CONGRATS TO THE GRADS

Prime teamed up with Bethel University to offer a special leadership training program to Prime associates. At the end of 2022, the rst class of Prime graduates completed the program. Here’s what some of them learned and how the program has helped them already.

BY ETTIE BERNEKING

Frank Wentz

What was the most important thing you learned that has helped you professionally? There were a few courses that taught me to think like a leader. learned to think critically and to consider every aspect of any decision make.

How did you balance your education at Bethel with your work/family schedule? alancing my schedule was difficult. The ethel program too a lot of time that would have normally spent with my family. Hats off to my wife for putting up with me spending so much time in the basement writing essays.

Brent Crawford

What was the most important thing you learned that has helped you professionally? One of the most important things have learned that has helped me professionally, is to look at problems from every angle and to keep the big picture in mind.

What was something you struggled with early on in the program? had been out of school for close to 15 years, and it was clear that my writing skills were rusty at first ut once had a few papers under my elt it ecame much easier to write papers and complete my assignments.

Roxann Dunmire

What did you hope to learn through the Bethel program? wanted to gain a better understanding of business and improve communication skills.

How do you think the program will help you in your job at Prime? have a better understanding of supply chain and logistics now. This helps with understanding how management and leadership works at Prime.

What did it feel like to finish the program and gather for the awards ceremony? It was awesome! It was nice to be able to meet the classmates attended class with.

Nicholas Wills

What did it feel like to finish the program and gather for the awards ceremony? felt very accomplished. never wanted to go to collage because was not a big fan of school. But over the years, saw education would be necessary for a management position. When this program was offered knew it was a great opportunity

What was the most important thing you learned that has helped you professionally? The most important thing learned was how to balance my time and to make “list” of how to proceed with different tasks t helps me deal with others more and understand different perspectives. llow yourself plenty of time to complete the homewor correctly. hen we finished the program had a sense of accomplishment. finished something never thought could do. am the first in my family with any ind of education past a high school diploma. y greatest improvement was to spend more time managing people instead of the day to day tas at hand. normal day in the shop can ring many challenges and uic ly noticed the positive results. ssociates provided with all the support needed will in return act as a well oiled machine. aron eeders ow did yo alance yo r ed cation at ethel with yo r work family sched le? work night shifts, so that worked really well. was already used to staying up all night.

What did you hope to learn through the program? was looking forward to learning more about management.

How did you balance your education at Bethel with your work/family schedule?

That was the most difficult part of the whole thing. Time management, have a full-time job and 2-yearold at home so was stretched thin for some time. t was all worth it loo ing ac now.

What advice do you have for someone at Prime who is thinking of going through the program? would tell them to go for it and get a good computer for at home not a laptop li e had.

What was the most important thing you learned that has helped you professionally? learned something from each course too ut would say the most important thing is to remain open to new points of view.

How do you think the program will help you in your job at Prime?

What advice do you have for someone at Prime who is thinking of going through the program?

How do you think the program helps you at Prime?

The s ills learned while ta ing the classes will help me e a etter manager if the opportunity arises. t taught me pro lem solving s ills and how to wor with people that have different personalities. t also taught me several computer s ills that had never used before.

What did it feel like to finish the program and gather for the awards ceremony?

What did you hope to learn through the program?

My main goal was to walk away with a better understanding of how great leaders present themselves while providing great support to associates. often witness e ceptional managers starting with Robert all the way down.

What was the most important thing you learned?

What was the most important thing yo learned that has helped yo professionally?

We took a class that was about the steps your brain takes when you process something and how you can use that knowledge to change your habits. We talked about developing patience in wor con icts and it showed you how to develop patience and uild that into a ha it

Kyle Goodman

How do you think the program will help you in your job at Prime?

