Ross Drivers Accrue Millions of Safe Driving Miles

 

(Left: Ron Berkel. Right: Duane Asmus.)

Truck drivers, Duane Asmus and Ron Berkel of Ross Transportation Services (RTS), recently reached 1 million and 2 million Consecutive Safe Driving Miles, respectively. These incredible achievements mean that Asmus and Berkel accumulated those millions without a single traffic incident.

“Our drivers’ commitment to safety is unparalleled,” said Chris Fada, General Manager of RTS. “Ron and Duane choose to make safety their highest priority every day. Those choices have led to these amazing milestones, and I’m proud I get to work with these amazing drivers every day.”

Asmus started driving for RTS in September of 2013 and Berkel in May of 2001.

With consistently changing routes, weather conditions, heavy traffic and construction areas, the RTS drivers must constantly adapt to new scenarios while hauling vessels loaded with hazardous materials.

It took Asmus 10 years to hit his first million and Berkel 9 years to add on his second million.

Asmus is the seventeenth driver for RTS to earn 1 million safe driving miles. Berkel is the third driver in RTS history to be in the 2-million-mile category for safe driving.

“To drive that many miles is one thing, but to also consistently exceed safety standards while doing it is beyond impressive,” said William Cromling III, President of RTS and Owner.  “I’m so thankful to have these guys in our Ross family. They really are a level above.”

 

Ross Collects More than 2,000 Gallons of Waste from Residents at Annual ‘Dumpster Days’ Event

When Eaton Township officials hosted its annual “Dumpster Days” event earlier this month, it marked the 34th time that the Ross Group of companies (Ross Environmental Services, Inc., Ross Incineration Services, Inc., Ross Transportation Services, Inc.) teamed with the township to collect household hazardous waste from residents.

Once again, community members  freely discarded trash, debris and unwanted furniture. Ross associates on site carefully accepted environmentally harmful substances like paint, pool chemicals, motor oil and pesticides.

Materials were immediately slated for treatment at the Ross plant on Giles Road, roughly a half-mile from the drop-off point.

Ross personnel collected more than 2,500 gallons of household hazardous waste in 2023, proving that the need was greater than ever. Since 1993, Ross  has collected more than 142,810 gallons of household hazardous waste from “Dumpster Days” drives.

Pat Lawson, Vice President of Corporate Compliance and Risk Management at Ross Environmental Services, said the event gives our community a better understanding of the types of materials that are managed by Ross.

“A lot of the materials Ross receives from industries are similar, or the same, as the materials used every day in our homes,” Lawson added. “Our collection drive at Dumpster Days provides a necessary environmental service to local residents.”

Ross associates accepted waste from around 80 households this year.

 

2023 Ross/Cromling Scholarship Winners Announced

Pictured: Alexis Starner (left) and Nathan Parsons (right) with family.

 

The Ross Group of companies congratulates Alexis Starner and Nathan Parsons as this year’s recipients of the Ross/Cromling Scholarship.

Starner is completing school while working as a nursing assistant. She is a member of Alpha Tau Delta and Ohio Northern University’s Women’s (ONU) Varsity Track and Field. She tutors for multiple subjects and is part of many other extracurriculars including the National Student Nursing Association.

Parsons works full time as a security officer while pursuing his degree. He has a family of three young girls with his fiancé. He achieved Dean’s List every semester except his first.

Starner is projected to graduate from ONU in 2024 with a major in nursing while Parsons attends Lorain County Community College on a pre-law track studying criminal justice.

Alexis is the daughter of Ezra and Rebecca Starner. Ezra works as an operations support team lead at Ross Incineration Services and Rebecca as a nurse at University Hospital Samaritan Medical Center.

Nathan is the son of Dave Parsons and Cheryl Brennon. Dave works as a truck driver for Ross Transportation Services.

The Ross/Cromling Scholarship is awarded each year by the Ross Foundation, Inc. The scholarship fund was created by associates of the Ross Group of companies, which includes Ross Environmental Services, Inc., Ross Incineration Services, Inc. and Ross Transportation Services, Inc. The goal is to provide college funding to children, step-children and grandchildren of the companies’ associates. Funds are generated through associate fundraising and donations. Winners are selected by an outside panel of community leaders.

The Ross Group of companies wishes Alexis and Nathan the best of luck in their future studies. To learn more about the Ross Foundation, visit http://bit.ly/RossFoundationInc.

Ross Companies Name Phillip T. Schaefer Vision Award Winner

Nick Pakosz, a 40-year employee of Ross Incineration Services, Inc. (RIS), has been named the recipient of the Philip T. Schaefer Vision Award by the Ross Group of companies. The Ross Group includes Ross Environmental Services, Inc., Ross Incineration Services, Inc. and Ross Transportation Services, Inc.

Pakosz accepted the award at the Ross companies’ Annual Service Awards banquet held earlier in the year. He began working for RIS in September 1982 as an Incineration Operator. Over the years, he’s contributed to departments that include Operation Support and Receiving. Since 2022, he’s served in a leadership role as a Project Safety Management Coordinator on the Environmental, Health and Safety team.

