Packet House Grill with Chef Wes Ellis, who used to cook for her Christmas parties. Now she gets to enjoy his food – especially the signature Richards Filet – and doesn’t have to help clean up afterward. “I’ve always loved it,” she said of
Packet House, a Second Empire Style building, which had been an office and a restaurant in the past. “Lane [Kidd, president of the Arkansas Trucking Association] says I’m more famous for the Packet House than my trucking, and it’s probably so.” In addition to good food, Richards
and Quarles share a love of travel and they’re both morning people. They like to sit in front of the big picture window and watch the birds flitting among the feeders while the sun rises. “Tom’s saying is, ‘Life is good,’” she
said.
“Life is great!” he said with a grin. One of Betty Richards’ favorite
things about being in this business is the relationships she’s built with cus- tomers, vendors and employees. Danny Burnett is a vice president and producer for Burnett Insurance, which has writ- ten Rich Logistics insurance for 23 years, and he counts himself among her fans.
“She’s a super lady, a sharp busi-
nesswoman,” said Burnett. “I would say she’s very courageous, too, to grow that company like she has, through all the adversity, the economy, that’s happened over 23 years. She’s surrounded herself with good people – she’s smart enough to do that, as well. “It’s been a great relationship
over the years,” he said. “We’ve been through a lot together. She’s very loyal but we’ve tried to do our best to justify her loyalty to us.” Loyalty also figures as one of her
most impressive qualities to Shannon Everett, a long-time employee of Rich Logistics and its current chief financial officer. “She’s a great woman to work for,”
said Everett. “Her loyalty to her employ- ees, vendors and customers is some- thing not very common in our industry.
ARKANSAS TRUCKING REPORT | Issue 5 2013
“We work in an industry where
shippers and carriers are being passed around for pennies on the mile – and in my industry, a penny is a lot of money,” he said. “It’s great to work with someone who sees how loyalty in these relationships drives better margins in the future.” Everett also singled out Richards’
faith as a reason he admires her. Not only for the way it drives her to make
sure Rich Logistics gives back to the community that has supported it over the years, but for how she used it to sus- tain herself and the company through economic hard times. “During the most challenging
times, you see the true core of some- one’s character,” he said. “I’ve seen Betty be tough and that toughness is built on her faith. That faith is the cor-
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TM PC 102324 27
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