Aim Transportation Solutions

It was a typical day for Aim Integrated Logistics driver Bob Walker, who was in the middle of a routine delivery at an elementary school. But this stop would be anything but typical.

Walker, driving for Joshen Paper Cleveland, was in the middle of his delivery when he heard a distressed shout: “Hey, mister!”

Bob climbed down from the back of his truck and ran toward the voice. He approached the source and saw it was coming from a young boy who was stuck between two vehicles. His pant leg was snagged in his bike chain, unable to move. Worse yet, it was a cold, rainy day.

Walker acted quickly. He untangled the boy’s pant leg and tied it together since it was torn, and the boy was able to continue on to school. Soon after, the school contacted Joshen Paper to thank Walker for his intervention and kindness.

“I felt terrible,” said Walker. “This poor kid had been stuck for about an hour in the cold and rain. I’m really glad that I was there at that time to be able to help him, but I didn’t think it was that special.”

“Bob went beyond his delivery duty in this matter,” said Roland Cronenwett, Aim account supervisor for Joshen Paper. “I think of him as an Aim superhero just because he went out of his way to help this poor kid. I thank God that he was there and heard him.

“This serves as a great example of how our drivers are aware of their surroundings and will always go out of their way for the well-being of others.”

Aim Transportation Solutions, a national leader in commercial truck leasing and rentals, dedicated contract carriage and maintenance programs, is proud to share the election of Chris Disantis, Aim’s Director of Purchasing and Training, to the American Trucking Associations’ Technology & Maintenance Council’s (TMC) board of directors.

With roots dating back to 1956, the TMC combines real-world experience and technical expertise—through its diverse composition of fleets, equipment suppliers, manufacturers, educators and service providers—to develop the industry’s best practices that address the critical technology and maintenance issues that have the greatest impact on truck fleets.

When talking real-world industry experience, one would be hard pressed to find anyone more knowledgeable or seasoned than Disantis, a seven-year TMC member. Beginning as a technician with Aim in 1988, over the last 31 years Disantis has proven himself one of Aim’s most valuable assets, helping to guide and develop maintenance best practices, adoption of new diagnostic and repair technologies and maintenance personnel development.

“As a member of TMC’s board of directors, I plan to bring new ideas and creative solutions to help the council grow into the future and attract new, young talent with innovated ideas into the membership,” said Disantis. “Moreover, I’ll bring strong leadership to TMC members and represent their ideas.”

Beyond his scope of accomplishments at Aim, Disantis has proven himself a strong industry influencer. He currently serves as chairman for of the S.1 Electrical Study Group; served as S.1 1^st Vice Chairman, 2014-2016; oversaw the development and update of numerous recommended practices; helped organize and serve as a panelist on several technical and mini-technical sessions with S.1 and other study groups. He has also served on the TMC Board Nominating Committee and the ASE Training Mangers Council for the past three years as well as currently serving as a member of NationaLease’s tech competition committee, which he has done for 10 years.

Disantis and his wife, Renee, have three kids and two grandsons. He is an avid trail runner and participates in ultra-marathons. He is currently training for a 50-mile event.

Please join us in congratulating Will Rauber on his promotion to Assistant Controller of Aim Transportation Solutions. In this new role Will assumes further responsibilities in the management of the Finance Department at Aim. Will began his career with Aim in March 2009 as the Manager of Licensing & Permitting. He excelled in this role and after 5 years was promoted to Director of Licensing & Permitting in 2014. Will has worked to cultivate the department he oversees through lean process focus and innovation. This experience paired with Will’s education and strategic growth mindset are a few of the qualities that positioned Will for this most recent promotion. When asked about this recent promotion, Aim’s Co-President Geoffrey Fleming said: “Will is a talented, hard-working individual and a valuable member of the Aim team.”

Will graduated from Youngstown State University with his Bachelor of Science in Business Administration in 2006 and most recently with his MBA in December 2019. Will enjoys home improvement, playing basketball, collecting records, and cooking in his spare time. Will resides in Canfield, Ohio with his wife, Alaina. “Will is going to help shape the future of our company and we’re lucky to have him”, Fleming went on to say.

How is coronavirus spread?

Health authorities have not confirmed how coronavirus is transmitted but suspect it is spread person-to-person. There is also evidence that the virus has been spread by animal sources, including individuals with links to seafood or animal markets. They do not believe you can get it from air, water or food

How infectious is coronavirus?

Virus transmission may happen on a spectrum, and authorities are not sure if the virus is highly contagious or less so. For person-to-person transmission, health authorities suspect the virus is spread through coughing and sneezing, similar to how influenza and other respiratory pathogens are spread.

