TRANSPORTATION CLUB OF TACOMA NAMES ROSS COOK "PERSON OF THE YEAR

For anyone involved with transportation and logistics in the northwest, Ross Cook has become a familiar personality. Ross' involvement in and enthusiasm for "the biz," as he likes to refer to it, is legendary. Always known as someone with a ready smile and friendly handshake, he's been a fixture for 25 years now.

Ross grew up in Oregon, with stops in both Pendleton and Medford, where he graduated from high school. He attended Oregon State University and was, to the surprise of many, granted a degree! Actually, a fine student, Ross went to work for his college fraternity, Delta Tau Delta, after school and traveled the country, showing an early ability to meld to his surroundings in a variety of locales, which would serve him well in his future sales roles.

Ross started in sales as a wet behind the ears representative for "Big Blue", IBM. After a few years there, he traded in that distinctive color, for another one, the bright orange of Schneider, where he worked for their upstart WNI division based out of Wilsonville in 1977. After rising through the ranks to eventually run the Trans-Am division, he left Schneider to become general manager at Interstate Distributor in Tacoma in 1984.

In the late 80's Ross left IDC and joined Gordon Trucking, for a brief stint, his first. Ross was then lured to the east coast and a concept that was way ahead of its time, third party logistics, with CSX. He served in a variety of sales and managerial roles for CSX. However, the call to return to the West Coast was strong, and he came back to his original Oregon home with the Southern Pacific Railroad in 1991.

After a few years managing sales on the boxcar side of the business, he returned to GTI in 1993. He has served as GTI's Vice President of Sales and Customer Service since that time. Ross's experience is virtually unsurpassed in the industry. He's been exposed to a variety of modes, commodities, and geography making him invaluable to GTI and a great member of any board or association. He takes great pride in thinking outside the box to come up with new solutions for customers. And while he spends over 120 days annually on the road, he finds time and great value in his role in various associations, especially the Tacoma Transportation Club, where he's served as President, sharing his knowledge and learning from the great folks around him.

Ross has a wonderful wife of 27 years, Joyce, and two great sons in Ross Jr. and Joe. He enjoys spending as much quality time with his family as possible, with a perfect day consisting of a trip to Starbucks with "Cookie", mowing the lawn, taking a short cruise in his boat on the Sound, and a quiet dinner with his wife and boys. If you are fortunate enough to know Ross, he's passionate in all that he does, and that passion is displayed whether it's with associates, friends, or family. Ross is proud of his company, his associations, his country, but most of all his family. His passion and role in the transportation community make him uniquely deserving of Tacoma Transportation Club's "Person of the Year."