BILL MORRIS, CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD
Bill brings over 50 years of experience to JR Kays Trucking. He began his career as a company driver, then moved on to become an owner/operator before moving inside to work in dispatch, safety, operations, and analysis. Then in 2009, Bill bought the authority of JR Kays Trucking from an individual with one truck. Bill grew that operation with just a handful of owner operators. He has been key in the growth and development of what we have today - a combined fleet of over 50 trucks. Though Bill has served in nearly every capacity in the trucking business, his real passion is in crunching numbers and analyzing profitability reports. Bill now enjoys a modified schedule, and spends his down time rebuilding and driving muscle cars and hot rods, but he is still committed to his work in providing guidance and direction to the JR Kays Trucking family. Not a family dinner goes by that we don’t hash out the newest lanes and opportunities for growth.
LISA MORRIS FITZSIMMONS, CEO
Grabbing the reigns of JR Kays Trucking from her father, Bill, in 2015 was natural since Lisa already had five years of grooming. Lisa joined the JR Kays Trucking family in 2010 with undergraduate degrees in both accounting and economics and a master’s in education. In her previous 15+ years, she held various positions in the corporate and nonprofit sectors, with roles ranging from office management to executive accounting. Her aggressive motives in growth have helped to take the company from a 25-30 truck operation to over 50 trucks today. Her goal is to slowly grow as far as the drivers will allow, she never wants to lose the family culture that attracts so many drivers who call JR Kays home. She has a firm grasp of what it takes to increase profitability and utilizes all of the resources at her disposal to ensure that JR Kays Trucking operates at its highest efficiency both financially and safely. Lisa is a fierce advocate in the trucking industry, and she works tirelessly to ensure that the safest and most qualified drivers are on the road and every driver has a voice. Her passion in the industry, especially for drivers and their safety, is one of the things that puts her ahead of many other executives in trucking. She takes calls and advocates for drivers all over regardless of where they call home. Her appreciation for women in trucking and for our military has shown in JR Kays’ recognition as a [year after year] top company for women to work by Women in Trucking and [year after year] recipient of the federal Platinum Award for HIRE Vets program.
MIKE FITZSIMMONS, PRESIDENT
Mike is a technical professional who joined JR Kays Trucking in 2012, bringing with him years of experience in industry safety, regulations, compliance, conflict resolution, and troubleshooting. Mike's leadership is invaluable in policy and correctional strategies, and in compliance with state and federal regulations. His calm and positive demeanor allows for a positive and respected rapport with customers, drivers, and industry professionals including compliance officers. Mike's advocacy at agencies and contributions to the community and the industry ensure that JR Kays and the transportation industry have a voice at local, state, and federal levels. He takes every opportunity to work with drivers and others in the industry to not just educate and inform, but also to advocate on both sides for the respect a driver deserves and the safety we all expect. Mike works with SmartWay and other agencies to keep our fleet certified in safety, efficiency, and sustainability – putting JR Kays in the lead in supporting high standards in effectiveness and fuel economy.
ROB ALEXIS, VICE PRESIDENT OF OPERATIONS
Rob has been a dedicated and valued member of the JR Kays Trucking core group of employees since his graduation from diesel mechanic school more than 25 years ago. Rob was promoted to VP of Operations as his strong business sense encompasses not only the savvy equipment needs for our drivers that best complement our customer lane needs, but also the bottom line in keeping costs balanced without sacrificing driver comfort and safety. Rob continues to be responsible for supporting our fleet maintenance department and has added driver management, safety, and compliance to his opportunities to build a great team and atmosphere among our drivers. Rob's fluidity and efficiency of bringing the equipment and driver management together supports his discerning ability to prioritize driver and equipment safety and address new problems as the integration of drivers and equipment evolves. Rob's knowledge and technical proficiency keep safe and efficient drivers and equipment on the road with minimal equipment down time and even less driver down time. Rob works with dispatch to ensure drivers have opportunities to be on lanes that work best for them, including safety, distance, and home time. He also manages our safety program with the integration of Samsara and Infinit-I, always working to keep drivers rolling while maintaining the best compliance and safety scores possible.
