Driver of the Year
Bryan Farmer was named Ruan’s 2019 Driver of the Year after being selected from a pool of more than 4,500 professional drivers.
Farmer, who operates out of T391 in Fair Oaks, IN, has been driving for 26 years, accumulating more than 3 million miles. He’s been with Ruan since 2015 and has had zero accidents in his career. He hauls milk in supertankers for our valued customer Select Milk Producers.
“During our time working together, Bryan has displayed a genuine understanding and willingness to help wherever needed,” said Jamie Murray with the Indiana State Board of Animal Health in a letter of recommendation on Farmer’s behalf. “On day one, I was immediately impressed with Bryan; he went above and beyond the call of duty to make sure Ruan milk tankers were ready and waiting for inspection, along with helping in any area of the inspection. He always has a positive outlook, is very professional, and is a kind soul.”
Ruan began the search for our Driver of the Year when 169 drivers from Ruan’s 300 operations were named finalists based on length of service, safety performance, and exceptional customer service. Our vice presidents of operations then narrowed the field further to 11 Winners’ Circle honorees, who participated in two days of virtual round tables with several Ruan leaders and teams. Out of the Winners’ Circle, Ruan’s leadership team selected Farmer.
Each honoree was awarded a trophy and cash prize. Watch this highlighting the achievements of our Winners' Circle.
Operation of the Year
Ruan’s Canton, OH, operation, led by Dedicated Transportation Manager Dustin Shaft, was named the 2019 Operation of the Year.
T449, which serves Medline, was selected based on the operation’s demonstration of our Guiding Principles of People First, Safety Focus, Exceptional Performance, Customer Satisfaction, and Continuous Improvement. The Canton team, with 27 team members, annually delivers nearly 4 million pounds of essential medical supplies to Medline’s customers including hospitals, urgent care facilities, nursing homes, elective surgery centers, and more.
In a recommendation letter, Medline’s Sr. Operations Manager Anthony Cagliuso, highlighted the significant improvement in service this team achieved in 2019. “I would like to recognize all the efforts put forth by your team as you solidified the operation at our Canton, OH, facility. I’m impressed how this team represents Medline to our customers,” Cagliuso said. “I can tell that customer service is a priority. When you say that a situation will be addressed, I trust that it will be addressed. Drivers are always engaged in the customers’ needs and wants. You never get the feeling that our transportation is handled by a third party; the drivers are simply an extension of us.”
To select the Operation of the Year, each of our vice presidents of operations selected an operation in their business unit that performs at the highest level. That performance was based on criteria including safety, team member retention, customer satisfaction, and overall performance. Our leadership team then narrowed the list of finalists to three Winners’ Circle honorees. In addition to T449, the Columbus, MS, operation, led by Dedicated Fleet Manager Mark Winstead, and our Klockner Pentaplast Managed Transportation operation, led by Managed Transportation Business Manager Gregg Max, were honored as part of the Winners’ Circle. Senior leaders selected the Canton operation as the Operation of the Year from among the Winners’ Circle.
The 2019 Operation of the Year received a trophy, awards for all winning team members, and a corporate-hosted celebration in Canton that will take place later this year.
Check out this video about our Operation of the Year honorees.
Congratulations to our Driver of the Year and our Operation of the Year, as well as all of our Winners’ Circle honorees!