STEEPED IN OUR CULTURE
Longtime City Driver Focuses On Safety, Refers Family To Join Our Team If there’s anyone who’s steeped in the Averitt culture, it’s Memphis city driver BURNELL JONES BURNELL JONES. Burnell was a Day 1 associate at Memphis in 1984, and since that time he’s referred several family members to Averitt, accomplished some incredible safe-driving milestones, and has been a proud member of Averitt Cares for Kids and its support of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. FAMILY ATMOSPHERE Burnell has been very active in referring People Like You over the years. In fact, several members of his family have joined our team; Burnell’s son and nephew are part of our operations, his cousin is a Truckload driver, and his grandson is also a driver. “We all communicate,” Burnell says. “When I pass them on the dock, I’ll talk with them. And in the evening, I see my cousin and we’ll talk. Just family talk. We just try to do our job at Averitt. And I always tell them, ‘Averitt is a good place to work. If you can’t work for Averitt, you can’t work anywhere.’ And that’s the truth.” Burnell says there’s a simple reason for his decision to stay with the Big Red team for 39 years. “Averitt is a wonderful place to work,” he says. “There’s no pressure. My leadership and I all get along. It’s just a great place to work and make your career.” A SPECIAL CONNECTION During his career, Burnell has seen firsthand how our team makes a difference through Averitt Cares for Kids and our special relationship with St. Jude. He was among the group of associates who presented one of our first donation checks to the hospital. And more recently, through the relationships he’s built with the workers at the St. Jude warehouse, he was asked to make our special delivery of Play-Doh for the hospital’s patients. One reason those connections hit home is because of challenges Burnell had to overcome in his own childhood. “I was born with polio and had it until I was about 4 years old,” Burnell explains. “I had to wear braces, so that touched me. My mother and father never gave up on me. I wore the braces, and my legs straightened out, and that was a blessing. So I understand some of what they’re going through.”
Memphis city driver BURNELL JONES has been with Averitt for about 39 years and is a shining example of our culture.
DOING THINGS THE RIGHT WAY Burnell also understands how to do things the right way. He’s logged nearly 40 years of safe driving, and he attributes that to two things – taking his time, and being aware of his surroundings. “Time is very important,” he says. “If you take your time, be patient and don’t get in a hurry, you can go a long way. Look at your surroundings. I just take my time on everything. Everybody I meet when they get hired at Averitt, I go up to them and tell them, ‘Take. Your. Time. If you’ll take your time, you’ll stay here.’ ” T m
TEAMING UP TO DELIVER JOY Associates Collect Play-Doh For Donation To St. Jude
Our Region 2 teams recently helped deliver joy to the patients of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. They teamed up to collect thousands of pounds of Play-Doh, and Memphis city driver BURNELL JONES made the final delivery to the St. Jude warehouse. This Play-Doh donation helps ensure the children of St. Jude will have the opportunity to simply be a kid while they’re battling serious illnesses. It’s also an outstanding example of the difference all of us can make when we team up to help others. To see a special video on how the St. Jude Play-Doh donation became a reality, scan the QR code or visit InsideAveritt.com/PlayDoh2022. T m
Louisville operations manager JIMMY HOSKINS loads a box of Play-Doh as part of a special donation to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
David Fisher
Chattanooga Chattanooga Atlanta East
David Prosch Tom Walker David Woodard Harold Wright
Jacksonville
NEW LEADERS Jackie Whitehead Service Center Director TRI-CITIES
RETIREES Thank you for your service to our team! Johnny Andrews Atlanta West Joseph Bray Atlanta East
Richard Forsythe
Louisville
Paul King Tony Lands
Dallas Dallas
Louisville Corporate
Jim Peak
COMMUNITY CHALLENGE matters
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