UPS Honors Minnesota Drivers for 25 Years of Safe Driving

Monday, February 20, 2017 3:01 PM UTC

MINNEAPOLIS, Feb. 20, 2017 -- UPS (NYSE:UPS) today announced that 24 elite drivers from Minnesota are among 1,575 newly inducted worldwide into the Circle of Honor, an honorary organization for UPS drivers who have achieved 25 or more years of accident-free driving.

Minnesota boasts 157 active Circle of Honor drivers with a combined 4,525 years of accident-free driving. Raymond Welk of Nowthen is the state’s senior-most safe driver, with 46 years of accident-free driving under his belt. There are 1,540 total full-time UPS drivers in Minnesota.

Globally, 9,349 active UPS drivers are members of the Circle of Honor. Collectively they’ve racked up 266,554 years and nearly 14 billion safe miles during their careers. That’s enough miles to travel to the moon and back almost 29,000 times.

“My thanks go to all of them for their dedication and focus and for the countless lives they’ve saved,” said Deryl Hill, president, UPS Northern Plains District. “Their attention to detail has kept them safe and has helped improve public safety.”

Globally, the most seasoned UPS Circle of Honor driver is Thomas Camp of Livonia, Mich., with 54 years of driving without an accident. Ronald McKnight of Bronx, N.Y., is next in line with 48 years of safe driving. Ninety-one others have logged at least 40 years without an accident.

UPS’s 102,000 drivers are among the safest on the roads, logging more than 3 billion miles a year and delivering nearly 5 billion packages annually.

Founded in 1907, UPS has a rich history of safety and training. The company issued its first driver handbook in 1917 and began recognizing safe drivers in 1923. In 1928, UPS recognized its first five-year safe driver, Ray McCue, with UPS founder Jim Casey presenting him a gold and platinum watch. UPS formally established its safe driving honor program in 1928.

** NOTE: The following page lists local drivers by hometown and UPS center. If you’re interested in interviewing a local driver, please contact UPS Public Relations at [email protected]. Visit pressroom.ups.com for multimedia assets.

Following is a list of Minnesota drivers inducted this year to the Circle of Honor.

Driver	Hometown	UPS Work Location
Anderson, Shayne	Thief River Falls	Thief River Falls
Dorman, Tracey	Blaine	Maple Grove
Ewy, Ricky	St. Paul Park	St. Paul
Grode, John	Stillwater Township	Maple Grove
Hewitt, Steve	North Mankato	Mankato
Hookom, Mark	Maple Grove	Maple Grove
Houck, Rollin	Prior Lake	St. Paul
Kelly, Steven	Hastings	St. Paul
Lawler, Michael	Maple Grove	Maple Grove
Matthys, Richard	Elk River	Maple Grove
McGrath, Mark	Inver Grove Heights	St. Paul
Mutchler, Joelle	Grand Rapids	Gunn
Nelson, David	St. James	St. James
Schaust, Randy	Buffalo	Maple Grove
Schleppenbach, Gregg	St. Cloud	St. Cloud
Schmidt, Daniel	Inver Grove Heights	St. Paul
Schnettler, Robert	Sartell	St. Cloud
Schumacher, Raymond	East Grand Forks	Grand Forks, ND
Schwichtenberg, Thomas	Morristown	La Crosse, WI
Towne, Stacey	Brainerd	Brainerd
Tweeton, Paul	Big Lake	St. Paul
Wagner, Timothy	Faribault	Faribault
Walsh, Gregory	St. Louis Park	St. Paul
Weber, David	St. Cloud	St. Cloud

Contact:
UPS Public Relations
[email protected]

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