Trucking leaders from across Ontario honoured one of their own last night at the 98th OTA Executive Conference in Toronto.
Ron Martin, owner of Bridgeland Terminals in Elmira, Ont. received the prestigious 2024 OTA-Solera-Omnitracs Service to Industry Award.
Watch the Ron Martin story, told by family and friends:
Ron grew up in a hard-working Mennonite family, working on the family farm from a very young age. As a student, he pumped gas (as would all his children years later – for the same gas stop owner) before driving a pickup truck, delivering supplies to local famers.
He met his future wife, Jill, who was attracted to his unrelenting work ethic, and his passion for “hot cars” and “car racing.”
As soon as he graduated high school, he went to work for Wallenstein feed and learned to drive a commercial vehicle. In 1975 he was approached by Brian Baumann, owner of Beeline Express, who needed somebody to help run his small liquid bulk fleet. In addition to management duties, Ron was also a truck driver, dispatcher, and the main mechanic.
“He’ll work 16 to 18 hours,” recalls Jill. “He did everything. He was so dedicated.”
In 1990, Beeline transitioned into Bridgeland Terminals and eight years later was about to be sold to a larger company.
“He came home one night for supper, and he said ‘the (new company) will relocate to a big city and that doesn’t protect my employees ..I can’t let that happen,’” recalls Jill. “So, I said if he wants to stay and keep his employees, he has to figure out how to afford to stay there and buy them out.”
And so, Ron did. He and a business partner raised the funds to buy the company, inheriting about 20 trucks and 40 trailers in 1998. Today, the company is more than double that size and one of the most respected tank carriers in Ontario.
“From modest, rural beginnings, he didn’t just follow the road laid before him – he carved out his own path by helping others manage their fleets,” said Solera-Omnitracs, senior account executive, Zeina Gharzouzi, as she presented the award. “But it was his deep-rooted passion for the industry and his unwavering loyalty to his employees that led him to take a leap of faith – purchasing the company he now runs with immense pride and success.
“He is not just a businessman; he is a visionary, a mentor, and a pillar of the community.”
Ron is a strong supporter of OTA and OTA causes, attending almost every event and board meeting since he became a member.
“He is just 100 percent committed. He loves every aspect of the industry,” says Jill.
“He has so much integrity. He’s so honest. It is in his blood.”
Tandet president and former OTA chair Scott Tilley says he befriended Ron at OTA events many years ago and has always valued his insights into the industry.
“He doesn’t impose his position. He’s that quiet presence in the back of the room, the check and balance, the person that is watching and listening,” says Tilley. “He keeps us aware that we need to be doing things in the right way, but always very respectfully and thoughtfully.”