Watco Logistics Introduces Award Honoring Industry Icon

When it comes to logistics, the industry has been positively shaped by people like Dick Hitchcock. He spent decades in the business, starting in 1966.

Although he never worked at Watco, he did work with many of our current logistics team members, including Watco Logistics President Eric Wolfe, who was introduced to Hitchcock in 2003.

At that time Wolfe worked at BNSF Logistics, a company that acquired a logistics brokerage Hitchcock worked for called MRS. According to Wolfe, Hitchcock immediately stood out for his dedication to serving his customers.

“Dick was the glue holding MRS together,” Wolfe said. “He had connections with everyone. He wasn’t going to go a day without talking to as many customers as possible.”

In addition to MRS and BNSF Logistics, Hitchcock’s sales career took him to People’s Cartage, Consolidated Freightways, Duff Truck Line, Super Transport, USF Distribution, and Burlington Northern Railroad. He’s also a founding member of the Columbus Logistics Breakfast Club, a professional organization in Ohio dedicated to providing networking and educational opportunities.

His favorite way to describe the value of logistics throughout his career and even today is, “If you got it, a truck brought it.” This phrase highlights the vital role logistics plays in delivering products, from living room chairs to pads of paper and more, to retailers and consumers.

Although he technically retired at age 75, he remains a valuable resource today at 90 years old. Hitchcock said, “Not a week goes by that I don’t get a phone call from somebody asking a logistics question or for an introduction to someone I know. I’m retired, but I’m never out of the business. You have to die to get out of it.”

In honor of Hitchcock’s leadership in the field, this year Watco Logistics introduced a new annual award in his honor. The Dick Hitchcock Award will be presented to Watco Logistics team members who carry on his legacy as a leader, mentor, talent developer, and supreme relationship-builder.

The first award was presented to its namesake, Hitchcock. He was recently recognized by Wolfe at a seminar hosted by the Columbus Roundtable of the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals in Ohio.

This honor follows Hitchcock’s induction last year into the Columbus Logistics Hall of Fame at his alma mater, the Ohio State University.

“I’m blessed to have known Dick for a long time,” Wolfe said. “In the logistics industry, there’s no one better to name an award after or to recognize than him.”

How to Nominate a Watco Logistics Team Member
1) Email hitchcock@watco.com
2) Include the team member’s name and a brief description of why they should be considered
3) Submissions are due by September 15