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introduced him to members of the Legislature and to state department agen- cies. And when Hurricane Katrina struck New
Orleans, UTA member firms were ready to help. In three months’ time, they made it possible for the church to deliver 350 truck- loads, many at reduced and free rates. “They all stepped up,” he said. “It was
amazing. They all came together and worked with us delivering all the food and the fuel and the generators and tarps and everything else. ... People have no idea how good all the different partner carriers were and still are.” Rick Clasby, UTA executive director, said
Peterson has been a good friend for the association as well. “Neal has been a tremen- dous supporter of the Utah Trucking Association, has provided exemplary leader- ship, and has always been willing to assist in whatever matter he personally or his organi- zation, Deseret Transportation, was need- ed,” he said. “He’s a good example of truck- ing in Utah.” At Deseret Transportation, Peterson was
in charge of a staff of 66, including 40 full- time and four part-time drivers. Two retired drivers served as missionaries. For a time, his father and mother, Myrna, worked as missionaries there as well. Aside from his parents, those people are
like family, and leaving them for Salt Lake- based Deseret Dairy was the hardest part of his new assignment. But he knew it was time for a change and accepted the move. He’d spent his career in a highly specialized environment, and he wanted to learn about other aspects of the mission, such as food production and food safety. Johnson said he transferred Peterson
knowing he would make the transition. “He always wanted to learn and improve,” he said. “He wasn’t afraid to go out on the truck himself. He took trips himself so that he knew how the drivers felt, what they experi- enced, what they went through. He just was wanting to make sure that he understood those that worked for him.” He moved into his new position in
February and started a six-month training
program before he moves into the manager’s position when the current manager retires. At that point, he’ll be in charge of 32 employees who process 4.5 million pounds of raw milk a month. The milk, produced by 5,000 cows in Elberta, is bottled and used to make cheese, pudding, a highly nutritious Atmit porridge distributed worldwide, and other products. So now the guy who earned his college
degree at 43 and ran his first marathon at age 50 is now taking on a new challenge at age 52. He’s excited about the opportunity, even though it means leaving the job he loved and changing the way he sees himself after 32 years in the same place. At Deseret Transportation, he wanted to ensure his employees were passionate about the cause and united in their efforts. The same must hold true at Deseret Dairy, and it starts with him. “Working here, you want people’s hearts,
including mine,” he said. “So I really had to emotionally tell myself, ‘I’m a dairyman now,’ if that makes sense.” UT
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UTAH TRUCKING ~ Issue 1, 2013 17
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