Choptankmedia

Choptank Transport of Preston, Maryland was named “Logistics Partner of the Year” by Feeding America at the recent Food Sourcing and Operations Conference in Chicago, Illinois on August 23 and 24, 2010.

“Being recognized by Feeding America is a great honor for Choptank and our employees,” said Geoff Turner, President and CEO. “Even more gratifying is the fact that our hard work and service directly effects the needs of millions of people across the country, and we are honored to be a part of it.”

Feeding America is the nation’s leading domestic hunger-relief charity, supplying food to more than 37 million Americans annually, 14 million of which are children and 3 million seniors.

Choptank Transport is a full-service transportation provider specializing in truckload, refrigerated/frozen, van, flatbed and LTL freight services. Headquartered in Preston, Maryland, Choptank offers intermodal and warehousing capabilities as well. We have over 25 locations nationwide with over 10,000 carriers and 24/7 dispatch.

David Bruce

Rick Vandegrift

 PRESTON, MD – Choptank Transport is pleased to announce the addition of David Bruce and Rick Vandegrift to the company’s national sales team.

Bruce comes to Choptank Transport with over 20 years of sales experience, the last 10 in the food and beverage industry. Prior to this, Bruce started and managed his own home-based business, Auto-Masters Inc., dealing with the auto industry.  He lives in Laurel, Delaware, with his wife of 25 years and two daughters and a son. 

 “The experience at Choptank has been great so far,” said Bruce. “I know I can go to anyone here if I have a question and get help. I look forward to a long and great career at Choptank.”

Vandegrift has spent his entire life working in sales or customer service. He joins Choptank from Cowan Systems LLC, where he was employed as their driver lease manager. Prior to that, Vandegrift spent over 10 years in sales management at Safety-Kleen.

“I enjoy the sales and service arena and the aspect of helping clients reach their goals,” Vandegrift said. “I have found everyone to be very professional at Choptank Transport and look forward to becoming a serviceable part of the team.”

Choptank Transport’s President, Geoff Turner, along with one other transportation representative, met with 18 Eurasian delegates on Tuesday, June 8, 2010 at the Department of Commerce in Washington D.C.

The purpose of the meeting was to share information regarding industry trends and innovations in the United States. The goal also was to provide American companies an opportunity to be directly involved in Eurasia’s transition to a market-based economy by forming business relationships with professionals from the region.

“This meeting was an excellent opportunity to network with Eurasian logistics professionals who can assist with furthering the reach of the services Choptank can provide,” commented Turner.

Organized by the Special American Business Internship Training program (SABIT) under the umbrella of the U.S. Department of Commerce and the International Trade Administration, the meeting included nine Eurasian countries: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Moldova, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan.

“The visiting delegates seemed especially interested in employee training, tax policies as related to transportation, and ways to make themselves attractive as partners with U.S. companies,” said Turner. Other topics discussed included financial management, procurement of third-party logistic services, and supply chain management.

PRESTON, MD– Choptank Transport has been officially declared one of only seven transportation brokers in the United States to have the distinction of being a 5-Diamond Broker, meeting all performance, credit and bonding requirements of both the Transportation Intermediaries Association and Internet Truckstop®.

The new program is indicative of the size of the surety bond a company carries. A 5-Diamond Broker carries a $250,000.00 surety bond when the law only requires brokers to carry a $10,000 surety bond.

In the freight brokerage business, customers want to know that the broker they have chosen to move their freight is both stable and reliable. Carriers too are concerned with the financial security of the company who has commissioned them to carry the freight. The 5-Diamond Broker designation is a clear indication to both parties that the broker is financially stable and has taken extra steps, above and beyond what is required of them to prove their performance and good credit standing.

Choptank is one of the first transportation companies to become a Diamond Broker, officially joining on April 29, 2010

The U.S.’s eastern shoreline supports a thriving produce market, with fertile land, longtime growers, and bustling growth around our nation’s capital. High demand and plentiful produce make the mid-Atlantic region a hot spot for the fresh fruit and vegetable trade. Read the article …MD, DE and Washington, D.C.

In this months online edition of Growing Magazine, Steve Covey talks about the importance of relationships with produce growers.  Read more ….

A determined and hard working individual, Green was soon promoted to a sales position in January. He has already acquired several new accounts.

“There are a lot of things I like about working at Choptank. I enjoy the variety… facing something new every day. I especially like being able to help customers out when they are in a bind.It’s a challenge, but rewarding.”

