Welcome Brittany Kelly!

Please help us welcome Brittany Kelly to the DCS Central Region.  Brittany is our newest Dedicated Manager in Training stationed in Morehead, KY.  Brittany previously worked for Marshall University in Huntington, WV as an academic advisor where she assisted students in their transition from high school to college and helped them determine career goals.  Brittany has a Bachelor’s degree in Communications from West Virginia University. In addition, she is currently working on an online Master’s degree in Supply Chain Management from the University of Wisconsin.

Brittany spends her free time spending time with family and watching her 7-year old son play football and wrestle so most weekends she’s constantly on the go. Additionally, Brittany enjoys theme parks and traveling.

Once again welcome Brittany.  We are excited to have you as part of team!

Welcome Scott Murry

We are happy to announce Scott Murry as our new Operations Supervisor on the Kimball International Account.  Before joining JB Hunt, Scott worked as a shipping and receiving supervisor at Kimball for 5 years.  Scott is a proud alumni of Vincennes University and in his spare time enjoys watching sports, bowling, golfing, and spending time with his family.  Congratulations on your new role and welcome to the team!

Darrell Budd One Million Safe Miles!

 

On Friday February 16^th we celebrated Darrell Budds One Million Miles Safe Award. Darrells parents, brother, sister in law and niece all joined in the festivities held at St. Elmo’s in Indianapolis. As a perfect walking brand of JB Hunt, Darrell Budd excels in any aspect of what it takes to be the best. At 11 years of positivity and professionalism “The Budd” has carried the torch in all factors of exceptional truck driving. We are all very proud of Darrell and this great accomplishment. Congratulations and Thank You for all your hard work and dedication.

 

 

 

Central Region Promotion Announcement - Sean Maines

Please join us in congratulating Sean Maines on his promotion to Account Manager for Champion Windows - Cincinnati, OH!  At Champion Windows, Sean will oversee (15) professional drivers and a book of business that generates roughly $4 million in annual revenue for our region. 

Sean began his JB Hunt career the summer of 2014 where he started the company as an Operations Supervisor for Home Depot – Monroe, OH.  Sean has since promoted multiple times and currently holds the position of Account Manager for Chep USA – Hamilton, OH.  Sean is a proud Northern Kentucky University graduate with a degree in Business Management.  In his free time, Sean enjoys following his favorite sports teams: the Cincinnati Bengals, Cincinnati Reds, and Kentucky Wildcats.

Once again, congratulations on your new role!

Central Region Promotion Announcement - Oliver Skelton

Please join me in congratulating Oliver Skelton on his promotion to Account Manager for Family Dollar in Morehead, KY!  At Family Dollar, Oliver will oversee (2) Operations Supervisors and (25) professional drivers for a critical customer in our region. 

 

Oliver began his career with J.B. Hunt in May 2015 as an Operations Supervisor at Pet Supplies Plus in Seymour, IN.  He has since worked for Southern States and most recently Champion Windows as the site’s Account Manager.  He is a graduate of the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University. In his free time, Oliver enjoys following his favorite NFL team the Green Bay Packers.   

 

Once again, congratulations Oliver on your new role!



Getting to Know - Mark Yeater

This past week, Rhonda Thacker of The Family Dollar Account in Morehead KY went on a ride along with Mark Yeater.  Mark has been with JB Hunt, and on the Family Dollar Account, since October of 2017.  Mark does a fantastic job for us and it was a great day spent with him out on the truck!

 

 

Below is some additional information about Mark:

 

Mark is married to Tina and they have 2 sons, Jonathan 15 and Mark 16. Mark was relocated and came to Morehead. He has had several jobs prior to JB Hunt having lived in WV, Colorado and Missouri to name a few places, but Mark decided that when he came to Morehead, this was the last time that he wanted to move. Mark is a gentleman when you speak to him and has had several comments on his paperwork stating that. While we were on our ride along, he opened my door for me, waited until I was in and shut it for me and even helped with my seatbelt. During our ride along Mark was very pleasant and we had a very pleasant conversation. Mark likes to spend quality time with his family. When he isn’t on the road he likes to watch his youngest son Jonathan play football and take his family out for some quality time. Mark has a hobby of collecting guns, at one time he had 150+ guns but has cut down some since coming to Morehead, but said he would like to build his gun collection back up now. Tina, Mark’s wife, likes staying home spending time with their 2 month old German Shepard. Although Mark hasn’t been with the account very long he has proven that he is an asset to account.  We are happy to have Mark on the account and look forward to him being a long time JB Hunt employee. Thank you Mark for all your hard work and dedication since you have been with the account!

Welcome Gift

 

 

As a manager, you know you are making inroads with your drivers when they go out of their way to make a special gift for you.  Recently, 3 Million Mile Driver Rick Baker of Southern States Winchester along with the team of drivers there did just that.  Rick and the team made Account Manager Logan Williams his very own, customized hard hat.  Personally, I think it looks fantastic!

 

 

Note from Rick:

 

Your new poster boy for safety! All the Drivers chipped in and got Logan his very own Safety hat! That boy looks professional.

