FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
May 20, 2022
Contact: Press_Paul@paul.senate.gov, 202-224-4343
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Recently, U.S. Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) Ranking Member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, recognized CoreTrans of Somerset, Kentucky, as the Senate Small Business of the Week.
Dr. Paul entered the following into the Congressional Record:
As you all know, the legacy of the COVID-19 pandemic has burdened the global economy with tangled supply chains, drastically prolonged shipping schedules, and an insatiable level of consumer demand. Given this current climate it gives me great pleasure to honor a Kentucky small business operating on the front lines of the supply chain crisis. Founded in 2002, CoreTrans was started by Brian Whitaker, a third generation Whitaker in the transportation business. Brian and the whole team at CoreTrans have played a vital role in the recovery from the pandemic and subsequent government lockdowns and they continue to support local commerce within the community.
Brian Whitaker is the youngest of three generations of truckers. Perhaps it is that collective expertise between him and his family that has allowed Brian to lead CoreTrans through years of tremendous growth. Getting his start in the early years of the new millennium, CoreTrans started out with twenty five trucks. Now, CoreTrans includes a fleet of over 150 trucks, 300-53′ dry van trailers, and a driver fleet of 200 drivers. Their trucks and trailers are equipped with state of the art aerodynamics and satellite based mobile communication systems, which allows their team to track and monitor all vehicles on a 24-hour basis. Though the business is outfitted with impressive technology, the CoreTrans staff and their years of experience are the most vital part of the operation.
The leadership and staff at CoreTrans understand that in this fast-paced world of online deliveries and instant gratification, time is money. Therefore, they operate with the knowledge that there is no room for error or broken promises. The mission of CoreTrans is to provide safe, on-time delivery of customer freight at a competitive rate with the most efficient and responsive customer service in the industry. Their name tells the whole story – CoreTrans, a name that highlights their commitment to efficiency just like their slogan: “At the CORE of Your Supply Chain!” Just take a look at CoreTrans’ track record and you will see that their slogan is more than just words on a sign. The team has won a slew of awards throughout the past decade, including: the 2012 National Safety Award, 2012 Carrier of the Year for Wausau Paper (a large customer of theirs), 2013 Chamber of Commerce Business of the Year, 2015 Great West Award, as well as several awards from Pulaski County’s March of Dimes.
Though CoreTrans maintains a reputation for its dependability and strong customer service, Brian Whitaker understands that giving back to the community is just as important as running an efficient fleet. Even before the pandemic struck there was a shortage of crucial transportation workers. In 2019, Bloomberg estimated that the U.S. lacked roughly 300,000 truck drivers needed to fill the predicted level of consumer demand. Understanding this shortage, Brian decided to take action and made a donation to Somerset Community College (SCC) to kick-start their new truck driver-training program. That year SCC received a 2007 Volvo sleeper truck courtesy of CoreTrans, which allowed the students to train in a real work setting while enrolled in the College’s commercial driver’s license or truck driver training program. Their donation not only helps the students of SCC, it bolsters the local and regional economy by creating a pipeline of truck drivers to fulfill Kentucky’s needs.
In 2021, Brian demonstrated that his charitable spirit expands beyond the students at SCC, as Western Kentucky dealt with the aftermath of devastating December tornados. Seeing how so many of their Western neighbors lost everything right before the Christmas season, CoreTrans teamed up with Ricky Thomas, owner of Wildcat Used Cars, to collect supplies for the donation to Mayfield residents. Mr. Thomas knew the desire to help out the tornado-torn areas was strong within his community, but the logistics of hundreds of people driving several hours individually to donate goods was not practical. Instead, Mr. Thomas utilized his car lot as a drop-off site and CoreTrans donated one of their tractor trailers for the job of transporting the supplies to Mayfield. Together, these two small businesses answered Kentuckians’ call during their time of need – and in true CoreTrans spirit, they did it in the most efficient way possible.
When Brian Whitaker opened up shop in 2002, he intended to create more than just a trucking company. His purpose was to start a business on which Kentucky could depend, on the road and in the warehouse. In executing this mission, CoreTrans became a business that supports local and regional commerce, fosters job creation, strengthens the supply chain, and carries out a vital part of our nation’s economy by providing everyday citizens with the goods they need. Congratulations to Brian Whitaker and the entire team at CoreTrans. I wish them the best of luck and look forward to seeing their continued growth and success in Kentucky.
As Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, Dr. Paul continues the tradition of honoring America’s small businesses and entrepreneurs. The Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship oversees proposed legislation on matters relating to the Small Business Administration and investigates all problems relating to America’s small businesses.
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