According to Matt Richardson, he has been in the transportation industry “all his life.” His earliest memories are of discussions around the dinner table pertaining to the family business. (Matt’s parents, Lisa and Kim Richardson, started Kim Richardson Transportation Specialists Inc. [KRTS] in 1989.)
Growing into the business
Matt recalls coming into the shop on weekends as a six-year-old to wash trucks. In those childhood years, his career aspirations leaned towards delivering ‘figure-four leg-locks’ in the WWF. A couple years later, he ‘graduated’ to sweeping up the office and mowing the grounds. As a teenager, Matt worked at different part-time jobs at KRTS, learning the business from the ground up.
KRTS also offered a series of great summer jobs – every year it was something different – while Matt was attending university, where he aspired to another career goal – playing professional football. After graduating with a B.A. and five years under his belt as an offensive tackle at the University of Guelph (three of those years serving as an offensive captain for the Gryphons), Matt had the chance to realize his dream by playing professional football in Europe. Pondering this rare opportunity, the young graduate realized that another career dream had been staring him in the face all along – a chance to join KRTS and work with his mom and dad.
“I realized how fortunate I was to have this opportunity – I’d always been strongly drawn to transportation – and made the decision to run with it,” Matt tells PMC. “Without a doubt, my dad has been my biggest career mentor. We spend a lot of time together both inside and outside of the office. He has great industry experience and is more than willing to share it. It’s great to bounce ideas off of him, and he gives me a lot of rope (tightening it when necessary), so I can learn from my mistakes. I can’t imagine a career path turning out any better.”
Today, Matt and his wife Julie live in Caledonia, Ontario, where he is Sales and Operations Manager at KRTS. The company offers a two-pronged set of services to both the transportation and construction industries:
Training for individuals with no experience who want to enter either of the two industries as an operator; and corporate training and consulting in transportation and construction throughout Canada and the US.
The KRTS team believes in quality education, whether it’s for training with a company driver or for an individual. With over 20 years of quality service, KRTS’s reputation is well recognized within the industry. The company’s Vision Statement speaks volumes:
To continue our role and responsibility as the Transportation Industry Leader in Education, where honesty and integrity is the foundation of our success.
Commenting on his career, he says, “I tell people who ask if I like my job that I don’t like what I do – I absolutely LOVE what I do. Going into the family business was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.”
PMTC’s Young Leaders Group
Last year, PMTC President Mike Millian approached Matt and a few other young professionals with the idea to resurrect the dormant Young Leaders Group (YLG). Individuals such as Matt, Marcus Mares, Elias Domangos and current YLG Chair Mike Colwell leapt at the opportunity.
Of the decision, Matt says, “We are all very passionate about the industry. In the past, many have viewed it as something of ‘an old boys club.’ We want to change that notion and show young people that the industry is exciting, vibrant and, above all, welcoming. The Young Leaders Group is an ideal way to get involved in the industry.”
He continues, “You can be comfortable joining the YLG, not intimidated, as those around the table are from a similar generation with a similar amount of experience in the industry. We have a handful of meetings and stage three-to-four networking events per year – these are invaluable to career growth. Joining the YLG involves a minimal commitment; you give only as much time as you can spare. The opportunity for networking with like-minded individuals at YLG events is unparalleled.”
Fall was a busy time for the Young Leaders Group. The YLG was prominent at the recent DriverCheck Open House on September 14. Two days before that, at the PMTC Fall Golf Tournament, the YLG staged a ‘Beat the Pro’ event for charity at which Matt showed his ‘soft hands’ as he took on all comers in a ‘closest to the pin’ competition. It’s fun events like this that the YLG hopes will attract more members. A strong YLG will nurture its members in their professional growth, which will in turn, strengthen the industry for decades to come.
For more information on joining the Young Leaders Group, visit the PMTC website (www.pmtc.ca) or Twitter account (@PMTCYLG), or simply email
info@pmtc.ca.
