IN MEMORIAM
Tank truck industry leader John Groendyke dies at 81 By Keiron Greenhalgh Staff Reporter
Former ATA chairman John Wren dies at 80 By Noël Fletcher Staff Reporter
John Groendyke, former Groendyke Transport chair- man and CEO and a past chairman of National Tank Truck Carriers, died June 13. He was 81. Groendyke became chairman and CEO at the Enid, Okla.-based company upon the death of his father, Har- old, who founded the carrier in 1932. Over the next couple of decades, Groendyke trans- formed the company and its culture — building on the pre- and post-deregulation accomplishments of his father — to create a tank truck carrier with a national footprint. The company expanded largely through organic growth during Groendyke’s time as its top executive, according to current CEO Greg Hodgen, who is Groendyke’s son-in-law. “He had a vision of what he wanted Groendyke Trans- port to be transformed into,” said Hodgen, who first met his future father-in-law in 1989. “And he started hiring people that could do that. One of the things that was good about John was he wasn’t hard to help. He could take ad- vice from people. He would seek out counsel of people that he thought could give him good input. And I think they helped him shape the company for the future.” Safety and service were key to Groendyke’s vision. Gro- endyke introduced a formal Deming quality management system among other developments. The second-generation owner of the company also sought to understand what was happening across all parts of the business. One of Groendyke’s sayings was that “the best fertilizer for a farmer’s land are his footprints,” according to Hod- gen, reflecting his belief that the best way to know what’s going on in a business is to go out among employees, visit terminals and see the trucks. “He loved equipment,” said Hodgen, who is also chair- man of American Trucking Associations. “He wanted to talk to the mechanics. ‘Hey, tell me, we bought this truck and we expected to do this. Tell me what it’s like to work on it.’ Talk to the driver: ‘Tell me what it’s like to drive this truck.’ He wanted to know because he wanted them to have the right tools to be successful.” It was an ethos that never left Groendyke, even after he handed over day-to-day responsibilities to Hodgen in 2001. Groendyke continued to come into the company’s head office — he remained chairman of the board — even as he managed other enterprises, including an antique car busi- ness and ranches. He would visit employees’ desks, ask- ing how members of a particular team were doing a task,
John E. Wren, who made an enduring impact on the indus- try in Minnesota and nationwide, died June 16. He was 80. John Hausladen, president and CEO of Minnesota Trucking Association, remembered Wren as “a giant among leaders” in the state. “From humble beginnings, he led the growth of a major regional less-than-truckload carrier. He played a major role in the life of the Minnesota Trucking Association, leading it through some of its most challenging times. When there was ever a battle to fight or cause needing support, he was there,” Hausladen recalled. Wren’s influence on trucking was expansive. He served as MTA chairman from 1990-92 and became the first Min- nesotan to become chairman of American Trucking Associ- ations from 1998-99. Born and raised in Lakeville, Minn., he died in Lake Elmo surrounded by Mary, his wife of 58 years; children, Jennifer (Michael) Dolezal, Joseph (Kellee) Wren, Julianne (David) Wynia and John O’Neill Wren. H also is survived by grandchildren, great-grandchildren and other family members. He was preceded in death by his parents Vincent and Wilhelmina; and brothers Steve and Charles Wren and sister Genny Ringeisen.
John Groendyke (Groendyke Transport)
empowering them and illustrating the ownership team’s engagement, according to Hodgen. “He was a collector of relationships,” he said. “He valued getting to know people — knowing something about them and them knowing something about him — and so the relationships that are around today even after his passing are a tribute to how he valued people, and that bodes well for a family business. It’s made us very successful.” Outside the family business, Groendyke was a collector of antique cars, watches and shotguns as well as an avid outdoorsman, rancher and conservationist. He served as an Oklahoma wildlife commissioner for 44 years — the longest tenure in United States history, according to an obituary from Ladusau-Evans Funeral Home & Crematory — and worked with The Nature Conservancy to protect the state’s landscapes. Groendyke also served as chairman and member of the board of directors for the Grand National Quail Club and Foundation, helping pioneer the annual Grand National Quail Hunt in his hometown. Born in Enid, Groendyke lived much of his life in his birth state, earning a bachelor’s degree from Oklahoma State University and a law degree from the University of Oklahoma. He was inducted into the Oklahoma Hall of Fame and the OSU Hall of Fame and received the Lifetime Achieve- ment Award from NTTC in 2024. Groendyke is survived by his wife, Virginia; children Shawn, Melanie, Hayden and Tucker; 12 grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren.
John E. Wren (Courtesy of Minnesota Trucking Association)
Wren graduated from Lakeville High School and at- tended St. Cloud State University. In 1964, he joined the U.S. Army and served as a paratrooper in the 101st Air- borne Division in Vietnam from 1966-67. In 1979, Wren became president and CEO of Lakeville Motor Express, which was founded by his father in 1921. He grew the company from 10 employees into one of the region’s premier LTL carriers with more than 500 trucks at its peak. He sold Lakeville Motor Express in 2009 and re- tired, enjoying time with his wife in Minnesota and winter- ing in Arizona. The Wren Plan MTA recalled Wren also chaired the member commit- tee that developed the influential “Wren Plan” that signifi- cantly reshaped ATA’s membership dues structure. “John’s dedication, leadership and commitment to ad- vancing the trucking industry will be remembered by gen- erations of trucking professionals,” MTA stated. Hausladen said, “I’m personally grateful for his leader- ship as he served on the search committee that allowed me the opportunity to lead this organization for the past 30 years.” Wren was a lifetime member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars and served as Lakeville Post 210 commander for two years.
Transport Topics • July 2026, Issue 1 23
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