NPTC/E.A. Dion Present 2024 Professional Leadership Awards

ARLINGTON, VA – At its Annual Educational Management Conference in Orlando, April 21-23, 2024, the National Private Truck Council (NPTC) and award program sponsor, E.A. Dion, recognized several private fleet professionals and an Allied/Vendor member company for their impressive contributions to the private fleet community. “Since 1990, these Professional Leadership Awards have honored individuals and companies which have positively impacted NPTC and the industry,” stated Gary Petty, NPTC President and CEO. “We extend our thanks and appreciation to the 2024 award winners.”

The Council’s top award, the Dan Smith Lifetime Achievement Award, was presented to Chuck Amen, CTP, Corp. Transportation Ops. Manager, Hillyard, Inc. Chuck has more than 30 years of transportation experience.  He began employment with Hillyard in 2001 and currently oversees a private fleet that delivers to 29 distribution centers and more than100 independent distributors in 48 states; Chuck has been actively engaged with NPTC for over 15 years and obtained his CTP designation in 2008. He is a long-standing supporter of the CTP program and has encouraged and mentored many others to go through the Private Fleet Management Institute and Certified Transportation Professional (CTP)® programs. He is a frequent speaker at the NPTC Annual Conference, National Safety Conference, and Keller webcast series. Chuck was elected to the NPTC Board of Directors in 2014, the Executive Committee as Board Secretary in 2020, and Board Chair in 2022.

The Private Fleet Executive of the Year Award goes to John Gillenwater, CTP, Vice President of Fleet Operations and CSO at HC Transport. He started working in transportation, logistics, warehousing and driving 35 years ago. John has been with HC Transport/Home City Ice since 2017.  Earlier in his career, John managed the private fleet of Gates Corporation as the Corporate Transportation Manager and was with Aurora Casket Company as Logistics Operations Manager. John has a Lean Supply Chain Professional Certificate from Georgia Tech, Bachelor and Master of Science degrees from Northern Kentucky University, and served for 11 years in the U.S. Army. He earned his CTP designation in 2010 and serves as a member of the NPTC Board of Directors. John and his staff participate as speakers at NPTC events and support the PFMI and CTP programs.

Recognized as the Private Fleet Manager of the Year was Keith McWilliams, CTP, Director of Compliance for Performance Food Group. He served in prior transportation leadership roles at Core-Mark and the Kellogg Company, Director of Transportation for Batesville Casket, and various roles with Perrier Group of America/Nestle Waters. Keith served as an officer in the United States Marine Corps (11 years Active and 11 Reserve) before retiring at the rank of Major. Keith obtained his CTP in 2008 and has served on the NPTC Board of Directors. Over the years, he has encouraged and mentored numerous individuals at several companies to go through the PFMI and CTP programs.

Ed Reardon, CTP, EHS Fleet Safety & Compliance Manager, CF Logistics, division of Giorgi Companies was honored as the Private Fleet Safety Professional of the Year.  Ed started his career as an OTR truck driver and decided after 22 years to complete his college education. After graduation, Ed began his management and logistics career as a fleet manager and contract trainer. In his current role, Ed works with the management teams of various units of the company to guide them toward a mindset of safety and compliance to create a safety culture. Ed is very proud of the Registered Apprenticeship that was developed at his location which is used as a model for drivers being hired at the company. He served in the United States Coast Guard with honors and commendations, holds a Class A- CDL license, and is a Certified Smith System Driving Instructor. Ed earned his CTP designation in 2022, is a frequent speaker at NPTC events, and was elected to the NPTC Board of Directors in 2024.

A supply chain and logistics professional for over 30 years, Steven Roberts, CTP, Manager, Fleet Operations, Deseret Transportation, was recognized with the NPTC Excellence in Membership Award (Fleet). Steven has worked over two decades at Deseret Transportation which is the private fleet owned by The Church of the Latter-day Saints.  Steven’s responsibilities have included information systems, asset management, strategic planning, maintenance, regulatory compliance, fuel storage and safety. Steven earned a B.S. degree in chemical engineering and an MBA from Brigham Young University. He completed his CTP in 2020, serves as a member of the NPTC Board of Directors, is a PFMI Faculty member, and has given presentations at NPTC’s Annual Conference and National Safety Conference. Steven and Deseret were featured in a Fleet Owner Private Fleet Column article. Steven was profiled in CTP INSIDER newsletter.

Kat Jones, Chief Marketing Officer, Fleet Advantage, received the NPTC Excellence in Membership Award (Allied). Fleet Advantage is an NPTC-Five Star member company with Kat recognized and respected as one of the top executive leaders and key influencers in the private fleet trucking industry. She has received numerous awards for her professional accomplishments and contributions to charitable organizations. For the past eight years, she has been an invaluable member of the NPTC Annual Conference Planning Committee and has participated in every Annual Conference for ten consecutive years. Highly regarded for her knowledge and dedication to the industry, Kat has helped shape subject matter content and networking of conference workshops and seminars by recruiting outstanding fleet expert practitioners as speakers.  She strongly supports the PFMI and CTP programs and encourages colleagues at her company to participate.

The Allied Member of the Year Award was presented to J.J. Keller & Associates, Inc., which is the nation’s leading provider of fleet compliance and safety products and services. With more than 2,000 associates, Keller serves more than 600,000 customers including 90% of Fortune 500 companies. A long-standing Five-Star member of NPTC, Keller is the official sponsor of the Council’s Certified Transportation Professional (CTP)® program; sponsor of the NPTC/Keller annual webcast series on fleet management and safety compliance, and sponsor of NPTC’s CTP INSIDER quarterly newsletter. Keller is a regular exhibitor at NPTC events and a Platinum Sponsor of the Council’s Annual Conference and Trade Show.

About NPTC
Founded in 1939, the National Private Truck Council is the only national trade association exclusively representing the interests of the private truck industry and corporate/business private truck fleet management. With an actively engaged leadership team of Board representatives, member volunteers and staff, NPTC in the past decade has grown significantly to serve a rising professional class of private fleet practitioners meeting the challenges of modern corporate transportation. NPTC is the leading learning resource center, government affairs advocate, and business networking culture for America’s top private fleet and supplier member companies.  The Council produces benchmarking, best practices, and economic data reports on the private fleet market; administers the highly regarded Certified Transportation Professional (CTP) training program, and conducts some of the most successful events in the trucking industry including the Annual Education Management Conference and Exhibition, the Private Fleet Management Institute, and the National Safety Conference. For more information about the Council’s activities and programs, visit our website at nptc.org.

About E. A. Dion
A member of the NPTC Board of Governors, E. A. Dion, Inc. was founded in 1968 by Edward Dion Sr., and originally called The Dion Manufacturing Company.  Despite its growth, the company remains a family business. Edward “Ted” Dion Jr. joined the business in 1980, and in 1983 his brother Dennis entered the business.  Selling strictly through its distributor partners, E. A. Dion is a fully integrated manufacturer of precious and non-precious rings, pins, badge holders, and other jewelry awards. Its highly skilled design team can bring any vision to life, and our caring factory team is committed to executing outstanding products.  Dion’s global sourcing capability and a successful presence in the recognition, promotional products, and direct selling/multi-level marketing markets make it a leader in custom award jewelry.