Rick



Central Region January Driver of the Month - Brian Neace

Congratulations to Brian Neace for being selected Driver of the Month for January for the Central Region!  Brian is one of our professional drivers' serving on the Goodyear Account in Columbus, OH!  Brian is a trainer and has done an outstanding job at training our new drivers on the fleet in a safe and professional manner!  Congratulations Brian!

 

 

Below is the write-up from management:

More than Just a Trainer...

Brian is a priceless asset to the Goodyear Account. As the driver trainer, he not only trains the new hires, he takes the time to get to know each of them. He also maintains his relationship with them by following up with them to make sure they’re still liking the job, answer any questions they have and to challenge them to be a better driver than him. Brian is always encouraging all the drivers on the fleet to be the safest and most professional freight relocation specialists that they can be. Brian takes pride in being the driver trainer and often goes the extra mile to make sure his trainees have all the tools and skills necessary to succeed safely on the account. Brian holds backing-maneuver training sessions with new hires and any driver that needs pointers from a 20+ year driver on how to back safely. Brian is continuously pushing the other drivers on the fleet to always strive for safety above all else. Brian adds a level of professionalism and driver dedication to the account that most accounts could only dream of.

 



Bowling Green Career Fair

 

This past week, JB Hunt hit the road for Spring Recruiting.  TGM Sam Djung, HD Van Buren, took part in recruiting potential candidates from Bowling Green University in Bowling Green, OH.  Sam was kind enough to take a picture with the BG Mascot while he was there.  Great work Sam!

Welcome Matthew Church!

Please welcome Matthew Church to the DCS Central Region! Matthew is originally from Roanoke, Virginia and attended Virginia Tech University in Blacksburg, VA. He graduated with a degree in Physics and a minor in Mathematics in December of 2015. In his spare time Matthew enjoys traveling and he has a goal of visiting all 50 states. Matthew will primarily be based out of Louisville, KY assisting the Warchol Region. Welcome to the team Matthew!

Welcome Tim Ratzel!

Please welcome Tim Ratzel to the DCS Central Region!  Tim is taking over for recently promoted Matt Morton as our Central Farm and Garden Operations Supervisor in Wooster, OH.  Tim is a resident of Wooster, OH born and raised.  Tim comes to us from Panther Expedite where he worked in expedite logistics.  Tim enjoys sports and is a big The Ohio State University fan.  In his spare time, Tim enjoys playing cards, golfing, hunting and fishing.  In addition, Tim enjoys hanging out with family and is looking forward to buying a house & learning as much as possible so that can grow with JB Hunt.  Welcome to the team Tim!

Happy Anniversary Ken Vautrin!

 

Happy Anniversary Ken Vautrin as today marks his one year anniversary with JB Hunt!  Ken began his career with JB Hunt in the Intermodal Division, back in early 2017.  Recently, Ken moved up to the majors and came over to DCS, where he is currently an Operations Supervisor at our Southern States Account in Westfield, MA.  Happy Anniversary Ken!

Happy Anniversary Jerry White!

Happy Anniversary to Jerry White as Sunday (2/4/18) marked his 5 year anniversary with JB Hunt.  Jerry started his career with J.B. Hunt at the Final Mile Services LDC in Noblesville, IN. From there, he came into the DCS Central Region and currently manages the CHEP Indianapolis Account.  As a result of Jerry’s leadership, the CHEP Indianapolis account has put up some of its best safety and financial results over the last 12 months.  Congrats on your 5 year milestone Jerry!

In Memory of Reva Counts

 

This week, the Central Region lost one of it's best drivers and more importantly, best people.  Reva Counts passed away after a battle with cancer.  Our thoughts and prayers go out to Reva's friends and family.  Reva was a driver on our Champion Windows Account in Cincinnati.

Below is a write-up from Account Manager Oliver Skelton:

It is with the heaviest of hearts that we announce the passing of professional driver, Reva Counts. For those of you who did not know Reva, she was one of the strongest women I was fortunate enough to know. Reva was a mother, grandmother, and great grandmother, and was one of the hardest working people I have ever met. She had a heart of gold and would do anything asked of her if it benefited others. When I originally placed Reva on leave, I knew that something was severely wrong, because if you were in fact fortunate enough to know her, you would know that it would take much more than the common cold to keep Reva off the road. As I would periodically check on Reva from time to time, I eventually discovered that Reva was unfortunately battling multiple cases of cancer throughout out her body. Speechless, the only thing that I could think to say was that if anyone could beat this ugly disease, it was her, and that my phone was always available if she needed someone to talk to. A few weeks later, Reva called me for assistance in getting some paperwork for her, and as we were speaking, she broke down in tears and told me “even though I should not be saying this to my boss, I genuinely love you as a person, and I am so thankful for you being my manager during this troubling time.” These words really struck me deep, and is a direct testimony of how much impact the great managers and drivers of our company can have on other people’s lives, even if many times it goes unspoken. Reva passed on Sunday, January 28^th, in the comfort of her own home, as she wished. May her memory be with us forever.