The incubation period, or the time interval from infection to onset of symptoms, is from two to 14 days. During this period, an individual can be infected and spreading the disease although they may not be experiencing the signs and symptoms of the virus.

How can I protect myself?

Because there is currently no vaccine to prevent infection, the best way to protect yourself is to avoid being exposed to this virus. The CDC recommends the following additional steps:

• Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. Use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains at least 60 percent alcohol if soap and water are not available.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands.
• Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
• Stay home when you are sick.
• Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash.
• Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces.

What happens if I suspect I or someone I know has coronavirus?

If you exhibit symptoms of coronavirus within two weeks of traveling from China, you should contact a health care professional and mention your recent travel. If you have had close contact with someone exhibiting coronavirus symptoms who has recently traveled from China, you should call ahead to a health care professional and mention your close contact and the person’s recent travel. Your health care professional will work with your state’s public health department and CDC to determine if you need to be tested for coronavirus.

Restrictions on employees traveling to China or Iran any other area where the CDC proposes?

As of 3/4/20 the restriction and request is only for China and Iran but please note if the CDC and WHO update additional countries this notice will apply. 

We are requesting that employees inform Human Resources if they are traveling for personal reasons so the employer is aware of employees who are going to those areas and are exposed to the disease. Employees who travel to China or Iran as well as other areas that the CDC or WHO proposes need to be informed that they may be quarantined upon their return.  Be aware that there may not be adequate medical services available if they travel to China and become ill.

Aim Transportation Solutions, a leading national provider of commercial vehicles and services for more than 50 years, announces the appointment of Ron Gillum as Regional Director of Business Development for Aim Integrated Logistics, Aim’s unparalleled dedicated contract carriage division. In this role, Gillum—under the direction of Aim Integrated Logistics’ COO, Dave Gurska, and Vice President of Business Development, Tom Reda—will pursue strategic opportunities and foster mutually beneficial partnerships with businesses in the West.

Gillum brings with him more than 40 years of sales and operational experience involving a wide variety of business and operating roles, including everything from fueling, washing and driving commercial vehicles to roles as director, general manager and vice president in the leasing and dedicated contract carriage segments, fostering countless new business partnerships throughout his diverse career.

“Aim is a tremendous company with a financially strong and stable growth history with employees that project such positive attitudes and great support for both the internal and external customer,” said Gillum. “It just felt right walking through the door and meeting the family ownership and long-tenured executive management and department heads.

“On top of that, Tom [Reda] and I worked together previously and have a great working relationship, so that comfort level and shared experience will go far in the way we approach how to best serve our customers during this exciting journey.”

Studying business and continuous quality improvement at Iowa State University, Gillum laid the foundation that would serve his four decades of industry success. From there he continued flesh out his education, developing his proficiencies on efficient and responsive transportation systems and services, at The Transportation Center of Northwestern University. He combined this education with innumerable certified training programs in sales and executive management.

“The opportunity for growth is iron hot at Aim Integrated,” said Aim Co-President Scott Fleming. “Increasingly more companies are looking to outsource their logistics needs to concentrate on their core business. Ron’s logistic and customer engagement expertise will give Aim additional strength to expand our customer base in the West.”

Gillum lives in West Des Moines, IA, with his wife of 41 years, Karen. They have three daughters and six grandchildren. In his free time, he enjoys spending time with his family, fishing, golfing, church activities, the Kansas City Chiefs, college football and basketball.

“I am more than excited about the journey ahead,” said Gillum. “The integrated and dedicated contract carriage segment at Aim has such a great upside with the blend of experience and capacity to leverage the tremendous amount of relationships across the industry.”

Aim Transportation Solutions is the largest privately-owned truck leasing company in North America. No matter what you do, what you’re transporting, or where you’re taking it, Aim keeps businesses moving. We’ve been delivering reliable, cost-effective transportation solutions for more than 50 years. Whether you need a full-service lease, a commercial rental, a maintenance program, or a complete takeover of your fleet operation, our customized solutions help reduce cost and increase transportation efficiency.

Aim is pleased to announce the onboarding of our new Used Truck Manager, Sal Ortega. Sal is charged with managing the west half of the country in Aim’s sale of pre-owned equipment. Sal will be a counterpart to John Serich, who will continue to manage the pre-owned equipment sales for the east half of the country. Sal, as with John, will work under the direction of Eric Samp, Aim’s Director of Used Trucks.

