People (July 01, 2009)

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Dara Nagra, CEO of Avaal Technology, was named Entrepreneur of the Year by organizers of the Road Today Truck Show May 30.

Harinder Takhar, Minister of Small Business and Entrepreneurship was on-hand for the presentation as well as local MP Gurbax Malhi.

Organizers say the Entrepreneur of the Year Award “recognizes leaders and visionaries who are creating and building world-class businesses.” Recipients must have demonstrated excellence and success in areas such as: innovation, financial performance and personal commitment to their businesses and communities.

While receiving the award, Nagra thanked his family and staff for their support. He also thanked the company’s customers.

“Our customers are like an extended family. They not only come for business, but they establish a lasting relationship with Avaal,” said Nagra. “With their well-wishes, support, and recommendations, this award is possible.”

Avaal operates a dispatch training program which helps people launch a career in the transportation industry. It also provides guidance on how to start a successful transportation business, according to Nagra. The company also offers certifications in freight forwarding and diplomas in logistics management.

Most recently, Avaal launched a new freight management software program called Avaal Express, which can book, dispatch, deliver and track orders from the initial order through final billing, according to the company. Dispatchers can use the program to track equipment, driver activity, locations and manage TL, LTL, brokerage, split trips, cross-docking and intermodal operations, the company claims.

Josko Kovic has announced his return to the blower industry, with the launch of Blower-Tech Solutions. Kovic says the shop, located at 2500 Williams Parkway, Unit 24 in Brampton, Ont. offers a full range of services including sales, service, installation and repair.

The facility includes a 7,000 sq.-ft. machine shop.

“I am happy to be back and looking forward to re-connecting with the industry to serve them and help them improve their bottom lines,” Kovic said. He also promised the new facility will stock an extensive inventory of spare parts for most blower manufacturers as well as genuine parts for VMS Blowers.

To contact Kovic, call 905-793-7771 or e-mail josko@blowertechsolutions. com.

A Canadian truck driver has been named a Highway Angel for assisting the victims of an overturned SUV. The Truckload Carriers Association (TCA) has honoured Richard Rossnagel, a driver with N. Yanke Transfer in Saskatoon, Sask., for showing “unusual kindness, courtesy, and courage” while on the job Dec. 27, 2008.

Rossnagel was heading out of Emo, Ont. on Highway 71, when an SUV passed him and another tractor-trailer. Just after passing them on the icy road, the driver of the SUV lost control, overcorrected, hit a snowbank and swerved off the highway into an icy ditch. The vehicle flipped onto its roof and slid another 15-25 feet before finally coming to a stop, according to reports. Rossnagel and the other truck driver both stopped to help. Inside, they found a mother and daughter, both still strapped into their seatbelts;shaken, but with no serious injuries.

Rossnagel helped them climb out of the SUV through the passenger side window and then contacted his terminal dispatcher to request that authorities be sent to the scene. “The two women were very lucky to get out with no fatalities, let alone both unhurt,” Rossnagel wrote in an emergency message to his dispatcher. “The highway is like a skating rink… a solid sheet of ice.”

He and the other truck driver remained with the two women until the police arrived, followed by an ambulance, which took both victims to the hospital for examination.

Well-known trucker Ernest Kenny passed away in Bathurst, N. B. on Sunday, May 10 at the age of 72. He had worked as a bus and truck driver for most of his life. He is survived by: his wife Marie (Cassie) Kenny and his four children Kevin, Julie, Pierrette, Denise; his two brothers Willie and Alexis; his five sisters Florence, Aline, Emma, Justine, and Yvonne.

He also had four grandchildren: Sean, Kristine, Michael, and Brandon. He has one great grandchild Shannon.

He was a great asset to the trucking industry and will be missed dearly by all of us who knew him.

Most recently, he hauled gravel. Donations can be made to Canadian Cancer Society or Heart and Stroke Foundation.

-Obituary submitted by Jeffrey Showers

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Truck News is Canada's leading trucking newspaper - news and information for trucking companies, owner/operators, truck drivers and logistics professionals working in the Canadian trucking industry.


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