get back to school and earn a degree in Cyber Security, as this is one of his passions.

Getting to Know - Joe Forsey

 

 

Recently I had the pleasure of riding to Owensboro, KY with Joe Forsey.  We opted to take his truck rather than the golf cart, as the golf cart is governed at 7 MPH.  Joe is coming up on his one-year anniversary with J.B. Hunt in December!  Joe has been driving for six years and has been with several different companies, however, says none of them compare to J.B. Hunt.  Despite some areas he believes can be improved, Joe says the people make the difference.  The way he is not pushed, feels safe, and is taken care means the world to Joe.  Joe says him and his father in-law agree he has the “truckers dream”.  Joe lives in Fairland, IN with his fiancé and her daughter.  Joe has three children of his own and enjoys spending time with them whenever he can.  During his home time Joe says there is no time for rest.  Typically, he is helping his father in-law with odds and ends at his house or finishing a honey-do list at his own.

-Zach Mattingly Account Manager Toyota

Happy Anniversary John Schaar!

This year marks John’s 24rd Anniversary with J.B. Hunt. John graduated with a degree in Transportation/Logistics from The Ohio State University. John has held many positions during his tenure with JB Hunt and current is our Account Manager for the Chep - Columbus and Lima, OH fleets.  Congrats John on the work anniversary!

Central Region Promotion Announcement - Markese McGuire

 

Please help us congratulate Markese McGuire on his promotion to

Operations Supervisor at Kimball Furniture in Jasper, Indiana!

 

After graduating from the University of Illinois at Chicago with a degree in Business Management in May 2017, Markese McGuire earned a position as a DMIT at Family Dollar in Ashley, IN. He excelled in all areas and has shown true drive & commitment to excellence in his short tenure.  In August of 2017, Markese was offered a position at the Kimball Furniture start-up in Jasper, IN.

McGuire received a full-ride for his undergraduate degree playing Division I basketball – while also working part-time.  This drive & well roundedness shines bright at JB Hunt – and has put McGuire on the fast track for success.  We are excited to add McGuire to Team Kimball and are anxious to see his contributions during the start-up.

In McGuire’s spare time he enjoys walking his black lab – Murphy and hanging out with his fiancé’ Samina. McGuire recently popped the question February of this year at the university senior night at the El Rancho Grande Mexican restaurant.  They are planning a wedding for August 18, 2018. 

 

Welcome Tad White!

 

We are happy to announce Tad White as our new Operations Supervisor on the Masterbrand Cabinets account.  Tad comes to us a transfer from the Louisville ICS division where he started with JB Hunt one year ago as a Logistics Sales Coordinator.  Before joining JB Hunt Tad worked for 10 years in operations with FedEx Express.  We are excited to see what Tad can bring to the account having years of operations experience.  In his personal life, he enjoys sports, the outdoors and spending time with his wife and four children.  Congratulations on your new role and welcome to the team!

Getting to Know - Brian Belmont

This past week, Operations Supervisor Anthony Hale was fortunate to catch a ride with Brian Belmont of The Home Depot Account in Monroe, OH.  Brian was hired by JB Hunt back in August and resides in Newport, KY.  Brian was originally hired in as a regional driver but has recently transferred to a local board.  In his spare time, Brian is an avid cyclist, and takes part in many races and competitions.  Some of these races are on a professional level.  Since Brian is not married and doesn't have children, his spare time is devoted to focusing on his hobbies.  Thank you for all of your hard work and for being a part of JB Hunt DCS!

 

Anthony Hale and Brian Belmont

Central Region Promotion Announcement - Nicholas Nocheck

Known for his flexibility and willingness to help when needed, Nicholas Nocheck has been transitioned to an Operations Supervisor at the Kimball Furniture start-up. Nocheck graduated from Lehigh University in 2014 with a degree Supply Chain Management. Nocheck began his career at J.B. in 2015 as a DMIT at the Toyota account – exceling quickly Nocheck was promoted to Operations Supervisor at Family Dollar Morehead, KY in December 2015. Nocheck has assisted multiple accounts such as Southern States, Soft-Lite, Family Dollar Ashley, OVACO and MasterBrand Cabinets.

 

Nocheck excels in business analytics and economics. In his free time, he enjoys blogging on a mixture of politics, economics and political theory.  Nocheck enjoys traveling, hiking, fishing & visiting his girlfriend, Maria in Budapest.

 

Congrats, Nocheck!