This program has already been a huge help. It has helped me tremendously with my communication skills, and it has helped me with time management skills cott ishop ow did yo alance yo r ed cation at ethel with yo r work family sched le? The online option worked great because was able to keep working full-time and do classwork during my time off. stin edmon ichael rooke ow did yo alance yo r ed cation at ethel with yo r work family sched le? ow has the program helped yo at yo r o ? have a better understanding of supply chain and logistics now. This helps with understanding how management and leadership wor s at Prime. ow did yo alance yo r school work with yo r work family sched le? t was hard at first ut made a schedule of what my family was doing and then plugged in when could get my school wor done.

What did it feel like to finish the program and gather for the awards ceremony? never went to college after high school; it was just straight to work. So, when given the opportunity to take these courses with Bethel, was ecstatic to say the least. was so incredibly proud of myself for something never thought could do while working full-time.

How do you think the program will help you in your job at Prime?

The courses were relevant to the type of wor we do. t was eneficial to thin a out all the moving parts of a trucking company within the industry.

What did yo hope to learn thro gh the ethel program? was hoping to further my career, and anytime can learn something in my job, that’s a plus.

What was the most important thing yo learned that has helped yo professionally? learned how to be a better leader by understanding how a company like Prime works.

What was something yo str ggled with early on when in the program?

The hardest part was setting my schedule to do homework and discussions. started doing chunks of work at certain times. spaced it out to give myself time and not be overwhelmed.

What was the most important thing yo learned that has helped yo professionally? wanted to get a better understanding of Microsoft programs like Excel and Word.

It wasn’t always easy. You’re working a full-time job, going to school, and for many of us, we have families. would usually wake up early on my days off to do assignments.

What ad ice do yo ha e for someone who is thinking of going thro gh the program? Be prepared to spend several hours a week completing coursework.

What was the most important thing yo learned that has helped yo professionally? would say learning time management con ict resolution and most importantly learning more about how to use computer programs more efficiently.

What ad ice do yo ha e for someone at rime who is thinking of going thro gh the program? would tell them to do it and, most importantly, to finish it. hether you are already in a management position or trying to move up to one, you will learn something you didn’t already now.

What did yo hope to learn thro gh the program? had the chance to go to school when was a lot younger ut passed up on that to follow my heart. got married right out of high school and gave up the free ride to go to school. This was my chance to prove that could have made it through college.

What ad ice do yo ha e for someone at rime who is thinking of going thro gh the program?

All the courses are online, but sometimes you’ll need to dedicate three to four hours a night to it. o plan ahead and ma e sure you don’t run yourself too late.

What s the est skill yo learned at ethel? ow to use cel and ord.

What was the most important thing yo learned that has helped yo professionally? earning the usiness side of the company. came from working in the shops and gained oor e perience. aving nowledge on how the internals work behind the curtain has helped me tremendously.

What ad ice do yo ha e for someone at rime who is thinking of going thro gh the ethel program? o it. aving a company that loo s after their employees and is willing to push you and wants you to succeed... ot many companies have opportunities li e this for their employees.

Cody Sederburg

What did you hope to learn through the Bethel program? was looking to improve my leadership skills, but what learned was way more than just that. learned how to manage time as well as how to manage people in a way that is more efficient and effective than what have thought of or seen prior to eginning this program. What was the most important thing you learned that has helped you professionally? The skills of communicating and the ability to manage time to complete the tasks that are given to me.

Steven Keeney ow did yo alance yo r ed cation at ethel with yo r work family sched le? don’t have free time, so had to make time. I’m actually still enrolled in school and am getting my bachelors. already had two associate degrees, but this was a no-brainer.

What did you hope to learn through the Bethel program?

I’m a trailer rebuild mechanic, and wanted to advance my career, so any knowledge could gain could help me move up.

Trevor Aldridge

What was the most important thing you learned that has helped you professionally? Understanding and using positive emotional intelligence. Having all the knowledge in the world is useless when used poorly or to disparage others.

