Kevin Burch Elected ATA Chairman as New Slate of Officers Announced
At a banquet a few hours after he was named chairman on Oct. 4, Burch said he respected and admired those who held the position in years past. “I truly feel like I am the right person at the right time to lead this organization,” he said.
Burch has been president of Jet Express since 1990 and a commercial driver license holder since 2008. Under his leadership, Jet has received the Dayton Chamber of Commerce Corporate Partner Award and the John H. Patterson Award.
He has worked in the trucking industry for 44 years and is a former chairman of the Truckload Carriers Association.
“This is an industry filled with wonderful, dedicated professionals — from drivers and dispatchers to salesmen and executives — and I am privileged to represent them all as ATA chairman,” Burch said.
“Kevin has been one of our association’s most vocal and passionate advocates,” ATA President Chris Spear said. “His enthusiasm for trucking and for improving its image is infectious and will serve him and ATA well as chairman.”
Burch succeeds Pat Thomas, senior vice president for state government affairs at UPS Inc., as ATA chairman.
An active member of ATA, Burch is a past chairman of ATA’s Communications and Image Policy Committee and works closely with the LEAD ATA program. He serves as vice chairman of the Trucking Moves America Forward industry image campaign, is on the steering committee of the Dayton Logistics Council, the board of directors of the Dayton Area Chamber of Commerce and is involved in several other community and civic groups, including the Boy Scouts of America and the Miami Valley Regional Planning Commission.
In 2014, Burch won the Mike Russell Trucking Industry Image Award.
He has been enamored with the trucking industry since he was 10, when he swept the docks for his father, who was a terminal manager. “I began to really appreciate the industry that gave our family a livelihood that served America 24/7,” he said.
Second Vice Chairman David Manning, president of TCW Inc., rises to the post of first vice chairman.
Barry Pottle, CEO of Pottle's Transportation, is now the federation’s second vice chairman. He had been one of ATA’s two vice chairmen.
Sherri Garner Brumbaugh, CEO of Garner Transportation Group, remains as the other vice chairman.
Randy Guillot, president of Triple G Express of Jefferson, Louisiana, is new to a top leadership position and joins Brumbaugh as a vice chairman.
Mike Ducker, president of FedEx Freight, remains as the group’s treasurer. John Smith, chairman of CRST International, remains as secretary.
At the group’s closing press conference, Burch said he is eager to tell the nation about the trucking industry and the people who work in it. “We’re 7 million strong. We haven’t done a very good job in telling our story, and I will do so every chance I get,” he said.
Associate News Editor Jonathan S. Reiskin contributed to this story.
