Prior to joining Averitt, Kendall Painter was in another job known for its bright red trucks – she spent seven years as a firefighter in her hometown of Sumpter, SC. But the charm of hometown living eventually grew thin. So in 2016 she and her spouse made the move to Nashville. Since large metro fire departments typically open the hiring process only once or twice a year, she found herself in need of a bridge job. That’s when she got a friendly suggestion from somewhere very close to home. “My father-in-law actually works for Averitt,” she says. “He asked, ‘Why not come work here? If you enjoy it, stay with it. If not, wait ‘til the fire department is hiring and go from there.’ And I’ve been here ever since.” Although she started on the dock, leadership quickly saw her potential. “[Former Service Center Director] Tony Brown gave me the rundown of all the different things I could do at Averitt. Leadership really pushed me to move up. So I completed the Dock-to-Driver Program, and now I’m a city driver.” She’s also active on the recruiting front. “I have a whole spiel for that,” she says. “I have drivers come up to me all the time and ask me about working for Averitt. I tell them it’s a great place to work. The amount of professionalism at every level – it gives you a real sense of pride. It’s one of the reasons we have so many 20-, 30-plus year people. Because we all enjoy being here.” Still, one recruiting story stands out from the rest. “I delivered to a funeral home one day, and the director pulled me aside. I wasn’t sure what was going on at first. But he told me he’d been a funeral home director for 25 years and was ‘tired of death.’ He was looking for something else. A few months later he got his license and ultimately got hired by Averitt on the Nissan account.” It’s only natural to wonder what someone did before signing on with Averitt. And Steven Jean’s story is as amusing as it is unique. “Well,” he says, “I was a baby.” While that may be an exaggeration, it’s only a slight one – he just celebrated his 34th year with the company. “I started when I was in college, studying architectural drafting. I applied to Averitt to work on the dock part time. Well, it turned out the guy who interviewed me, [former Service Center Director] Tony Brown, was coaching my little brother in baseball. So I took my brother to baseball practice trying to score some brownie points. Tony came over to the fence and we talked some more, then he said, ‘Come on down to the office tomorrow. I’m going to give you a job.’ That’s how it started – working a split shift on the dock in Fayetteville, TN. And 34 years later, here I am.” When asked what’s kept him here so long, he doesn’t hesitate. “The way Averitt treats associates,” he says. “They care about you. You’re not just a number working to make the big guy more money.” He also sees the Winner’s Circle put into action every day. “Averitt takes care of us, we take care of our customers. It’s just a complete circle of happiness.” Given his time with the company, he has a unique view of Averitt’s distinctive red uniforms. “Red wasn’t originally the color for Averitt,” he says. “I’ve been through the blue button-ups, the buttoned-down collars, the navy pull-overs. But when they went with the red, it really separated us from the rest.” He adds, “And I’m a Georgia Bulldog fan, so red’s my favorite color.” He also appreciates how the uniform contributes to a professional appearance. “When we walk into a customer’s location, we look like somebody. We’re no secondhand transportation company. We’re top- notch. We look good, we provide good service. Our numbers speak for themselves. Fifty-plus years and still going strong. And getting stronger every day.”
KENDALL PAINTER City Driver
STEVEN JEAN City Driver
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