Opinion: Influential Women in Trucking
By Ellen Voie
President and CEO
Women In Trucking Association Inc.
This Opinion piece appears in the March 19 print edition of Transport Topics. Click here to subscribe today.
Women now comprise more than half the working population and are visible in management and professional careers, and yet they still represent less than 4% of Fortune 500 CEOs, according to Catalyst, a nonprofit organization concerned with expanding opportunities for women in business.
While the trucking industry historically has been a male-dominated environment, it’s evident that we are moving forward in leveraging the great talent of women in leadership roles:
• Last year, a woman became chairman of American Trucking Associations for the first time when Barbara Windsor, president and CEO of Hahn Transportation, held the position.
• Anne Ferro is now the second woman to head the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.
• Deborah Hersman is the first woman to chair the National Truck Safety Board.
• Judy McReynolds is CEO of Arkansas Best Corp., one of the largest publicly traded trucking companies in the country.
Women in the trucking industry are becoming more visible and more welcome as leaders, and for the second consecutive year, the Women In Trucking Association, with the support of Navistar Inc., has highlighted these achievements by honoring women who are role models and pioneers in the trucking industry.
The idea for the Influential Woman in Trucking Award originated with Phyllis Cochran, president of Navistar’s Parts Group and a pioneer herself. Cochran, who also serves on the Women In Trucking Association’s board of directors, felt it was time for the organization to identify and honor a woman whose accomplishments shine both in her professional career and as an advocate for women in the trucking industry.
Cochran noted that the automotive world has recognized women’s contributions for years now, and there were just as many admirable women demonstrating leadership within the trucking industry.
This year’s Influential Woman in Trucking is Joyce Brenny, who began her career in 1980 driving a truck and is now president and CEO of Brenny Transportation Inc. and Brenny Specialized Inc.
Brenny is chairwoman of the Minnesota Trucking Association — the first woman to hold that title. She also serves on the Women In Trucking Association Scholarship Foundation and has been an active member of the organization.
Along with her husband, Todd, Brenny launched Brenny Transportation in 1996. When the company was launched, they had six employees — five of whom were female. Since then, the business has grown to become a $15 million carrier with 100 employees. In fact, it was one of those employees, Bonnie Supan, who along with two other people, nominated her boss for the award.
As Supan stated in her nomination: “I personally started working with Joyce 18 years ago. [She] made the decision to give women the opportunity to be in this industry, so she hired women!”
This year, the judges for the Influential Woman of the Year Award had to study more than 100 nominations — but in the end, Joyce Brenny was their unanimous choice for the top honor.
There were three finalists, however, and I’m glad to have the chance to talk about the other two because they also are exceptional role models.
Sandra Ambrose-Clark is president of ESJ Enterprises in Cincinnati and is a founding member of ESJ Freight Management, along with her mother, Eva, and her late father, Jake. Ambrose-Clark travels extensively to speak about transportation issues and has served on the USA Regional Chamber’s small-business advisory board, the Transportation Intermediaries Association board and the Women’s Business Enterprise Council in the Southeast.
As I noted earlier, the other finalist, Judy McReynolds, is president and CEO of Arkansas Best Corp. (ABF Freight System Inc.), Fort Smith, Ark. She was promoted to this post in 2009 and is the first woman to hold that position in the company’s 89-year history. McReynolds first joined the carrier in 1997 as the director of corporate accounting. She serves on the ATA board of directors and its executive committee and also is a board member with the American Transportation Research Institute.
The award this year was the second to honor an influential woman in trucking. The first such award was given last year to another extraordinary woman — Rochelle Bartholomew, CEO of CalArk International. Under her direction, that company has more than tripled its revenue. Bartholomew continues to serve our industry and is active with American Trucking Associations, the Truckload Carriers Association and the Arkansas Trucking Association.
Selecting the winner this year was not an easy task for the three of us responsible for making that decision. Howard Abramson, publisher and editorial director of Transport Topics, and Rochelle Bartholomew helped me to judge the entries. The candidates considered for the award included some of the most accomplished women in the trucking industry, making it extremely difficult to choose three finalists and, ultimately, one winner.
The Women in Trucking Association and Navistar are proud to honor Joyce Brenny as the 2012 Influential Woman in Trucking. As more women move into leadership positions within the trucking industry, the task of narrowing down the list of candidates will become even more difficult in the future. But in my opinion, that’s a wonderful obstacle to overcome — for all of us.
The Women In Trucking Association, Plover, Wis., was established to encourage the employment of women in the trucking industry, promote their accomplishments and minimize obstacles they face.
