“PEOPLE PAY ATTENTION TO RUSSELL. HE’S AN HONEST MAN SO WHEN HE HAS AN
OPINION, PEOPLE REALLY DO LISTEN BECAUSE PEOPLE KNOW WHERE RUSSELL
COMES FROM. WE’RE LUCKY TO HAVE HIM.”
—JOHN D. ESPARZA,
PRESIDENT & CEO, TEXAS TRUCKING ASSOCIATION
building with high heating and cooling costs. The association will be considering its opportunities in the years ahead thanks in part to Jurk. “He’s very methodical, and I for one
appreciate that. I think we are definitely a reflection of Russell’s leadership over the
38 Winter 2015
past year and probably longer than that, and it will continue on because of his ser- vice here,” Esparza said. In addition to his service with TXTA,
Jurk is also a director with Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative, which serves 14 coun- ties in central Texas. Esparza said that experience has taught Jurk to work with boards and executive committees. Jurk said it’s enabled him to meet many interesting people as well as travel to different parts of the country for training. His service with the cooperative is
part of an overall philosophy that can be summed up in two words: Get involved. “I won’t say no when somebody says, ‘Hey, can you help me out with this?’” Jurk said. “I’m going to get involved in it because it affects me, it affects my industry and I get to learn.” In his spare time, Jurk enjoys fishing
on the coast. He hunts a little. The family recently returned from a vacation in the Dominican Republic. Daughter Ashley graduated from Texas A&M, while son
Richard is a student at Blinn College in Bryan. That’s his immediate family. His
extended family includes people to whom he is not related. They’re the employees who come to work every day at Bobby Lehmann Trucking – many for years, and some for generations. “My role here with Mr. Lehmann is,
he’s retired, and I’ve got his back,” he said. “This is a family business, and that goes deeper than just immediate relatives. We have some folks who have been here 30 years. We’ve got second generation guys coming to work here. Well, that’s kind of deep.” Jurk’s chairmanship of TXTA came to
a close at the Annual Conference in August, but he’ll stay involved in the asso- ciation – and in a lot of other things. Leadership to him isn’t just a job but a mis- sion, and one that he enjoys. “If I come to work every day, and it’s
just to make a paycheck, it’s just not as fun as if you have a purpose,” he said.
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