SUE NORROD, OPERATIONS MANAGER
Sue has been a part of the JR Kays Trucking family since its beginning in 2009. She brings more than 25 years of experience in the industry and is dedicated to excellence in developing the best partnerships with operations and the drivers. Sue is dedicated to problem resolution and working with drivers to ensure their partnership in planning is set up in the most supportive way possible. Her years of experience in lanes, customers, shippers, receivers, and even equipment and everything in between, has added to her natural talent to always put the driver first and develop the best workweek that suits the driver first and customer second. She is often using her perception and critical thinking skills to keep operations smooth running and drivers have picked up on and come to rely on her ability to make quick, sound decisions. She truly listens to the drivers and supports them in their decisions to try new lanes, stay on certain lanes, or when they really want to stretch, she gets them out west or down south for a change of scenery. Drivers can call all hours and Sue will take their call and help them through whatever they are dealing with, no matter what the time of day or what the concern is. Drivers often comment that she is the "best dispatcher in the industry," and we could not agree more!
ANNIE BLACK, DISPATCH
Annie joined the JR Kays Trucking family in 2011, bringing impeccable business practices to the company. Annie has spent almost her entire life as part of a family business, having worked with her own family in a few of their very successful companies in a nearby town since her teenage years. She brought with her valuable experience and best business practices that transferred easily to JR Kays Trucking. Always sharing a smile and positive attitude, Annie's calm presence keeps everyone focused on the most important aspects of business - our drivers and customers. She is able to multi-task easily, covering trucks, coordinating loading appointments, handling load issues, and overseeing the accounts receivable system - all at once with little stress, and with extreme proficiency. The best part of her day is making a difference in day of the drivers and customers. She often comments how she doesn’t feel like she accomplishes anything if she doesn’t put in a hard day of work, and that she does – she not only works hard, but she works to make every day better than the one before.
DAVID MORRIS, DRIVER SAFETY & FLEET SERVICES
David joined JR Kays Trucking in 2017 after a career in manufacturing and shipping. He has settled into the family business focusing his efforts on drivers and fleet services with a primary focus on safety and compliance. He has worked hard to make a difference through his efforts in creating a safe driver environment and increasing driver morale. He is enthusiastic about increasing efficiencies in fleet services, driver safety, improving driver health and wellness, and supporting DOT compliance. David stretched his duties to include purchasing and inventory, something he has appreciated as it has enabled him to work more with the shop, drivers, and equipment in a way that enriches his focus on equipment safety and driver interactions with their equipment needs. Having just filled in for a few months to support dispatch, David also still enjoys covering trucks and assisting in dispatch as needed.
ANNA FITZSIMMONS, ACCOUNTING & DISPATCH
Anna has been a valued member of JR Kays Trucking since she was 14, and work as many hours as her working permit would allow at the time. Driven by a commitment to family and saving money, Anna is always ready to take on any task she is given. In early 2018, Anna became a full-time Mom, though she still makes time to help the JR Kays Family part-time. She works mostly in dispatch to support the needs of logistics' fast-paced demands.
JEREMY THOMPSON, MECHANIC
Jeremy (JT) joined the JR Kays family in 2015 and has taken every opportunity to advance his knowledge and skills. His work ethic is exemplary, and a joy to witness. JT has grown from a general trailer and service mechanic to a well-rounded mechanic tackling anything he can get his hands on in the shop, as he continues to take on greater responsibilities, his ability to diagnose and resolve is limitless. We look forward to witnessing his continuing growth as a mechanic.
JIM MCKINNEY, MECHANIC
Jim joined the family in 2020 as a high-level mechanic with a background in areas ranging from heavy-duty mechanics to body work including paint specialist. Jim has fit right in and he and JT keep the shop running like a well-greased machine. Trucks and trailers have minimal down time, and they are always sensitive about minimizing driver down time during a service or repair. Jim has a few decades of working in the industry, so he is no stranger to knowing his DOT compliance and making sure our equipment is top-notch in safety and comfort.