Carrier Profiles
It's for the fleet: Panther II's Driver Appreciation Days
"We've got the best drivers in the business and we want to show them just how much we value their contribution to our company. That's why we hold our Driver Awards Banquet in the winter and our Driver Appreciation Days in July - our drivers deserve recognition for their hard work and dedication in making Panther II number one!"
So said Panther II CEO Dan Sokolowski on the opening day of the annual Panther II party at the company headquarters in Seville, Ohio. Held on Thursday, July 7 and Friday, July 8, the outdoor fest featured food, fun, driving and truck beauty competitions, live music and of course, prizes.
The event ran from 9am-3pm on both days and was open to Panther II contractors, drivers, employees and their families.
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"You know, in this business, the people in the office might never get to meet our drivers except as a voice on the phone," explains Jeff Brown, Contractor Support and Development Manager. "I think these events are a great way for the Panther II family to get to know one another, to put a face with a name."
"We look forward to this event every year because it allows us to step outside of our customary roles in the company and to get together as friends. Of course, we usually wind up talking shop anyway, but that's part of the nature of expediting."
The Panther II office campus consists of three main structures - the headquarters building, the Safety building and the garage. The property is situated just outside the small village of Seville, Ohio - located appropriately enough on Panther Parkway. This 13-acre site has more than ample room for not only the Driver Appreciation activities, but parking for the attendees as well.
"Food
Summer time means outdoor cooking and there were plenty of hamburgers, hot dogs, cold drinks and the usual picnic show available for the guests who were sheltered from the sun under the big top tent set up next to the Safety building. This tent was also the site of the awards ceremonies on Friday afternoon.
Sounds
What better musical entertainment choice for a truckers' event than a singer who specializes in songs about trucks and life on the road?
Joey Holiday has performed numerous times at virtually every trucking show and similar event across the U.S., large and small. The popular singer/songwriter pulled his custom trailer/stage into the driveway between Safety and Headquarters and entertained the audience with a mixture of classic trucking and self-penned road songs.
For the past two years, Joey has hosted his own trucking music event in Nashville in May and will be the featured performer at Expedite Expo 2005 in August.
Competition
The Trucking Rodeo
This event featured a "real world" driving course that tested the basic driving skills of the Panther II drivers. The scoring was by members of the Safety Department.
Fyda Freightliner of Columbus furnished the vehicles used in the competition and provided the prizes.
And the winners were:
Cargo Van - Charles Snowden
Straight Truck - Rich Delelys
Tractor - Harry Crable
The "Pride & Polish" contest
Jeff Brown says, "We've got some great-looking trucks in the Panther II fleet and some proud truck owner-operators."
The event was sponsored and prizes provided by Alumi-Bunk Corporation.
And the winners were
Cargo Vans
Interior - Phillip Fisher
Exterior - Brett Roberts
Best of Class - Brett Roberts
Straight Trucks
Interior - Ron & Kay Reiffer
Exterior - Ron & Kay Reiffer
Best of Class - Ron & Kay Reiffer
Tractors
Interior - Ric & Vesta Kopp
Exterior - Terri Turner
Best of Class - Ed & Michelle King
Best Chrome - Ric & Vesta Kopp
Best Custom Paint - Ron & Kay Reiffer
Best of Show - Ric & Vesta Kopp
Congratulations to all the Pride & Polish winners!
If you were between watching or competing in the previous two events, there was always eating, listening to Joey Holiday, throwing balls over at the dunking booth, chowing down, visiting with friends from the road, pigging out, taking care of paperwork, meeting and talking with the vendors in the garage area...and, of course, there was eating.
Speaking of vendors
Everyone likes shopping, or at least window shopping. Panther II once again arranged to have a number of vendors who displayed their goods and services in the garage area.
This is a popular attraction of the Driver Appreciation Days. You could always find a crowd meandering through the building and checking out the products that they've been meaning to take a look at, but never found the time.
The vendors also provided prizes for the various events of the two-day event.
Among the companies exhibiting were:
Economy Tire of Medina, OH
FYDA Freightliner of Columbus, OH
Northgate Tire of Medina, OH
Nextel Phones
Espar of Michigan
Flying J Travel Centers
Gilchrist Truck Parts of Akron, OH
Leymann Liftgates
TSI Western Star of Jackson, OH
Freightliner of Knoxville, TN
Speedco Truck Lube of Lodi, OH
Deer Pass Golf Course of Seville, OH
XM Radio Distributor Henry Cook
Winner's Choice Lubricants - Distributor of Velocity Products
Interstate Communications
Travel Centers of America
Pre-Pass
Thermo King of Akron, OH
Alumi-bunk of Woodhaven, MI
Panapacific Distribution - a Sirius Satellite Distributor
Hissong Kenworth of Brecksville, OH
OOIDA's NASCAR Simulator - The organization signed up new members
ExpeditersOnline.com
Mid-afternoon of Friday was the time when anxious semi-finalists from the "Service Pays" contest gathered in the big tent to witness the results of the drawing for the big prizes.
These prizes were no less than $5,000.00 travel vouchers from a local travel agency with the choice of destination up to the winners! There were four grand prize winners total - one winner from each truck size and one "second chance" winner.
And those winners were:
Cargo Vans - Charles Craft of Upper Sandusky, OH
Straight Trucks - Thomas Darbro of Redding, CA
Tractors - Larry Grubbs of Perry, FL
"Second Chance" drawing - Joel & Theresa Truesdell
Dan Sokolowski: "We really enjoy giving out these prizes - the motorcycles, the vacation packages and all - because the contractors in the "Service Pays" contest really embody what we value in a contractor - dedication to service. Congratulations to all the winners and thank you."
With the prize awards, the curtain came down on the 2005 Panther II Driver Appreciation Days. The winners of the different events went away happy, no one left hungry and the Panther II contractors and drivers can look back on another great day in the sun in Seville.