“Sal will be a great addition,” said Scott Fleming, Aim Co-President. “As Aim continues to grow, the disposition of used trucks has a much larger impact on the company. Allocating more resources and attention in the used truck product line is essential to move equipment faster and at a competitive price.”

In this new position, Sal will work out of our South Holland Used Truck Center location. Sal is a South Holland native and comes to us from M&K Truck Center (the local Volvo/Mack dealer), where he also sold used trucks. We look forward to the contributions Sal’s skill set will bring to Aim’s growth in Used Truck Sales!

In November we wrote about Aim recruiters who spent a day riding along with drivers from valued Aim Integrated Logistics customer Imperial Dade. The goal was simple: to experience first-hand the daily duties Aim recruiters are pitching to candidates every day. On that, Aim never wants to lose sight of the human aspect of the jobs it fills, and initiatives like these give employees a stronger understanding, and overall appreciation, for the industry Aim Transportation Solutions is committed to.

Just as commercial truck drivers are one of America’s most vital, yet underappreciated workforces, so are the diesel mechanics committed to keeping the trucks and equipment they operate on the road and running safely. So, with the same mission in mind, Aim mechanic recruiters Maria Roschel and Joette Martuccio visited Aim’s location in Walton Hills, OH, about 25 minutes outside of Cleveland, where they met with Aim Service Manager Jason Bossone and Aim Regional Director of Maintenance Vince Carcione to observe a day in the life of an Aim mechanic.

“Learning how the shop functions on a daily basis was interesting, like how some mechanics are dedicated to strictly performing preventative maintenance for our customers as their primary responsibilities,” said Martuccio. “I also learned that the transition from heavy equipment mechanic to diesel mechanic is pretty easy, which should open up our search for candidates a little more.”

Aim recruiters work closely with the service managers to ensure the candidates they’re selecting are right for the shop and are going to be able to uphold Aim’s commitment to best-in-class service. So, for Maria Roschel, it was a great opportunity to meet in person Bossone and Carcione, whom she works with on a regular basis as part of her efforts to recruit and retain mechanics in Walton Hills.

“I have been working closely with them to find them the best candidates at their shops,” said Roschel. “We were able to discuss in greater detail how our diesel mechanics work on our trucks, how the shifts are run and how quickly they get the equipment back on the road. We also discussed the key strengths and qualities they are looking for in candidates as we continue to grow our shops.”

“The motivation behind this program, Recruiters in Shops, allows the recruiters to meet the mechanics they hire, along with the managers they work with every day,” said Aim Director of Recruiting, Eleanor Arnold. “The mechanic recruiters did an outstanding job this year with hiring and retaining mechanics, and I expect these quarterly tours will contribute to our continued success.”

For more than 20 years, Aim Transportation Solutions has partnered with the United Way of the Mahoning Valley to enrich the communities of Youngstown, OH, and surrounding areas, through support, education, relief and positive change. One of the non-profit’s many initiatives that Aim is proud to support is the Success After 6 program, which breaks down barriers students and their families face daily, helping kids realize their potential and encouraging them to excel in the classroom.

Tom Fleming, Aim Founder/CEO; Geoff Fleming, Aim Co-President; Scott Fleming, Aim Co-President; and Patty Durkin, Aim Vice President of Human Resource were greeted by smiling children when they arrived at Blott Guy PK-6 school, in Liberty, OH, which Aim is sponsoring as part Success After 6. The group toured the school and saw all the wraparound services that the United Way provides students, such as meals, tutoring, health screenings, enrichment programs, fun activities and much more.

“We are excited to be able to partner with the United Way and the Liberty School System in the Success After 6 program,” said Tom Fleming. “Investing in our students is one of the best investments we can make for our community and our company.”

Success After 6 serves thousands of students and their families at each school. The program has made measurable positive impacts for children, increasing school attendance and academic success, as well as promoting physical and emotional wellbeing.

“It’s a great pleasure for Aim to support the United Way,” said Scott Fleming, “and to see the program and accomplishments of Success After 6 is a testament to the United Way and the Valley’s continued commitment to the growth of our youth.”

Aim is proud to support the United Way each year, offering time, resources and monetary donations to several community-enriching campaigns, such as participating in events like this one mentioned here, volunteering in the annual Day of Caring, raising money during annual employee-led fundraisers and more.

To achieve everything the United Way sets out to do, it relies on the help and donations of the community. If you would like to get involved, head over to www.ymvunitedway.org/get-involved to see what you can do to make a difference. Non-local residents can visit www.unitedway.org to find volunteering opportunities near them.