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BIDDING FAREWELL


Karen Rasmussen leaving Arizona Trucking Association


BY ERIC FRANCIS Contributing Writer


You will forgive Karen Rasmussen if,


during the early part of December, she was a little slower than usual returning your calls. “This is kind of my transition week,”


she said one Monday morning after offering a gracious apology. “I’m hoping to be pretty much closing out of ATA and starting to focus on my new job. “I think I’m really going to like it,” she


added. “Having said that, it’s going to be different.” The new job, as Rasmussen so casually


put it, is president and CEO of HELP Inc., the nonprofit that administers the nationwide PrePass program. She will be succeeding Rick Clasby who left to become Executive Director of Utah Trucking Association. But she’s coming to HELP from a long and storied career with a job she truly loved. “Just the thought of applying for


this other position was pretty daunting, because I really love what I do for ATA,” said Rasmussen. “It’s been a wonderful experience working there.” Indeed, the idea of an Arizona


Trucking Association without Rasmussen at the helm will likely seem alien to a lot of folks in the industry. After all, she’s led the organization for nearly 12 years, and there are doubtless many members who’ve never known another president. But as she moves on, her accomplishments are in sharp focus for those who have known and worked with her during her tenure. For example, ATA board chairman


George Cravens didn’t mince words when it came to his assessment of Rasmussen. “My opinion would be that Karen is


one of the top executives throughout the state trucking associations,” said Cravens. “I just think the association was extraordinarily


fortunate to find Karen when we did about eleven and a half years ago. She is a diamond in the rough. She’s got unique qualifications and skills that have really propelled our organization to new heights.” Rasmussen grew up in Billings,


Montana and attended college in Missoula. Her father was a teacher, coach, and legislator, and she worked at the legislature in Helena for awhile. That exposure to politics and the mechanics of government served her in good stead as she moved through her career, including stints with Ryder System Inc. and the California Trucking Association. By the time she came to the Arizona


Trucking Association in 2001, she had a good handle on what it takes to lead an industry group. And over the past 11-and- a-half years, she’s helped create a thriving, influential, and responsive association. Asked to comment on the highlights of her time, she doesn’t hesitate to name her number one priority. “I would say the most meaningful


part of all is our work on truck safety,” said Rasmussen. “We’ve really established a leadership role, both through the foundation we established in 2009 and the association itself. We’ve been able to produce materials used throughout the country for teaching teens about sharing the road with trucks, and for trucking companies to educate their drivers on reducing distractions on the road. I still believe that should be the central mission of the association – certainly, safety is one of its key missions.” Like any other association,


membership is the cornerstone of success, and Rasmussen was proud to note that the ATA’s membership had grown significantly during her time there. “There were about 140 members when I came in 2001,” she said. “We’re right at


Arizona Trucking Association 2012 Post-Conference Report Rasmussen


about 340 now. We were up to a high of 360, and then the recession hit. We haven’t dropped much more and have started to see some growth since then.” It was the addition of new services


that created that growth, said Rasmussen. When she arrived, the only thing the ATA really offered its members was the truck driving championships and the annual


Rasmussen conducting media interview in 2009


convention. Both are still marquee events for the association, but she saw to the addition of training seminars, reorganized the safety and maintenance council, and built upon a program begun by her predecessor, Terry Smalley, that’s become a huge success: Third- party licensing. “It’s always an issue,” she said. “It’s


hard to get trucks registered in a timely fashion and get them into service. Obviously, if they’re not making revenue, they are costing you money.”


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