Ruan recently recognized its 2019 Driver of the Year and Operation of the Year.
Bryan Farmer, who operates out of Fair Oaks IN, secured the driver honor from a pool of more than 4,500 professional drivers. He has accumulated more than 3 million miles in 26 years on the road. He’s been with Ruan since 2015 and has had zero accidents in his career. He hauls milk in supertankers for 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 1, 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.”
The Driver of the Year search began with 169 drivers from Ruan’s 300 operations who were named finalists based on length of service, safety performance and customer service. Operations executives then narrowed the field to 11 Winners’ Circle honorees who participated in virtual roundtables with Ruan leaders.
Ruan’s Canton OH, operation, led by transportation manager Dustin Shaft, was named the 2019 Operation of the Year.
The operation, which serves Medline, was selected based on its demonstration of the company’s guiding principles. The Canton team, with 27 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, Anthony Cagliuso, Medline’s senior operations manager, highlighted the improvement in service the 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 with how this team represents Medline to our customers,” he 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.”
The Winners’ Circle honorees included the Columbus MS operation led by fleet manager Mark Winstead, and the Klockner Pentaplast Managed Transportation operation led by transportation business manager Gregg Max.