“Nick’s loyalty is humbling,” said Bill Cromling III, president of Ross Transportation Services and one of the owners of the Ross Group of companies. “We’re thrilled that he’s chosen to be a member of the Ross family for four decades, and his commitment to safe work practices is equally special. He personifies our commitment to safety.”

The Vision Award is presented annually to an associate of the Ross companies who exemplifies a commitment to the companies, the community and the environment.

In addition to his 40-year commitment to the companies, Pakosz is known for a leadership style that has molded countless associates over the years. He embodies the Ross Group values through activism with organizations like the Lorain County Chamber of Commerce, Leadership Lorain County and charity events that benefit cancer research. He volunteers with his church and assists his daughter who trains seeing-eye dogs for the blind.

The Vision Award was created by the Ross companies to honor the memory of Philip T. Schaefer, who was the Vice President of Operations for Ross Incineration Services, Inc.

Phil was active in several community organizations and was a true ambassador of the Ross companies’ values. Phil was a tireless volunteer, athlete, environmentalist and sportsman. He demonstrated a daily commitment to his coworkers, health and wellness, the community and the environment. Phil passed away in 2011 after a fearless battle with a rare form of cancer.

Nick Pakosz accepts the Phillip T. Schaefer Vision Award from owners Bill Cromling III and Jon Cromling

Left to right: Scott Wesp, Darrell Zielinski, Neil Gorman, Pat Lawson, Nick Pakosz, Steve Goldman, Bob Ward, James Kovelan and Jim Larson.

Fox 8 Covers ‘Stop the Bleed’ Initiative

Ross Environmental Services recently spoke to Fox 8 about the important “Stop the Bleed” campaign that put first aid kits in every classroom districtwide at Midview Local Schools.

RES donated about $18,000 to the Eaton Township Fire Department, which purchased the kits and buckets to store them in. Fire officials trained teachers and district staff members on how to properly use the materials should the unthinkable happen.

Watch the full piece to hear from district officials, firefighters and Ross personnel. 

Explaining ‘Toxic Releases’: Our 2023 Toxic Release Inventory Factsheet

Ross Incineration Services files Toxic Release Inventory (TRI) Reports to the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) each year. This is mandatory for facilities involved in manufacturing, mining, power generation, chemical production, hazardous waste management, etc.

These reports identify regulated toxic chemicals we received the previous year, how they were managed at our facility, and where we subsequently shipped any residuals to offsite.

While it may appear that RIS is the “largest polluter” in Lorain County at first glance, you’ll see that is a misnomer. Read our TRI Factsheet here.

GALLERY: Planting Trees for Arbor Day

Associates at the Ross Group of companies rolled up their sleeves and planted more than a dozen evergreen trees for Arbor Day.

Many associates chose to dedicate trees in memory of loved ones. Thirteen memorial trees in total were planted. Seven additional evergreen saplings will grow roughly 40 feet high. Associates arranged the trees in rows and planted them in space west of the main associate lot at RIS in Grafton, OH.

Trees were ordered through the Arbor Day Foundation, which has a goal of planting 500 million trees by 2027. Research shows that trees slow climate change and support biodiversity.

The Arbor Day Foundation celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2022.

GALLERY: Boardwalk Dedicated at Oberlin Preserve

This week the Western Reserve Land Conservancy dedicated the first installment of a new boardwalk at the Oberlin Preserve.

The Ross Foundation awarded a grant for completion of the project. A bench overlooking a pond is in memory of late owner Maureen Cromling.

Work will continue at the Oberlin Preserve. In 2015, the Western Reserve Land Conservancy acquired 63 acres of land on the southern edge of the Oberlin in Lorain County. The site, located at 425 W. Hamilton Street in Oberlin, is considered part of the Oberlin Great South Woods.

Click here for more information on the Oberlin Preserve.

    

Ross Companies Donate First Aid Kits

Molly McGuire, a firefighter/EMT for Eaton Township, shows Midview teachers Megan Ealy, Leslie Rowe, Melissa Nealson and Melissa Kacsandi how to apply a tourniquet during district wide training at the high school. PHOTO CREDIT: THE ELYRIA CHRONICLE-TELEGRAM

The Ross Group of companies in February donated medical kits and other supplies to the Eaton Township Fire Department to use as part of a “Stop the Bleed” campaign with Midview Local Schools.

The campaign aims to train school staff to administer life-saving techniques in emergency situations. Each kit contains a tourniquet, dressings, gloves, compact chest seal, surgical masks and trauma shears. More than 180 kits were ordered.

The company also provided 5-gallon buckets to store the kits. Every classroom district-wide will receive a bucket and kit.

Fire officials trained more than 300 Midview staff members how to properly administer the supplies in a day-long session on Feb. 17.

You can read coverage of the event in the Chronicle-Telegram.

The Stop the Bleed program is administered by the American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma (ACS COT), which was formed in 1922. Their goal is to improve the care of injured patients before, during and after hospitalization.