What did it feel like to finish the program and gather for the awards ceremony? The journey itself is what was most rewarding to me. learned that as long as you have dedication and commitment, you can achieve anything you set your mind to.

Timothy Viti

What was the most important thing you learned that has helped you professionally? onestly the most important s ill learned was icrosoft ffice and how to etter navigate the different programs. When graduated high school, we were only taught typing skills.

What did it feel like to finish the program and gather for the awards ceremony? felt an extreme sense of happiness. always said if had a chance at going back to school for a degree certificate would ta e full advantage and try my hardest to carry it out.

Cody Atteberry

What did you hope to learn through the Bethel program?

As a leader, it is important for us to be able to grow personally as well as professionally. To be a leader in any industry the ability to learn or grow is a must.

How do you think the program will help you in your job at Prime?

The Bethel Program provides you with the tools to learn about supply chains in which Prime operates. It teaches you how to manage Excel as well as various accounting techniques and even how to interact with your peers and the folks you manage on a day-to-day basis.

Prime’s Technician Advisory Board kicks off its second year in 2023, and already it has succeeded in problem solving. Now, it’s ready to grow.

BY SONIA GUZMAN

Prime’s Technician Advisory Board was formed nearly a year ago after Director of Fleet Management Kevin Bergman noticed a disconnect between tech nicians and management at Prime. Mirrored after the Driver Advisory Board, the Technician Advisory Board is meant to create transpar ency and open up communication between Prime technicians around the country and upper manage ment at head uarters in pringfield Missouri.

Bergman describes the previous communication gap as a “bad game of telephone.” By the time a message reaches the end of the line, many im portant details have been lost. “We wanted to improve communication and give our technicians information straight from the horse’s mouth,” Bergman explains. “It’s important to us to reaffirm that the shops are moving in a good direction, and any changes we make are for their better ment.” Better communication isn’t the only goal of the new Technician Advisory Board. It’s also important for directors and management in pringfield to hear from technicians about what they can be doing better and how shops can be improved from a technician’s standpoint.

The Technician Advisory Board, referred to by the acronym TAB, has met twice since its conception last year and will hold its third meeting this coming February. Members of TAB include technicians from all Prime shops eet managers and drivers, and it currently has about 40 members. “This is just the be ginning,” Bergman says. “We have plans to continue expanding TAB to include even more technicians and relevant personnel.” Besides growing the team, what has traditionally been a day-long meeting will be expanded to a day and a half to ensure every voice in attendance is heard. oard mem ers are own to pringfield issouri to hear pre sentations from leaders, upper management, guest speakers from other departments such as Sales and Operations, Prime customers and driver associates. “We want to help create more well-rounded team members,” Bergman says. “These meetings help the technicians see the full picture and realize what a huge contribution they make to Prime. We don’t want anyone going home at the end of the day feeling like they just fi ed a truc . t’s so much more than that. They are helping ensure the live lihood of so many other individuals in the Prime family and our customers.”

Technicians are also given the chance to ask any and all questions of presenters and board leaders. “That’s one of the reasons we are e panding the meeting time,” Bergman says. “We want to ensure that every per son gets to ask any questions they might have, and we get to hear all concerns.” Bergman has heard some frustration from technicians in the past about feeling out of the loop, especially when it comes to decision making about changes to their shops.

“Part of the board’s goal is to elim inate any misunderstandings by pro viding a etter e planation of the business side of things and making sure technicians know why we are making certain decisions and that we have their best interest in mind,” Bergman says.

While TAB is still in its beginning stages, Bergman has high hopes for the board’s future and what can be accomplished. “Even in just the two meetings, we’ve been able to solve small issues that we previously didn’t now e isted he says. Things as simple as getting one of the smaller shops a new tool that will improve their efficiency. s T continues to grow, he hopes to keep providing technicians with “a space to have their voices heard, learn more about the company and to grow as profes sionals as well as people.” The third Technician Advisory Board meeting will e held in pringfield issouri in February of 2023.