Oregon Trucking Association, Inc. Oregon Truck Dispatch 2 Erik Zander OTA Chair A MESSAGE FROM YOUR NEW OTA BOARD CHAIR CHAIR’S MESSAGE AS I SAT down to put together my first “message from the chair” article, I was overwhelmed by the feeling that Jana and Evan may have pulled off one of the best bait and switches ever! A decade ago, when Jana approached me to fill Steve Bates’ spot on the Highway Policy Committee, I clearly did not expect that I’d be required to—or capable of—putting together 800 words on the trucking industry that would engage and retain the attention of over 550 member companies. And now, to add insult to injury, I must follow in the footsteps of a professional government affairs representative from a Fortune 500 company! My hat is off to Jana and Evan; once again, they have proven they are the best of the best, and I am proud to continue working with them and the rest of the board and staff members through the coming years. Unlike many of our members, I am relatively new to trucking. I started my career—or at least tried to start my career—after graduating from Oregon State University as a farmer. I quickly realized (must have been that great OSU business degree) that without land or capital, being a farmer probably wasn’t the best career choice. After a brief stint working in sales for a small fuel and oil distributor, I found the place that continues to be my dream company in my dream industry, Omega Morgan. Working my way through different divisions and roles in the company, I settled in operations. It was during that time that I started to really get involved in the OTA. Through the OTA, I have met people like Andy Owens and Steve Bates who are essentially the ChatGPT of trucking. They took the time to get to know me and let me utilize them as a sounding board whenever I hit roadblocks in the business. For me, the relationships you can form in this organization and the information that comes with them is priceless. I will do my best over my time as chair to help new members foster these same types of relationships because I truly believe it is one of the biggest benefits of being a member. As for what my focus will be during my time as chair, it’s proven more difficult to pen down than I’d imagined. I want to make sure that my agenda represents the entire organization, which is extremely diverse. I also want to create an agenda that my fellow board members can use as a lens when making decisions over the coming years. As an industry, we are currently fighting some of the biggest battles we have ever fought on multiple fronts, while simultaneously trying to run a profitable business in a less-than-ideal economic environment. As an organization largely dependent on member dues to support our agenda, it is imperative that our members understand the value of our efforts as they prioritize their budgets. That’s why I’m proposing concrete actions we can take that will help both our organization and our members. First and foremost, I want to make sure we develop a plan for the long-term financial stability and growth of this organization, including our PAC and Legal Fund. I want to diversify our income streams to make us more resilient during the down times while continuing to provide valuable added services from this organization to our current and future members. I am extremely excited for the opportunity to serve you all in the coming years. If you need anything, please feel free to reach out to me, because you can be certain I will be reaching out to you!
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