Words from the street
The R.E. Garrison Autism Awareness truck in the loading dock at the Cullman County Department of Human Resources for volunteers to unloaded the gifts. In Alabama, there are over 5,700 kids in the foster care system. On December 13, 2023, a team of baseball players, several volunteers from the Cullman County Department of Human Resources, Sidney Grimmett, and the R.E. Garrison Autism Awareness truck brought over 200 of those kids Christmas gifts back to Cullman. These gifts were the product of "Christmas for the Kids" toy drive hosted by the Kids to Love Foundation in Huntsville, Alabama. Kids to Love was founded in 2004 by Founder and CEO Lee Marshall. Lee Marshall was born into foster care and adopted out of the system at the age of 2. After spending her time in the limelight with 3 Emmy nominations as a journalist and 20 years behind a desk as news anchor, Lee decided to step behind the scenes. After retiring in 2015, Lee set out to launch the Kids to Love center. Since its founding, Kids to Love has been able to foster a love for kids in the system and provide education opportunities for those that otherwise would not have the chance. The Kids to Love "Christmas for the Kids" toy drive was able to provide Christmas gifts for over 2,100 kids spanning across northern Alabama and even counties up into the state of Tennessee. When R.E. Garrison was contacted about transporting the toys using our Autism Awareness truck, there was never a second thought. As the truck and trailer pulled up to the Redstone Arsenal loading location, the trailer began to fill with more than just toys- it began to fill with love, joy, hope, and faith. You see, these are more than just toys to the children that will receive them; they are the opportunity for normalcy in a child's life that might be lacking just that. So, as the big, blue, wrapped truck arrived at the Cullman County Department of Human Resources, and toys were taken from the trailer to be organized and dispersed, a sense of love began to fill the air. Love for the season, love for the reason volunteers had gathered to be there, and most of all, love for the kids. R.E. Garrison hopes to continue to be a part of this tradition for many years to come. The holiday season continues to be a special time of the year at Garrison, and we are dedicated to being the unwavering support our community and communities surrounding us need.
R.E. Garrison Unveils Newest Specialty Truck
Cullman, AL: R.E. Garrison Trucking announces they have successfully purchased trucking company, Boaty’s Transport Inc., located in Jackson, Georgia.
R.E. Garrison Trucking places fifth out of over 100 entries for Five Flashiest Fleets
R.E. Garrison Unveils Newest Specialty Truck
After nearly 26 years from first starting at R.E. Garrison David and Lisa Olsen have put long haul truck driving in their rear view. David started driving in the 1970s on a route to bring fruit to the farmers market in Dallas, Texas. But in 1996, the same year that Wyles Griffith and Donovon Lovell acquired the company, David began his quarter century long career at R.E. Garrison. Lisa met David when she was in high school, but they didn’t start dating until years later. This month, David and Lisa have been married for 37 years. Their large family boasts 6 children and 18 grandchildren. They all live in the same state but are scattered throughout Texas. After high school, David worked in the air conditioning business, but found that advancement was slow and realized that trucking may be his calling, as it was for his father. In the beginning of their time together, David and Lisa homeschooled their children and would carry them along on the road. As the children got older, they realized they needed more room to grow, and Lisa stayed home while David continued on the road. Lisa earned her nursing degree during that time, but after all of their children graduated, she got her CDL, and they officially became a team. Lisa said some of the advantages of being a team is that they get more miles and get to be home more. She attributed some of their happiness with Garrison to their past driver managers, including their current manager, Jeremy Peek. She said, “With the route me are on, we have been able to go back and forth and be home more.” There was a short period of time where David and Lisa left Garrison and worked for another company for a few years. They soon changed their minds and came back after about a year. David attributed the comeback to the honesty he has experience here and said his decision to leave was the biggest mistake of his life. He said, “Trucking companies have a tendency to tell you anything. Garrison has never been one…It has always been an open-door policy.” Some of the couples’ best memories come from the time they spent together on the road. While Lisa’s favorite place to visit is Florida, their trips out to the Pacific Northwest are some of the moments she holds most dear because of the apple picking opportunities and all the unique people they would meet. Lisa said, “I had never been out of Texas until I married David. Now I’ve been to almost every state.” David and Lisa had not announced their retirement at the start of their interview. By the second day, David felt comfortable sharing their future plans. They credit God for their success, and both said that they have always put Him first in everything they do. Each of them is looking forward to the next chapter in their lives. Lisa listed a multitude of different ways they plan to spend their time. She said, “We love fishing. Coming home and relaxing. Taking a cruise. Getting out and doing things together. We like to get out in our pickup and ride around. We love spending time with kids and grandkids.” In the decades that David and Lisa have been involved with trucking they have seen a lot of changes to the industry, but one of the constants is the happiness they have felt with Garrison. In the past few years, the country has started to see the importance of the trucking industry when it comes to all the goods and services it provides. Lisa said that although the public doesn’t have a great understanding of trucking, it is a service in the way that nursing is a service. Lisa said, “All in all, I couldn’t see David and I doing anything else. We thank God every day for the job have we had.”
