Cohen Recycling driver has logged over 33 years of safe driving in the industry
(Washington, DC) Mark Withrow of Cohen Recycling in Middletown, Ohio was presented with the Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries (ISRI) Safe Driver of the Year Award for completing 33 verifiable years of safe driving without a single preventable accident. During his career, Mr. Withrow has had the distinction of being the company’s senior driver who has embraced the opportunity to mentor the company’s younger and ever expanding inexperienced driving force. The award, now in its fourth year, recognizes outstanding drivers who have driven a commercial vehicle for at least 20 years without incurring a preventable accident.
“Driving a truck in stop-and-go traffic and around all types of heavy equipment is no simple task. Drivers who perform their job each and every day while keeping an emphasis on safety deserve the highest recognition,” said Commodor Hall, transportation safety director for ISRI. “For more than thirty years, Mark Withrow has been transporting goods in a safe and reliable manner, while ensuring the drivers under him do the same. He truly exemplifies the truck drivers who keep America’s roads safe.”
The Safe Driver of the Year Award is based on the following mandatory criteria:
- Nominations may be submitted only by ISRI members in good standing.
- Nominees must be full-time employees whose primary responsibility is to operate a commercial motor vehicle.
- Nominees must be current employees of the nominating member company, and must be employed for at least 1 year (12 consecutive months).
- Nominations must be made by someone familiar with the nominee’s work history, such as manager, safety director, etc.
- No more than 3 drivers may be nominated from the same member company.
- Nominees must meet the minimum requirement of 10 years of verifiable employment as a commercial motor vehicle technician.
Other criteria taken into account are the driver’s contribution to highway safety (driver trainer), letters of appreciation, deeds of heroism on or off the job, and civic and fraternal organizations.
“Mark has always greatly credited his father for teaching him the core values of hard work and to respect the company he works for,” said Steve Helton, Transportation Director at Cohen Recycling. “To this day, that value is very evident in his work performance and dedication. We at Cohen are honored to have such a safe and efficient driver who upholds our company’s values of integrity and quality at all times.”
When he is not at work, Mark is spending time with his wife of 31 years, Cherye, and their daughter Jennifer, who is a student at Miami University in Ohio. Mark’s Hobbies includes collecting antique tractors with his father, reading and gardening.
The award was presented to Mr. Withrow at ISRI’s 2016 Convention in Las Vegas. In addition to travel to and lodging at the Convention, Mark received a trophy, personalized certificate, ISRI Safe Driver leather jacket, congratulatory letter, and a $500 personal check.
The second-place winner was Dan Storms of LP Padnos in Holland, MI, and the third-place went to Sean Elliott of Schnitzer Northeast, in Concord, NH.
*Photos Available Upon Request
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The Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries, Inc. (ISRI) is the Voice of the Recycling Industry™. ISRI represents more than 1,600 companies in 21 chapters nationwide that process, broker and industrially consume scrap commodities, including metals, paper, plastics, glass, rubber, electronics and textiles. With headquarters in Washington, DC, the Institute provides safety, education, advocacy, and compliance training, and promotes public awareness of the vital role recycling plays in the U.S. economy, global trade, the environment and sustainable development.