The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has recognized six individuals and six teams as SmartWay Champions in 2011 for making strong and lasting contributions to SmartWay's mission to reduce the economic, environmental and energy footprint of the transportation of goods.
“The leadership and vision of these SmartWay Champions have helped SmartWay, its partners and the freight transportation industry to advance innovative strategies that save fuel, reduce emissions, and improve economic sustainability,” stated an EPA announcement. “These Champions have worked tirelessly to champion these approaches and to challenge others to join them in helping SmartWay to green our nation's supply chain.”
Individual Champions:
• Glen Kedzie, vp and environmental counsel, the American Trucking Assns. (ATA). Since EPA launched SmartWay, Kedzie has served as the program’s principal liaison to the trucking industry. As EPA developed test protocols and fuel consumption targets for SmartWay verified equipment and SmartWay-designated vehicles, Kedzie facilitated exchanges between SmartWay technical staff and his organization’s Technology and Maintenance Council by identifying SmartWay as one of six pillars of his organization’s Sustainability Plan. “Glen’s leadership has been invaluable in bringing key national and state trucking associations and affiliated organizations into partnership with SmartWay, so these groups could educate their members about improving environmental performance and reducing fuel consumption,” EPA said.
• Mitch England, corporate vp, C.R. England. England collaborated with EPA as it developed the criteria for the SmartWay trailer designation, by sharing information gathered from his company’s testing and field experiences with, aerodynamic technologies. “Mitch has worked hard to incorporate SmartWay technologies and best practices into his company’s trucking fleet, resulting in an investment of over 2,800 SmartWay designated tractors,” EPA noted. “Mitch consistently seeks opportunities to encourage other truck carriers to improve performance by speaking about how SmartWay technical assistance, tools and approaches are helping trucking companies to realize the business benefits of sustainability.”
• Mark Servidio, vpt of logistics & environmental supply chain, Sharp.
Since bringing his organization into SmartWay in 2004, Servidio succeeded in integrating its logistics and environmental supply chain planning operations. Now all logistics employees receive sustainability training, enabling them to understand and reduce the environmental impacts of goods movement. “In stakeholder meetings with EPA, Mark contributed important insights and information that helped the Agency to enhance its SmartWay partner tools and methods,” EPA said. “Under Mark’s leadership, his organization instituted ‘no idle’ delivery docks with driver comfort stations, a practice that spread to other businesses, saving energy and cutting emissions.”
• Dave Berry, vp, Swift Transportation. “Dave Berry has helped to ensure that the SmartWay program is readily accessible to the trucking sector by serving as a sounding board and providing critical industry perspective,” EPA noted. “Dave was instrumental in encouraging his organization to join SmartWay as a Charter Partner, helping to ‘test drive’ the program’s initial tools and approaches.” Most recently Berry participated in EPA’s development and beta test of SmartWay’s updated partner tools, which will further strengthen the program’s effectiveness. “Dave was also responsible for replacing over 7,000 trailers and over 6,500 tractors in his organization’s truck fleet with fuel-saving, cleaner SmartWay designated vehicles,” EPA said.
• Dave Guernsey, senior sustainability program manager, UPS. “As senior sustainability manager, Dave supports his organization’s efforts to work with EPA on projects to improve the emissions and fuel efficiency of commercial trucks with hybrid and other advanced technologies.” EPA noted. “Dave’s insight into industry and supply chain carbon accounting and his willingness to participate in stakeholder discussions made him a valuable contributor to EPA's recent enhancement of its SmartWay partner tools.”
• Mike Kelley, chief sustainability officer and vice president of external affairs, YRC Worldwide. “As chief sustainability officer of a Fortune 500 trucking company, J. Mike Kelley uses his visibility to encourage other business leaders in the freight industry to participate in SmartWay,” EPA said. “Mike was instrumental in bringing his organization to SmartWay as a Charter Partner, and in helping shape the program’s initial design. Mike continues to demonstrate his commitment to freight sustainability by sharing his SmartWay experience during presentations and interviews to educate others on the environmental and economic benefits of clean, fuel-saving technologies and practices.”
• As Team Champions, Mark MacLeod and Elena Craft of Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) and James Jack of the Coalition for Responsible Transportation (CRT) helped to organize a group of stakeholders to provide feedback to EPA as it developed a national port drayage truck program within SmartWay aimed at reducing harmful air emissions from the trucks that service U.S. ports.
• The IKEA Transport Team. “The IKEA Transport Team championed SmartWay before the official program launch, meeting with EPA leadership during the program’s inception to provide feedback and suggestions for program design, and encouraging their organization to become a SmartWay Charter Partner,” EPA said. “This team was among the first in the shipping community to include SmartWay participation as a factor in their company’s carrier selection.”
• Gary Whicker and Kristi Noland, J. B. Hunt. This team was instrumental in their organization’s investment of over 500 clean, fuel-saving SmartWay designated trucks and technology upgrades. “They pioneered the extensive use of logistics solutions including advanced routing and multi-modal options within their organization and across the freight transport sector,” EPA noted. “Kristi and Gary have shared information and data with EPA to assist SmartWay in its research of multi-modal freight operations. After participating in stakeholder meetings aimed at enhancing SmartWay’s tools and approaches, they were among the earliest beta testers of the updated tools, providing key input on design and usability.”
• Harry Haney, Michael Cole and Timothy Dzojko, Kraft Foods. The Kraft team was instrumental in bringing their organization into SmartWay, then using SmartWay-identified technologies and carrier performance information to pioneer an innovative supply chain sustainability project. “They initiated an incentive program aimed at smaller carriers, providing financial assistance to retrofit vehicles with new fuel-saving equipment,” EPA said.
• Steve Palmer and Kevin Perry, Lowe’s. This team developed a program that brought their organization’s entire network of U.S. carriers into SmartWay. They also participated in a coalition of shippers, logistics companies and environmental groups that developed an innovative initiative to reduce emissions of port drayage trucks. “This initiative will protect air quality in and around ports while sustaining local economies that rely upon port operations,” EPA noted. “Kevin and Steve continue to raise attention and support for improved logistics by participating in events and conferences that support sustainable goods movement, and by continuing to educate others about SmartWay.”
• Mark Whittaker and John Sheehy, PepsiCo. His team was instrumental in bringing together shippers and carriers into a working group to share best practices. They also initiated and supported the development of an innovative incentive program to help small motor carriers retrofit older equipment with new cleaner, energy-saving upgrades, EPA said. “As an example for other multinational companies, Mark and John recently spearheaded a sustainability initiative within their company, which includes a commitment to implement SmartWay approaches across all its shipping operations.”
