Page 32 - ATR 5 2014 web

ways to help you. Somebody asked me wild and crazy, but fun,” she said. “Oh them way more than I do. We know
why I stuck around so long. I don’t my goodness, we never know what’s some better, some we don’t. The ones
know. I like my job, I’m home every going to happen in a day.” who can’t hang with doing things the
night, and they are just good people. I Erin notes that Hugh starts every right way, and all the safety rules, they
still like my job. I’m getting old, but I day early reading the Bible. The family don’t tend to stay around. But the ones
still like the job.” attends Levy Church of Christ. who do … It’s not perfect by any means,
Meanwhile, the family at but we have a very good relationship
BEing diffErEnT McConnell & Son consists of several with our families.”
Outside the McConnells’ home in drivers who have worked there for eight “We try,” Hugh adds.
northern Pulaski County, a large tram- to 10 years, Erin said, and most are “We want to be different,” he said.
poline with protective netting around it past the five-year mark. A bond seems “We want the place that we work to
is home to at least a dozen balls of vari- to develop among the drivers and the be different. We want to treat people
ous sports, plus a basketball goal that’s McConnells; Erin said that one recent different. We want to treat our custom-
adjusted for acrobatic dunking even departure of a veteran driver, because ers different. We set that expectation
for a 7-year-old. The three boys attend of a relocation to another part of the pretty high for the way we treat people.
Central Arkansas Christian Academy; country, moved her to tears. Sometimes the work isn’t ours, it’s been
Erin is able to work out of her house “We have a good relationship with given to us, and we’ve got to do some-
while it’s quiet, which isn’t often. “It’s all of our drivers,” she said. “Hugh sees thing bigger with it. It’s his [God’s],
we’re just managing it. He has blessed
Award-Winning Regional Magazine of the Arkansas Trucking Association Vol. 18 • Issue 1 2013 • $4.95 Award-Winning Regional Journal of the Arkansas Trucking Association Vol. 14, No. 3 • June 2009 • $4.95 us with that opportunity.”
Hugh’s own efforts simply to knock
“on somebody’s door” early in his driv-
ing career led to business that’s never
stopped growing, Erin said. Growth has
required the addition of more staff dur-
25,000 and specific jobs the company has been
Award-Winning Regional Journal of the Arkansas Trucking Association Vol. 15, No. 3 • June 2010 • $4.95 Award-Winning Regional Journal of the Arkansas Trucking Association Vol. 14, No. 6 • December 2009 • $4.95 Award-Winning Regional Journal of the Arkansas Trucking Association Vol. 16, No. 2 • Issue 2 2011 • $4.95 ing the past decade. Hugh McConnell
is hesitant to name business associates
involved with, but he says, “There is
ReadeRs a lot of work out there. You can see it

when you drive up and down the inter-
state. Anytime mud hits the ground,
stRong trying to have a piece of it. Everybody
Award-Winning Regional Journal of the Arkansas Trucking Association Vol. 13, No. 1 • February 2008 • $4.95 Award-Winning Regional Journal of the Arkansas Trucking Association Vol. 12, No. 2 • April 2007 • $4.95 Award-Winning Regional Magazine of the Arkansas Trucking Association Vol. 17 • Issue 5 2012 • $4.95 Award-Winning Regional Journal of the Arkansas Trucking Association Vol. 15, No. 1 • February/March 2010 • $4.95 anytime concrete hits
knows what we do; they can see our
trucks.”
The McConnells’ business extends
into all of Arkansas’ contiguous states,
but with an emphasis on jobs within
Award-Winning Regional Magazine of the Arkansas Trucking Association Vol. 19 • Issue 2 2014 • $4.95
Award-Winning Regional Journal of the Arkansas Trucking Association Vol. 15, No. 6 • December 2010 • $4.95 Award-Winning Regional Journal of the Arkansas Trucking Association Vol. 16, No. 3 • Issue 3 2011 • $4.95 Award-Winning Regional Magazine of the Arkansas Trucking Association Vol. 17, No. 2 • Issue 2 2012 • $4.95 the state’s borders.
“Highway funding has started
to come in. There is a lot of develop-
ing going on just here in the Central
Tracy
rosser
Retail Role Arkansas region. That’s always a plus,”
Model
Hugh McConnell said. “Housing is kind
of steady, so that’s good. It’s not boom-
Sleep police • brokerS • MergerS and acquiSitionS
ing, but it hasn’t fallen off. We’ll take
already an award-winning regional magazine, we’re pleased to steady. Steady is always better.”
announce Arkansas Trucking Report (ATR) now boasts a more than Hugh McConnell leans on one
25,000 readers nationwide and we continue to grow. that makes important lesson his father passed
ATR a great place for you to advertise. along. “Dad always said, do one thing
If you want to reach this highly targeted, influential group of our industry's leading decision-makers and ask and do it extremely well. We’re still try-
them to consider purchasing your products or services, then you’ll want to place an ad in every issue of ATR.
Please contact Jennifer Matthews, publisher, jennifer@matthewspublishing.com to make it happen. ing to do it extremely well.”

32 aRkansas tRuCking RepoRt | issue 5 2014