People (March 01, 2009)

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With great sadness we report that John Van Lubeek passed away on Jan. 29, at Headwaters Hospital in Orangeville, Ont. after a brave fight with ALS (Lou Gehrig’s Disease). His wife Lisa and daughters Caitlin, Elizabeth and Jessica were by his side.

He was affectionately known around the yard as Johnny 5 – his old shunt number.

He loved driving truck and drove an automatic ProStar as long as he could before hanging up the keys last May.

A sharp-witted and funny man, Johnny 5 will be hugely missed by all his co-workers at Purolator, and by a multitude of others who were touched by his good heart and soul.

Johnny 5 left us way too soon. Please visit his Web site where you can leave comments for the family and view his goodbye video at www.helpjohnny5.ca.– Contributed by Harry Rudolfs

Shaw Tracking has announced it has expanded its Professional Services team in an effort to help customers improve productivity and profitability.

Joanne Cochrane, Fernando Peres and John Firmino are the latest additions to the team, the company announced in a release.

Cochrane brings 15 years of “multi-faceted experience” in the transportation and logistics industry, with specialties in the area of global supply chain management, according to the company. She also boasts experience helping multi-national companies implement transportation management software solutions.

Peres has 23 years’ experience in manufacturing, transportation, mobile communication and fleet management in a variety of industries. He’ll bring a ROI-focused approach to the professional services team, Shaw said.

And Firmino boasts 27 years of experience in corporate operations, demand/supply chain and project and information management, according to the company. He has held top-level management positions with billion dollar companies in the logistics, manufacturing and consumer goods sectors.

Avaal Technology Solutions recently announced the completion of its 34th graduation ceremony for its Dispatch Specialist course. Avaal is a Brampton-based firm in its fifth year of operations as an IT service provider and training centre.

To date, more than 500 students have graduated from the Dispatch Specialist course.

Graduates from the 34th session included: Pardeep Kumar, Major Gill, Jasvinder Saini, Anwar Hassan, Rajbir Grewal, Baljit Kaila, Ryan Bridgelal, Alain Henri, and Malavan Balachandran.

Officials say the Dispatch Specialist course blends a mixture of hands-on practical experience and theoretical knowledge to prepare students for the challenges they will face in the trucking industry. Students learn to effectively manage daily operations, with an emphasis on revenue and profit maximization.

Pitts Enterprises has named William ‘Bill’ Breeden, a 44-year trucking industry veteran, as plant manager of the company’s Dorsey Trailers manufacturing facility.

Breeden has been involved with manufacturing, maintenance, new plant construction and quality control in a wide variety of heavy-duty trailer-related positions since 1964, according to Pitts Enterprises.

Prior to Joining Dorsey, Breeden worked since 2007 as the specialized manager for the production of specialized trailers and heavy haulers for military use for Fontaine Military Products in the US, United Kingdom and Egypt, states the company. He joined Fontaine in 1997 as a plant superintendent, special projects, for all flatbed, specialized units and heavy-haul trailer production lines.

From 1995 to 1997 he worked as warranty manager for Talbert Manufacturing. Prior to that, he held various positions with Trailmobile and Ravens Metals, including quality and warranty manager, plant manager, re-builder and welder.

The Toronto Transportation Club will feature Jim Cuddy and fiddler Anne Lindsay at its 2009 Transportation Night.

Dress is black tie and blue jeans. VIP seating is available with the “Black and Blue” sponsorship package.

There will be no head table for this event, organizers say. The event will be held at the Mississauga Convention Centre, on Thursday March 12, with cocktails at 5:30 p. m., and dinner at 7 p. m. To buy tickets, refer to: www.torontotransportationclub.com.

SkyBitz has announced the appointment of Ray Kuntz, a former American Trucking Association chairman and current CEO of Watkins Shepherd Trucking, to its board of directors.

Kuntz brings 23 years of experience in the trucking industry to the SkyBitz board, according to a statement from SkyBitz.

The company says his appointment is intended to strengthen the company’s position in its largest and most mature vertical, the trucking industry.

Kuntz served as the chairman of the ATA from June 2007 through October 2008.

He provides direction for the daily operation of Watkins Shepherd, which runs about 700 trucks and 1,400 trailers, with operations in 16 states.

Kuntz is also the current chairman of the American Trucking and Transportation Insurance Company, a risk retention group that provides trucking liability insurance.

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