Welome Kyle Fugger

We are pleased to welcome Kyle Fugger to the J.B Hunt team as an Operations Supervisor at the Goodyear-Lockbourne, OH facility. Raised a few miles up the road in Columbus, Kyle went on to attend Bowling Green State University, where he graduated in 2016 with a degree in supply chain management. While studying for his degree, Kyle worked unloading trucks in the Toledo, OH area. After graduating, he worked at a freight brokerage in Columbus before joining J.B Hunt’s DCS division. His interests include driving, watching sports, exercising, listening to music, and spending quality time with friends and family.

Central Region Promotion Announcement - Adam Martindale

 

Big congratulations to Adam Martindale on his promotion to Account Manager of the MasterBrand Cabinets account in Ferdinand, IN

 

Please join us in congratulating Adam Martindale on his promotion to Account Manager for the MasterBrand Cabinets account in Ferdinand, IN.  Adam attended the University of Southern Indiana where he studied Business Management.  Adam began his career with JB Hunt in January 2015 as an Operations Supervisor on the MasterBrand account where he assisted with the start-up and since excelled in the OS role.  Outside of JB Hunt Adam enjoys playing sports, coaching youth sports, camping and spending time with his wife of eight years and their three boys.  Congratulations Adam on your well-deserved promotion and good luck moving forward!

 

Welcome Shawn Morgan

Please help us welcome Shawn Morgan to the DCS Central Region.  Shawn has been hired on as our Columbus, OH area Dedicated Manager In Training.  Shawn comes to us from The Ohio State University where he earned a BA in Psychology.  Shawn worked his way through college at McDonalds where he spent three years as a manager.  

In his free time, Shawn’s interests are playing video games and sports with friends.  As you would expect, Shawn is a huge Ohio State University football fan and looks forward to them making another run at a National Title this year.  Welcome to the DCS Central Region family Shawn!

Central Region Promotion Announcement - Stephany Kaufman

 

Please help us congratulate Stephany Kaufman on her promotion to

Operations Supervisor at Kimball Furniture in Jasper, Indiana!

 

Please help us congratulate Stephany Kaufman on her promotion from Administrative Assistant to Operations Supervisor at the Kimball Furniture Start-up in Jasper, Indiana.  Stephany started her J.B. Hunt career at the MasterBrand Cabinets start-up in March 2015.

A true “go-getter”, she shows a tremendous amount of dedication and pride in her work. Stephany has been known for her driver dedicated nature, and outgoing personality.

Kaufman is currently pursuing her Business Degree at the University of Phoenix – and completed her first semester with a 4.0 GPA. We are all very proud of her accomplishments and her positive contributions to our team. 

Stephany is a proud wife & mother of three – when she is not at work she enjoys spending time with her family, and being a cheerleader at her kid’s football games.

Stephany’s favorite past time is loving on her dog Pocono a 9-year-old, a half chow, half black lab. They family will be celebrating Pocono’s birthday on December 29^th.

 

 

 

Central Region Promotion Announcement - Garek Dunham

 

Please help us congratulate Garek Dunham on his promotion to

Account Manager of Kimball Furniture in Jasper, Indiana!

We are extremely proud to announce the promotion of Garek Dunham to Account Manager of Kimball Furniture in Jasper, Indiana. At Kimball, Dunham will be responsible for three operations supervisors, an administrative assistant, and 41  drivers.

Dunham is known for his driver dedication, business analytics and development, and delivering top-notch customer service. Dunham has proudly led the MasterBrand team the past two years when receiving the Customer Value Delivery Award.  He has shown great developments in process improvement while striving to unite multiple divisions, accounts and teams to drive efficiency, and positive financial impact.  Dunham also goes great lengths to develop his team members – and works to ensure his team has the skills to advance in their positions.

Dunham graduated from Western Kentucky with a major in International Business with a minor in finance and is currently pursuing a MBA at Western Kentucky University & working on a Leaders 301 project.  

In his free time Garek enjoys spending time with his wife Shannon, and two children, Norah & Gabe. His hobbies include farming, celebrating German culture, and home improvement.  

Congrats on this well-deserved promotion!

 

While Friday the 13th may be unlucky for some, this past Friday the Monroe Home Depot team made a very special delivery for one very lucky classroom. We were very fortunate to help deliver JB Hunt Transport’s donation of $1000 worth of school supplies to Madison Elementary 3rd grade classroom taught by Elizabeth Herzog. The Adopt-a-Class program is run by the Driver Personnel portion of our corporate headquarters in Northwest Arkansas. Towards the end of every summer, we send out communications to all of our drivers, asking them to nominate their children or grandchildren’s K-5 classrooms for the donation. The submission form is on our website, DriveJBHunt.com. As a part of the nomination, drivers write a short essay describing why their child/grandchild’s classroom is the most deserving. After reading through all of the nominations, we narrow them down & as a group select our winners.