Choptank Transport provides transportation to over 150 Feeding America locations.  The Feeding America Network Summit, Unity 2010, took place April 6 – 9 in Lost Pines, Texas.  Choptank Transport was there with a booth display full of information on our company and its services.  There were three representatives from Choptank on site, Geoff Turner (President/CEO), Bill Reynolds (National Sales) and Erin Wheatley (Logistics Coordinator).  Erin was interviewed for an on-site video, “Why is Hunger Unacceptable to You?” Watch the video Why is Hunger Unacceptable to You?

Mo Shearer (L) receives the New Customer Award from Vice President, Steve Covey (R), for bringing on his first new customer since he came on board with Choptank  just a few short weeks ago.

 

Brian Wozny and Julie Church are the latest winners of Choptank’s prestigous President’s Club Award.

President’s Club Honorees are an Elite Group at Choptank. They are personally chosen by the president, Geoff Turner. Honorees are those employees who exemplify the highest level of performance in the industry.

-Superior Service
-Outstanding Growth
-Tenacity
-Enthusiasm
-Integrity
- Synergy

Brian Wozny and Julie Church are this quarter’s reicpients. Past winners include Charlene Keller, Steve Ford, Mike Barry, and Jenny Toomey.  A total of eight honorees (each with a guest) will be treated to a trip to the exclusive Loews Portofino Bay Hotel at Universal Orlando, hosted by Geoff Turner!

Harriet Mills Joins Choptank Transport

Harriet Mills has been appointed as the new Marketing Manager at Choptank Transport.

Mills comes to Choptank Transport with more than 15 years’ experience in the fields of marketing and sales. Prior to joining the Choptank Transport’s team she was the Marketing Manager at JASCO where she handled all advertising and marketing related duties for North and South America as well as heading the global web brand initiative for JASCO worldwide.

“We are very fortunate to find someone of Harriet’s caliber,” said Steve Covey, Vice President of Sales at Choptank Transport. “Her experience will help drive our growth initiatives, and her personality is a wonderful fit in our team culture.”

Mills also has worked at Celeste Industries in Easton and The Bartley Collection in Denton, Maryland.

“I am really excited to come on board with Choptank Transport,” Mills said. “In an economy where everything seems to be slowing down, it is a thrill to walk into a business where the buzz and commotion on the floor is reminiscent of Wall Street.”

Choptank Transport was founded in 1984 as a full-service third party logistics broker specializing in refrigerated and van transportation. Providing transportation solutions throughout the U.S., Canada, and Mexico with over 10,000 carriers under contract and 24-hour dispatch, Choptank Transport is proud to have one of the fastest growth rates in the industry.

Choptank Transport Hires Two Summer Interns

Darren Felix and Margaret Roe have joined Choptank Transport as summer interns.

Darren Felix has joined the company as the Lead Generation Intern. He is a recent graduate of Salisbury University, with a marketing major and Spanish minor. His responsibilities will include generating new leads for the sales team.

Margaret Roe has joined the company as the Sales and Marketing Intern. She is a senior at Salisbury University, with a marketing major and history minor. Her responsibilities will include developing sales media, publicity and advertising, assessing customer and client satisfaction, and exploring the marketing goals and strategy.

This is the second year Choptank Transportation has had summer interns. Last year’s intern, Dan Green, joined Choptank Transportation this January as the Lead Generation Specialist.

Choptank Transport is a full-service freight management company specializing in refrigerated and van transportation. Choptank serves the United States, Canada and Mexico with over 24 locations and over 10,000 carriers under contract. Headquartered in Preston, MD, handling 30,000 shipments annually.

Choptank Transport opens office in Nashville

Courtesy of Chesapeake Publishing

April 29, 2009

Preston-

Choptank Transport announced it has established a Nashville satellite office to support the growing demand for freight management in that area.

“Our business continues to see tremendous growth both with new and exisiting customers. The expansion to Nashville was the next logical step to capitalize on this,” said Geoff Turner, president of Choptank Transport. “The new office will focus on the highly specialized produce market but will support our customers needs for other freight solutions as well.”

General Manager John Drukenmiller, who has 11 year of experience in all phases of produce transportation, will lead the new office.

“John’s extensive knowledge of this business and customer base bring so much to the table for our customers. We are excited about the potential for this operation under his leadership,” Turner said.

