NPTC/E.A. Dion Present 2025 Professional Leadership Awards

David Helge, CTP, recently retired Vice President of Maintenance and Safety, Idealease, NPTC Five-Star member company, has twenty-five years of engagement with NPTC including serving on the NPTC Board of Directors and NPTC Board of Governors. For nearly two decades, Dave was the leader of NPTC/Idealease Safety Seminars, which are provided at no charge to NPTC members. In these seminars, he regularly promoted Council programs and services. A graduate of the CTP class of 2005, Dave is a long-standing member of the NPTC Safety Committee and has regularly assisted in the annual selection of Driver Hall of Fame inductees. Over the years, he promoted the CTP program throughout the industry and helped encourage fleet companies to join NPTC. David joined Idealease in 2006 and was promoted to Vice President of Maintenance and Safety the following year. In 2010, he was honored to represent Idealease as Allied Member of the Year. Dave is a graduate of the University of Nebraska at Kearney with a degree in Business Administration.

The recipient of the PRIVATE FLEET EXECUTIVE OF THE YEAR AWARD, John Robbins, CTP, Senior Director, Operations, Standard Logistics, NPTC Five-Star member, has served as a member of the NPTC Board of Directors and the NPTC Institute Board of Governors, the latter representing his employer, Standard Logistics, which was the 2023 Private Fleet of the Year award winner. He serves on the NPTC Benchmarking Advisory Committee and has been a speaker several times at NPTC conferences and other events. He promotes CTP candidates within his company and throughout the industry. John was the subject of a CTP Profile in FleetOwner Newsline and the CTP Insider newsletter. In his current role, John oversees operations for Standard Logistics, GAF’s North America private fleet. He previously worked for Clean Harbors for several years. Earlier in his career, John spent a combined 20 years in the Army and Army Reserves serving as a paratrooper, motor transport operator, trainer and advisor supporting the Global War on Terror.

Beth Mars, CTP, Transportation Capacity Director, Frito-Lay, NPTC Five-Star member, received the PRIVATE FLEET MANAGER OF THE YEAR. She is a distinguished faculty member of the Private Fleet Management Institute, a frequent speaker at NPTC events, and serves on the NPTC Institute Board of Governors. Beth has been a dedicated mentor to CTP candidates and a CTP Exam grader. In her most recent role at PepsiCo Foods North America, she enabled the expansion of the company’s private fleet by establishing new traffic terminals to enhance distribution capacity and service initiatives. She is transitioning to a new role where she will lead teams responsible for maximizing the private fleet’s latent capacity while supplementing the inbound and outbound networks with third party carrier capacity. With 20 years of experience at Frito-Lay, all within the Transportation function, Beth is recognized as a subject matter expert, mentor, and educator for both the transportation field and HQ teams. She earned her CTP designation in 2014 and serves on the partner advisory board for Women in Trucking.

Chris Groce, CDS, Director of Fleet Safety, Unifi Manufacturing, was selected as the PRIVATE FLEET SAFETY PROFESSIONAL OF THE YEAR and is a long-standing supporter of the NPTC Driver Hall of Fame program and member of the NPTC Safety Committee. He took a leading role in helping arrange for an NPTC on-site visit of his company and promoted a follow-up profile article about Unifi Manufacturing in Fleet Owner magazine. For many years, Chris has participated in NPTC conferences and safety events. He has more than 32 years of experience in the transportation industry and previously served as Unifi’s Fleet Operations Manager. Chris served as past chairman of the North Carolina Truck Association Safety and Human Resources Council and past chairman of the NC Truck Driving Championship. Chris is very proud of his team and the fact the Unifi’s private fleet continues to win numerous awards with drivers being inducted into NPTC’s Driver Hall of Fame.

The EXCELLENCE IN MEMBERSHIP—FLEET AWARD recipient is Cassie Wood, CTP, Regional Corrugated and White Paper Transportation Manager, Packaging Corporation of America, NPTC Five-Star member. Cassie serves as a member of both the NPTC Board of Directors and NPTC Institute Board of Governors, is a Faculty Member of the Private Fleet Management Institute, CTP Exam Grader, speaker at Annual Conferences, and member of the Benchmarking Advisory Committee. Cassie has almost twenty years of experience in transportation including six years in management. In her current role, she oversees transportation of some 34 manufacturing plants and helps facilitate relationships between outside carriers and the private fleet, BCT, Inc., which is domiciled at several plants. She earned her bachelor’s degree in business management in 2019 from Boise State University, her OSHA certification, also in 2019, and her CTP designation in 2020.

Thomas Bray, Sr. Industry Business Advisor, J.J. Keller & Associates, Inc., NPTC Five-Star member, received the EXCELLENCE IN MEMBERSHIP—ALLIED AWARD. Tom has served as the expert DOT compliance panel member of the NPTC/J.J. Keller webcast series for the entire 20-year history of the program. Tom is a supporter and promoter of NPTC fleet membership and a frequent participant in NPTC events. Tom specializes in motor carrier safety and operations management and is widely regarded for his expertise in federal and state trucking regulations. Before joining Keller, Tom worked in the trucking industry for 22 years holding positions as driver, driver trainer, safety supervisor, lead instructor, claims manager, and safety director. During his employment in the industry, he was responsible for DOT compliance, policy development, driver human resources, driver training, claims management, and accident and injury prevention.

Tenstreet was selected as the 2025 ALLIED MEMBER OF THE YEAR. Represented by Bryon Wiebold, CTP, Industry Relations, Five-Star member of NPTC, Tenstreet is a platinum-level sponsor of the Annual Conference and a representative on the NPTC Institute Board of Governors. Tenstreet also sponsors the Sustainable Trucking Town Hall series, encourages participation in the CTP program, exhibits at both the NPTC Annual Conference and National Safety Conference, and sponsors the Private Fleet Management Institute and National Safety Conference.