 

The first year, JB Hunt sponsored 5 classrooms, and expanded it to 10 classrooms the next year. In 2016 we received 60 nominations, which was the most nominations we had ever received. But this year we set a new record for nominations with an overwhelming 242 nominations!  So for our 5^th year of Adopt-a-Class, we chose 10 classrooms to receive the $1000 donation in school supplies, and 5 runner up classrooms to receive $250 in school supplies. By the end of this year’s Adopt-a-Class season, we will have held events at 50 different schools in 27 different states

Monroe night driver Mike Pierce nominated both his sons and daughters classes and his daughter Sunny was one of the lucky nominations out of 242 nation-wide to be selected! Mike helped load up the materials from the Monroe JB Hunt office and drove his day cab and trailer right up to the front of the school. The class welcomed our JB Hunt staff, paid very close attention to the brief introduction about the Adopt-a-Class program and JB Hunt overview, hopped up in the driver’s seat for a quick look around, then proceeded into the classroom to unwrap all the gifts and enjoy a pizza party! Everyone had a blast interacting with the children and getting the chance to make an impact on the community. Special thanks to Mike Pierce for taking the time to submit a nomination to take advantage of this fine program to help change the learning experience for a few very lucky classmates of his daughter Sunny.

Getting to Know - Jason Schaeffer

Recently, Joe Nagle conducted a ride along with Jason Schaeffer.  Jason is a Regional Driver who is assigned to the Kohl's Account in Findlay, OH.  Jason has been with the company since September 2016 and currently resides in Findlay.  Any amount of time spent with our drivers out on the trucks is time well spent! 

 

 

Below is the write-up from Joe:

 

Jason started driving a little over a year ago.  He started with PAM Transport and received his schooling knowing he wanted to come to JB Hunt.  He started with JB Hunt OTR and was asked to help out at the Kohls account.  After spending some time with the managers at the Kohls site and seeing the miles he could run on a daily basis, he picked up and moved from Bloomsburg, PA to the always bright and sunny Findlay, OH.  He transferred over to the Kohls account permanently and loves the account. In is free time he is a big computer gamer.  He likes his computers to be on the cutting edge so many times he will build them himself to ensure he has all the power he needs to be great at his gaming.



Getting to Know - Will Lobb

This past week, Account Manager Ben Hurt was fortunate to spend some time out on the truck with Will Lobb.  Will is a Regional Driver who currently works on the Ohio Valley Aluminum Account in Shelbyville, KY.  Will lives in Rhineyville, KY where he is married with 3 grown boys.  Will has been with the company since July, and has done a great job in servicing Ohio Valley!

 

 

 

Below is the write-up from Ben:

 

Will comes to us as a rehire. He has worked for JB before, but it was long ago. He transferred to OVACO from Family Dollar and he really likes it here at Shelbyville.

 

When he isn’t finishing up his honey-do list for his wife, he really loves going hunting and 4-wheeling. He wished his 3 grown boys would come hunting with him more often. On our ride along, he pointed out that he likes Big Blue (similar to Big Red).

 

During our conversations, he informed me that when he was younger, he found a wolf pup and raised it. And that led to the story of his (not yet) wife’s first encounter with his pet wolf.



Family Dollar Morehead Roundtable

 

On October 3rd – at Morehead, KY Professional Drivers, Rachael Knick, Anthony Warchol & Andrew Deblock came together to discuss the concerns impacting the Morehead fleet.  This meeting gave the drivers a chance to give feedback and discuss some potential solutions to ongoing problems.  The various covered included; load quality, store relations & driver retention.  The meeting was closed with positives and how to move forward with a few key action items.

 

Although the fleet has weekly round table calls – this meeting was very impactful to both the drivers involved, as well as the fleet that received that update following the discussion.  We’re excited to move forward with some driver dedicated initiatives and gain more insight to make the Morehead position more driver friendly.

 

Thank you to all involved!

Driver Attendees –

Dereck Stuart, Jimmie Burns, Mike Paluso, Mick Harden & Red Williams



Central Region Driver of the Month for September - Dave Ivey

Congratulations to Dave Ivey for being selected Driver of the Month for September for the Central Region!  Dave was chosen from close to 1,100 Professional Drivers!  Dave currently serves as a regional driver on our Home Depot Account in Monroe, OH.  Dave's flexibility and willingness to not only help the Home Depot Account, but also others in the region set him apart.  Congratulations Dave!

