Ruan, a premier provider of Integrated Supply Chain Solutions, is proud to announce our 2020 Driver and Operation of the Year winners. At a virtual ceremony held on September 30, Marvin Trout earned the prestigious distinction of Ruan’s 2020 Driver of the Year, and our Mechanicsburg, PA, operation, led by Dedicated Transportation Manager Dave Hendricks, was recognized as the 2020 Operation of the Year. Both were honored during a company-wide virtual ceremony where they received accolades and recognition in front of their peers across Ruan’s 300 operations.
Driver of the Year
Each year, one professional driver is selected from a pool of more than 4,400 truck drivers based on length of service, safety performance, and exceptional customer service. Trout, who operates out of Ankeny, IA, has been with Ruan since 1983 and has been a professional driver for 51 years, logging more than 5 million miles. He hauls concrete for the Rasmussen Group and is a veteran of the U.S. Army. Trout is committed to customer satisfaction, driving and operating safely, and being a mentor to his fellow driving team members. Trout has been nominated as a Driver of the Year finalist twice before, a testament to his long history of exceptional driving and customer service.
“Marvin is always the first person to volunteer to help cover loads, even when they are not on his assigned account. Marvin primarily works on our cement account, but because he always wants to be able to support any customer, he keeps his tanker and hazmat endorsements up to date,” said Ruan’s Dedicated Operations Leader Matt Fleming. “Marvin has gained extensive knowledge of not only all things Ruan over his long tenure, but also all the individual types of equipment and commodities hauled for our diverse set of customers. Marvin’s knowledge, coupled with his safety focused mindset, extraordinary work ethic, and care and compassion for his fellow team members, has translated into Marvin becoming the ambassador for our entire new Ankeny Operating Center.”
Concrete Supply’s Grimes, IA, Plant Manager Jasar Medinoski echoed Fleming in a letter of recommendation. “Marvin has always been a joy to work with. He always has a great attitude and a great work ethic. Marvin always takes the extra steps to ensure the safety of himself, his fellow Ruan drivers that are on-site, and then all of the Concrete Supply employees that are also on-site at our Ready Mix plants,” Medinoski said. “All in all, Marvin may not be an employee of Concrete Supply, but he always has been a part of our family here at the Grimes plant.”
Ruan began the search for our Driver of the Year with 167 drivers from Ruan’s 300 operations named as finalists. After an extensive review process, just 10 out of 4,400 drivers were named to our 2020 Winners’ Circle. Out of that impressive Winners’ Circle, Ruan’s leadership team selected Trout as best in class among a very talented, accomplished group of drivers.
"This recognition is our way of honoring your dedication, professionalism, safety focus, and ongoing commitment to Ruan,," said CEO Ben McLean at the virtual award ceremony. "We are so proud of our teams for carrying out this complex and difficult assignment with professionalism and dedication, especially as our industry experiences new opportunities and challenges. To date, we’ve recognized more than 185 drivers in our Winners’ Circle. You join a distinguished group of our safest, most dedicated professional drivers.”
Each Winners’ Circle honoree was awarded a trophy and cash prize. Trout was presented a trophy, $5,000, and the 2020 Driver of the Year title.
Operation of the Year
Ruan’s Mechanicsburg operation, which serves dedicated customers LKQ and HNI, was honored as our 2020 Operation of the Year based on the operation’s performance in the areas of customer satisfaction, continuous improvement and innovation, financial performance, and commitment to our Megasafe culture. Drivers at this operation transport auto parts from regional warehouses in the Northeast to the LKQ cross dock in York, PA. For HNI, the team delivers office furniture in the Northeast market, including all five boroughs of New York City.
“The site leadership, dispatchers, and drivers all conduct themselves in a very professional manner, with an outstanding willingness to prioritize our customer’s delivery experience,” said Ben Shield, Senior Supply Chain Manager for HNI, in a letter of recommendation for the operation. “The bottom line is that our entire team in Mechanicsburg knows we can 100 percent count on the Ruan team. This has been a fantastic partnership supported by an exceptional Ruan team.”
To select the Operation of the Year, each of our vice presidents of operations nominated the highest performing operation within their business unit. That performance was based on criteria including safety, team member retention, customer satisfaction, and overall performance. Our executive leadership team then narrowed the list of finalists to three Winners’ Circle honorees—and from the honorees, the team picked the 2020 Operation of the Year.
The 2020 Operation of the Year received a trophy, awards for all winning team members, and a corporate-hosted celebration in Mechanicsburg, which will take place later this year.