Veteran freight broker, Tom King, will coordinate the daily logistics activities for the new office. King is a well-known man in the Nashville transportation community, having worked in the industry and the area for the last 10 years.

Choptank’s new office is the next step of its growth and development plan, developed in 2008 to expand the company.

Choptank currently has more than 25 nationwide brokerage locations throughout the continental U.S.

Choptank Transport is named top Md. Family-owned business

U.S. Small Business Administration honors Preston company

Courtesy of Chesapeake Publishing

April 19,2009

Preston-

Choptank Transport recently learned it has been named the U.S. Small Business Administration’s Maryland Family-Owned Business of the Year, and will accept the award at a ceremony in Woodlawn on May 5.

The award comes a year after Choptank Transport was named the state’s Small Business of the Year by the Maryland Chamber of Commerce, which also nominated Choptank for its latest honor.

To be considered for the awards, the company has to be family owned and operated and have been passed on from one generation to another. Choptank Transport also had to provide financial statements to prove its success as measured by sales and profits, show how it increased employment opportunities for both family members and non-family members, demonstrate its potential for long-term success and economic growth, and show voluntary efforts it has made to strengthen its relationship with the community.

Vice President Steve Covey, who oversees business development and sales, said the company’s employees deserve all the credit.

“The employees here all wear many hats,” Covey said. “This award is all about them.”

Choptank Transport was founded in 1984 by G. Albert Turner after he took over ownership of A.W. Sisk & Son, Caroline County’s oldest exisiting company, which still operates in Preston. Turner is now the chief financial officer for Choptank Transport, and his son, Geoff Turner, is president.

“We’ve been very blessed to have such an intelligent and dedicated staff,” G. Albert Turner said in a press release. “They’re the fuel that’s empowered us to become the successful company we are.”

Geoff Turner said this award, along with the award the company won last year, is proof the company is going in the right direction.

“We believe in our people and we give them the power to make decisions, expand their knowledge and succeed, “ Geoff Turner said in a statement. “This is a proud moment for all of us at Choptank.”

Choptank Transport underwent an image makeover in 2007,  beginning with a new logo and expanding into a completely revamped Web site, a new community outreach foundation, national advertising campaigns, a recycling program and employee health awareness campaigns.

All of this has contributed to the company’s financial success- even in the middle of a recession, the company has posted 30 percent growth each year for the past three years.

Preston man meets Obama

Courtesy of Chesapeake Publishing

April 16, 2009

Preston-

“Lifelong Preston resident and new property owner Clark Harrison’s first home came with two extra incentives- an $8000 first-time homebuyer tax credit and a meeting with President Barack Obama.

Harrison was one of nine taxpayers who stood next to Obama during a press conference at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building on Wednesday during which the president highlighted how stimulus bill tax breaks have helped American people. The press conference took place the same day people protested U.S. tax policy with tea parties, including one outside of the White House.

Harrison, 22, said he had been looking for a home for roughly a year-and-a-half before finding one in Preston. A three-year employee of Choptank Transport, Harrison obtained his mortgage through Easton Bank and Trust and was one of the first Marylanders to receive the $8000 credit, which applies to new homeowners who make their purchase before December of this year.

“That was a once-in-a-lifetime thing,” Harrison said of meeting the president. “I’ll never forget it.”

“He was like any other guy,” Harrison said of Obama, adding that the two shared some laughs when they cracked jokes back-and-forth.

Harrison said he spoke to the president about what he would be able to do with the money he saved.

“Whatever’s left helps me for odds and ends and all,” he said. Besides some home renovations, Harrison said he plans to use the money to install a shop out back, which also will help the economy by giving a contractor work. Harrison said he believes the tax cuts are a great idea and will help turn the economy around.

Harrison first received a call from the White House on Thursday, April 9. Believing it to be a prank call, he hung up, he said. When a woman from the White House called back Friday, April 10 and seemingly knew everything about him, he knew it wasn’t a joke, he said. He got the details earlier this week, then headed to the nation’s capital on Wednesday.

Harrison’s supervisor, Dave Regulski, described him as a “hardworking and intelligent young man,” in a press release. A resident of Preston all his life, Harrison is the son of Skip and Jenny Harrison, who live nearby, as does his brother Grant.

Back at the office in Preston yesterday, Harrison thanked everyone who set up his once-in-a-lifetime rendez-vous. It was great to meet President Obama and be able to shake his hand, Harrison said.

“That was awesome,” Harrison said.