 

 

Below is the write-up from the Monroe Team:

Relationship with Customer –

                Dave’s relationship with the customer is rivaled by few. Many of the warehouse employees and THD’s transportation team know him by name and treat him as a go-to driver. Oftentimes when THD has a hot item or a task that needs completely promptly and with excellence, they’ll specifically request that Dave be assigned to the job. Dave is one of the few drivers that has such a strong relationship with the warehouse and office staff at THD, and the value this provides THD has been called out several times. When our yard or shuttle operation are strained, the transportation team for THD frequently requests Dave’s help. Dave is a wealth of knowledge regarding the equipment and our operations, and is often called upon by THD and account management to consult on how to approach specific issues. Dave’s experience, attitude, and knowledge set him apart from the rest.

Description of Driver of the Month –

                Dave is by far one of the hardest working drivers that Monroe has ever seen. Not only is he hard working, but his quality of work is top-notch. Dave is one of the most flexible drivers on the fleet; whether he’s yard switching in an Ottawa unit, store deliveries in a regional sleeper cab, or completing trailer inspections, Dave shows up to work every day with a smile. Most recently Dave was asked to alter his schedule and assist another account, the Kimball startup in Jasper, IN. To put this in perspective, Dave currently works a night shift, staying local on the yard or shuttle operation for the Monroe account. When we called Dave to ask him to switch his schedule to days, stay out all week in a sleeper truck, and hand-unload a delivery, his response was “If that’s what you need, I’ll do it.” Not only was he willing to help, Dave got great reviews from the account.

AM Garek Dunham writes: “Dave came to the account during the first few weeks of the Kimball International startup. In no time, he proved himself to be a Rockstar and without a doubt helped the Kimball International startup be as successful as what it was. Dave not only delivered freight with great customer care but also helped the office by training & managing drivers, organized equipment, sorting through paperwork, organizing maintenance repairs & decaling, and auditing the equipment that was newly purchased. He is one of the highest quality drivers I have ever gotten to work with and deserves this very prestigious award!”

We’re proud to nominate Dave as the September Driver of the Month for the Home Depot Monroe team.



New Indoor Storage Facility - Toyota Louisville

Jecorey Newman getting it done!

Over the last 30 days, our Toyota Team relocated to a new indoor storage facility in Louisville, KY.  The team moved into the facility that was formally leased to our partners at Southern States.  By moving into this facility, not only did we assist Toyota in finding some much needed storage, but we also saved our customer Southern States as they still had obligations to this lease.  In addition, the Louisville Yard will get some much needed space back, as we move all frames from the TY Yard over to this indoor facility.  With this move, this facility becomes the largest JB Hunt facility, with over 270,000 square feet.  This facility will be managed entirely by our great team in Louisville.  Great work by our Toyota Team in this new endeavor!

 

Trusted Leaders Louisville

Kimble and Galyon leading Trusted Leaders Louisville

 

Over these next few weeks, we will be conducting the second round of our Trusted Leaders Training.  This is a continuation of the training that was done this past January at our Annual Kickoff Meeting.  As a company, we have invested a tremendous amount of time and energy into making sure all of our front line managers get this training.  The goal is for our managers to take this leadership training with them in their day to day operations.  Thank you to all of our managers for giving up an evening to complete this training!

Happy Anniversary Matt Morton!

Congratulations to Central Farm and Garden Operations Supervisor Matt Morton on his 1 year anniversary with JB Hunt.  Matt has been in the transportation/logistics industry for over 15 years. Matt is a resident of Akron, OH and is an avid fan of Cleveland sports as well as The Ohio State University!

Congrats Matt!

 

 

Driver Appreciation in Valdosta, GA



Last week, Southern States in Valdosta GA celebrated Driver Appreciation with a cookout hosted by Account Manager Lena Howard.  Drivers and their families (even a newborn grand baby) enjoyed good food, good company, and fishing.  Before the rain storm hit, the children out fished the adults for catfish, bass, brim and bluegill.  Valdosta services parts of South Carolina, Alabama, and all of Georgia and Florida where our Drivers work in hot and humid temperatures most of the year.  We have a great team of Drivers that work safely and professionally in taking care of the Valdosta Southern States/Cargill Feed Mill.  Thank you for the contribution you make to the JBH safety culture!

 

New Business - Jasper Engines

Last week, we were officially awarded a dedicated agreement with Jasper Engines.  Located in Jasper Indiana, Jasper Engines is the nation's largest remanufacturer of gas and diesel engines.  They also rebuild transmissions, differentials, rear axle assemblies, marine engines, stern drives, performance engines, and electric motors.

The account will include 4 driving teams, or 8 total drivers, as well as a full Account Manager.  The drivers will be based in Leavenworth, IN, and our manager will be off-site in Louisville.  We are very excited about this new partnership and the opportunity it brings!