Fam’i-ly, n., pl. –lies. 1. Parents and their children. 2. Relatives. –fa-mil’i-al, adj.
Under Prime’s parent umbrella, we are as children to parent. Connected by a common thread of being drivers and support personnel we are — FAMILY.
At Prime, being “family” is not just a motto; it is how we take care of each other.
Many of you may have heard about the shooting at the TA Truck Stop (Baltimore South.) We lost Chad Daniel, a valued member of our family. This was a senseless act of violence in a sad case of mistaken identity.
Chad was not just a driver. Chad’s accomplishments while at Prime include:
- Contractor of the Month May 2010
- Contractor of the Month March 2012
- Contractor of the Year 2012
- Gold Million Mile Safe Driver Award
- At the Missouri State Truck Driving Championships:
- Won Prime’s one and only Pre-Trip award in 2008
- Placed 2nd in 4 axle in 2010 and 2015
On Sunday April 24th in a memorial to Chad, the “BONEHEADS” – (a local organization of motorcycle riders and made up in large part by Prime employees) held a Poker run to raise funds for the family Chad left behind. Starting with their first stop at the Springfield terminal, the riders made their second stop at Dave’s BBQ in Ozark, then to Casey’s General Store in Seymour and ended up at the Dogwood Tavern in Strafford for BBQ. More than forty riders participated in the event.
Robert Low and the entire Prime family brought to life the “Prime is family” motto by quietly raising a generous amount of money somewhere north of $15,000. In addition the “BONEHEADS” Poker run added another $1000 to the fund.
Event organizers for the “BONEHEADS” were:
- Jessie Standfield, (President) & Windshield tech @ Prime
- Coy Holden (Vice President) & Intermodal Fleet Manager @ Prime
- Jason Trumpold (Secretary)
- George Niehaus (Road Captain) & Training Instructor @ Prime
- Pam Holden (Coy’s mother) and Justice Stanfield, (Jessie’s daughter) helped to make sure the many moving parts ran smoothly.
This memorial Poker Run may be the beginning of an annual ride to help raise funds for those families that are left behind in a financial vacuum due to sudden loss. As usual, I want to leave my readers with some food for thought. It can all change in a heartbeat. We should take this lesson to heart and make sure we have a living will and a prepaid burial or cremation plan and most importantly an emergency fund or life insurance policy to help those left behind when disaster strikes. Heartfelt condolences to Chad’s fiancé Kandy Korte and his daughter Kelsey and to Chad’s son Kyle Daniel who is serving his country in the United States Army and currently stationed in Italy.
Thank you to the BONEHEADS and riders who participated in this event.
R.I.P CHAD DANIEL
9-14-1971 to 3-27-2016
Written by Karl Wiggins, Prime Driver since 2006
PHOTOGRAPHY BY: Some old dude with white hair. (Aka Karl Wiggins)