Someone once said, “Life is what happens when you are busy making other plans.” You can spend your whole life planning for your future, but all that may pass you by if you do not stop every once in a while, to look around. Pam Graham knows firsthand just how precious every small moment can be. She has learned from her son, Carson, who is affected by autism, how to slow down and appreciate the beautiful scenes in life. Pam grew up in West Virginia with her fraternal twin, Alisha. She spent her summers visiting with her grandparents at Smith Lake and graduated with a degree in Applied Science Drafting & Technology from Wallace State Community College. When she moved to Cullman in 2004, she worked at what is now Cross Creek Golf Course where she met her husband, Shane. In 2014, Pam initially came to R.E. Garrison through the billing department. She eventually left the next year to spend more time with Carson. But came back in 2020 as a customer service representative. When asked what brought her back, she cited the environment. She said, “It's like a family. Everyone is so close set.” Pam also says that one of her favorite things about R.E. Garrison is the non-profit established 2018, Garrison Gives Hope. She said, “I believe in what they do. I really have a passion for who they are, and I love this place.” Garrison Gives Hope is not Pam’s only foundation she is passionate about. She is also the board president at Flourish of Cullman, Inc. According to their website, Flourish was opened in 2016 with the purpose of assisting people with disabilities to live and work independently with the help of a support network. The owner of Flourish, Melissa Dew, first reached out to Pam after Carson was diagnosed with autism in 2010 at 13 months old. Back then, Melissa was the therapy coordinator at a local rehabilitation and therapy center. Melissa said, “Pamela and her husband always asked questions and got feedback from lots of individuals to see what was best for him.” Pam said that her son had reached all his milestones at an extremely fast rate and was forming full sentences by his first birthday. About a month later it all suddenly came to a halt. Carson was no longer communicating with his parents, and it was like a curtain had been drawn. After his diagnosis, Pam was just relieved to have answers. She said that she did not spend a lot of time on the “why” and was just focused on figuring out how to help. She said, “As a parent, you just want what’s best for him.” The hardest part of Carson’s diagnoses ultimately has nothing to do with Carson. Pam said that the most difficult obstacle is other people’s lack of understanding. She emphasized how important it is to be patient with strangers and their children in places like the grocery store. “If people could meet and understand him, they would enjoy life more.” Pam said that one time she noticed Carson sitting in the window and instead of dismissing it or moving on to a different task she instead sat down next to him and asked him what he was looking at. He showed her the light shining through the glass causing a rainbow prism. She said “Everything we miss, he sees. You love life when you are with him.”
“Leafing” Through Lauren’s Journey at R.E. Garrison
For Meagan Tucker, trucking is in her blood.
Nathan Wright is the Logistics Manager in Indianapolis and is just as eager to grow R.E. Garrison’s representation in the area as he was to deliver sandwiches as fast as possible in Chattanooga. Throughout college, Wright was driving sandwiches across the city of Chattanooga for Jimmy John’s. Fast forward to 2022 and he is managing a team of people in Indianapolis at one of R.E. Garrison’s logistics offices. After graduating from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga in 2013, Nathan decided it was time to get a “real job”. When Nathan walked into his interview at the brand-new Chattanooga office, he noticed how empty it was and remarked that there were approximately three people. It was only onwards and upwards after that interview. Nathan said he immediately saw the opportunity that was being provided to him and wanted to take advantage of it. He said, “It has been a wild few years.” Quickly, he was promoted to pod team leader and then team leader. The Chattanooga office now has nearly 50 employees and is looking to hire at least 20 more this year. In 2019, another opportunity presented itself with the new office in Indianapolis. Nathan said, “The reason I committed to moving 400 miles north is the fact that we all care for each other.” That partnered with the fact that he had a family a few miles down the road in Lafayette was a no-brainer for Nathan. Despite 2020 coinciding with COVID and opening the Indianapolis office, Nathan was still able to grow to nineteen brokers by the end of 2021 and has set a goal of thirty before the end of this year. Nathan is most excited about the growth coming R.E. Garrison’s way. Year over year, his office has grown 500% and his expectations are high for 2022. With all the tangible growth Nathan has created he said that his proudest moments with R.E. Garrison are the ones that are not read on company emails. Nathan said he feels the best when someone on his team is financially able to buy their first home or a new car. He says his goal is to always present others with the same opportunities he was given. Nathan’s advice to those in his beginning role is to trust that the hard work will pay off. “I never wavered. I trusted that if I came in and worked hard, I’d be successful.” In his final words, he seamlessly references R.E. Garrison’s fourth core value, “Own It, Fix It, Move On.” Nathan said, “If I made a mistake, I learned from it.”