Virginia “Ginny” DeRoze Retiring from Truckload Carriers Association
Las Vegas, Nevada:
During last night’s Annual Banquet and Awards Dinner, the highlight of Truckload Carriers Association’s (TCA) Annual Convention at the Wynn Las Vegas, Virginia “Ginny” DeRoze, TCA’s director of education and training, was given a surprise farewell by members and staff before she retires on March 12 after 14 years with the association.
After many prestigious awards were handed to trucking executives and drivers, TCA Chairman Kevin Burch called DeRoze to the stage—much to her surprise—and presented her with a plaque conveying the Board of Directors’ sincere appreciation for her many years of service and contributions to the organization. She was also given a $5,000 travel voucher and a memory book. A video was shown featuring current and former TCA officers paying tribute to her with brief anecdotes.
On top of all this, and unknown to DeRoze, TCA had secretly flown her husband, Barry, to Las Vegas so he could be present for the big moment.
“The presentation was emotional, but very much deserved,” said Burch, who is the president of Jet Express, Inc., of Dayton, Ohio. “She worked very hard for TCA and deserved a send-off in true TCA style.”
Chris Burruss, TCA’s president, agreed. “As we inscribed on her plaque, Ginny’s rare combination of passion for and expertise in education made her a unique asset to TCA. She has always had genuine concern for the well-being of TCA, its members and its employees, and has truly contributed to the growth and performance of the organization during her tenure.”
DeRoze was hired in July of 1996 by Lana Batts, TCA’s president at the time. Her first job was to re-invigorate the Professional Truck Driver Institute (then known as the Professional Truck Driver Institute of America). She put together a diverse task force that spent 2½ years updating the nation’s only industry-recognized standards for entry-level driver training.
Her next big undertaking was to make Truckload Academy the highly valued industry resource that it is today. Each year, 3,500 truckload employees rely on DeRoze’s webinars and audio conferences to train without taking time off from work. Many also benefit from a popular series of “brick and mortar” meetings on leadership, recruitment and retention, and fleet management.
In preparation for her departure, DeRoze handled the hiring and training of her replacement, Ron Goode, who was also present at the ceremony. “We are looking forward to Ron using his considerable background in education to build on an already outstanding program,” said Burruss.