Andra Rush, a Native American, is the founder (1984) and CEO of Rush Trucking, Inc., Wayne, Michigan. Today, Rush Trucking is the largest Native American – Owned Business (a MBE-Minority Business Enterprise) in the USA. Corporate headquarters are in Wayne. Additional facilities are located in Ontario, Canada, Atlanta, GA., Louisville, KY, Chicago, IL and Saint Louis, MO.

Ms. Rush is a Native American, descendant of the Mohawk Tribe from the Six-Nation Reservation, Bay of Quinte Tribe near Branford, Ontario in Canada. She is the proud mother of three boys; Zack (14), Cheyne (13) and Chance (8).

With her BS in Nursing, Rush began her business career by combining a full time nursing position, working evenings and weekends, with a day and night school program that included pursuing a masters degree in business. As part of her masters program she accepted a summer internship at an air freight company, Timely Air Freight. With mentoring from the owner, Rush became interested in the trucking industry. Convinced of its growth potential, in 1984 she embarked on her entrepreneurial career by founding Rush Trucking.

What started as a three-truck company, funded with $10,000 from Rush’s credit cards and a $5,000 loan from her parents has successfully grown to more than 1,500 tractors, 3,000 trailers, 100 straight trucks and 45 flatbeds with 620 employees and 1,200 owner-operators. Acquisitions, which began in 1997 and 1998, have expanded The Rush Group to include Blazer Truck Lines, Expedited Delivery Service, Raycan Transport (a Canadian carrier) and Rush Distribution Services.

Rush Trucking services many of the Fortune 100 companies throughout the entire North American region. Most recently, The Rush Group has expanded to form a joint venture, Dakkota Integrated Systems LLC., with Intier Automotive, a subsidiary of the Canadian firm Magna International. Dakkota produces interior systems for the General Motors-Lansing-Grand River plant.

Under Andra Rush’s leadership, Rush Trucking has become the largest Native American – Owned Minority Business Enterprise in the USA.

For Fortune 100 companies, Rush Trucking’s services include managing all logistics for inbound and outbound freight, thus freeing companies to concentrate on their core businesses. Rush Trucking also offers Just In Time (JIT) services for the unique needs of its customers.

Rush’s revenues have grown from $600,000 in 1985 to $155 million in 2003.

A significant part of Rush Trucking’s success in based on Ms. Rush’s commitment to tailor the business to driver’s needs. Andra Rush says,

“Because we are very focused on people, we emphasize that our drivers - owner operators are a key part of the team, not just social security numbers in a payroll computer. We see our drivers as out greatest salesmen and out true ambassadors of good will. That’s what they have become and that’s why we have done as well as we have.”

Rush Trucking’s plan for the future is to expand market share in the automotive industry. This expansion will be achieved via three major initiatives:

• Acquisitions of small transportation companies, or private fleets

• Joint Ventures with major OEMs and Tier 1 manufacturers

• Time-sensitive premium transportation opportunities that will fuel growth over the next years due to the rapidly growing shipping environment which encourages lean supply/inventory and immediate delivery.

PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS

HONORS, BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS

Education

Rush Trucking is a world-class minority owned transportation group founded in 1984 by Andra M. Rush, a Mohawk Native American. Headquartered in Wayne, Michigan since 1984, Rush is currently an industry leader for cost effective truckload and milk-run transportation for short-haul, long-haul and just-in-time operations. Rush broadly covers North America, Mexico and Canada with an impressive 1700 power units and 3400 trailers on line, providing door to door service for virtually any load. A state-of-the-art satellite vehicle tracking system offers a real-time traffic management tool for customers' critical manufacturing and distribution decisions.

The company holds 48-state General Commodities Authority, ICC Contract Motor Carrier, Canadian Extra Provincial Authority (Ontario and Quebec) and Michigan Intrastate Authority. Rush's continued success and growth is evidenced by our impressive list of clients; Ford Motor, Daimler Chrysler, General Motors, Toyota, Lear Corp., and many Tier 1 automotive suppliers. Rush consists of 5 combined companies.

For more information about Rush trucking click on one of the links below.