- Cash and In-kind Support of Employees, Customers and General Public
Estimated at Nearly $1 Million Through September -
MIAMI, Oct. 12 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- In response to a growing volume
of media inquiries, Ryder System, Inc. (NYSE: R), a global leader in
transportation and supply chain management solutions, today made public a list
of various corporate- and employee-related assistance efforts undertaken
following the devastation of Hurricane Katrina as well as early indications
related to Hurricane Rita.
Through the month of September, Ryder estimates nearly $1 million in cash
and in-kind support were provided to employees, customers and the general
public affected by the two hurricanes. Ryder and its employees have pledged
more than $440,000 in financial donations to support the relief efforts of the
American Red Cross and the Ryder Employee Emergency Relief Fund. More than
500 Ryder trucks and trailers have been deployed to the Gulf Coast to deliver
over 3,000 tons of food, medical supplies and other relief on behalf of Ryder,
the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the American Red Cross and
certain customers. Emergency response teams reached out to contact customers,
provided extensive support and partnered with them to provide relief to others
in the region. Ryder's fuel experts leveraged the Company's position as a top
U.S. fuel purchaser, strategically managed Ryder's nationwide inventory and
established an online tool to keep fuel flowing and customers' businesses
operating. Employees were able to access a 24-hour toll-free hotline and were
assisted with ice, water, food, medical supplies, housing, and more than 90
grants of financial assistance. Regular pay and benefits were provided to
employees unable to return to work and to employees called to military duty to
assist in the recovery efforts.
"We provide this information to assist the business, trade and electronic
media who are appropriately working to share positive, inspirational examples
of the ways in which corporations and their employees are coming together to
provide real assistance in the wake of these tragedies," said Ryder Chairman
and Chief Executive Officer, Greg Swienton. "We're extremely proud of all the
hard work, commitment and outreach that employees are providing to help their
fellow employees, our customers and others whose lives have been devastated by
Katrina and Rita. The victims of these disasters are in our thoughts and
prayers as we and the nation work together to rebuild over time."
The following is a more detailed summary of Ryder's overall recovery
efforts, many of which are still underway:
Ryder and Ryder Employee Financial Donations Total More Than $440,000
Financial contributions continue to come in daily from Ryder employees
around the world. Through September, Ryder employees have generously donated
more than $220,000 to the American Red Cross and the Ryder Employee Relief
Fund. The Company is matching employee donations to the American Red Cross
and Ryder Employee Relief Fund.
More Than 500 Trucks Deployed to Support Relief Efforts
As in past disaster relief efforts, Ryder donated trucks and equipment and
provided resources to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the
American Red Cross and other support organizations. Approximately 200 Ryder
trucks continue to be deployed in the impacted area to assist with relief
efforts.
Ryder Assisted Delivery of Over 3,000 Tons of Relief Supplies
Ryder vehicles serving the Company, FEMA, the American Red Cross and
certain customers transported more than 3,000 tons of food, medical supplies
and other items to support the recovery efforts.
Rapid Response Customer Support
Ryder's impacted customers were identified, and Ryder account teams
responded within the first hours and days with a variety of flexible solutions
to divert operations to alternate facilities and restore operations where
possible. Ryder trucks from non-operational locations and mobile service
units from other regions were deployed to assist with customer service
requirements. Ryder also provided logistical and physical support including
generators, office space, water, ice and other assistance on an as-needed
basis. Ryder successfully worked with customers to locate alternative
warehouse space. Ryder and one of its customers, a leading communications
company, worked around the clock, seven days a week, using alternate locations
to restore telecommunications services in several impacted areas.
Extensive Fuel Resources and Buying Power Leveraged to Support Recovery
The hurricanes damaged major oil refineries in the Gulf Coast region.
Ryder was able to leverage its position as a top fuel purchaser to secure fuel
to support relief efforts and the operations of our customers, such as a
leading telecommunications company and various food and beverage industry
customers, who played vital roles in the overall recovery efforts. By
managing and constantly re-deploying its national fuel inventory, no Ryder
customer was left without fuel.
These efforts were assisted by Ryder's quick response efforts to provide
customers with up-to-date online access to information on fuel availability by
specific location, as well as hours of operation and location maps via Ryder's
Fuel Update located on Ryder's web site http://www.ryder.com.
Employee Safety & Well-Being
Ryder ensures that it has the names, addresses and phone numbers of all
employees in the projected impact areas prior to the storm - as well as
ensures the employees have their supervisor's numbers and the number for the
Ryder Emergency Help Desk. Following the hurricane's impact, our first and
most urgent priority is locating and securing the well-being of each and every
Ryder employee. Approximately 553 employees were initially identified as
working or living in the impacted areas. Every Ryder employee was contacted
and their well-being confirmed within a week.
To ensure constant communication with employees and customers regarding
hurricane relief efforts and the status of operations in the affected area,
Ryder developed the Hurricane Response Info Center and the Fuel Service
Update, both located on http://www.ryder.com.
The Hurricane Response Info Center provides employees and customers with
up-to-date information covering Relief Efforts, Customer Update, Facilities &
Operations Update, Communications Update, Emergency Contact Numbers, the
Employee Resource Center and other hurricane relief resources.
Pay and Benefits Extended to Employees Unable to Work
Regular pay and benefits in excess of $275,000 were provided to employees
of inoperable business locations, as well as to those employees whose personal
circumstances prevented them from returning to work.
Pay and Benefits Extended to Employees Called to Duty
A number of Ryder employees were called to report for duty in the National
Guard and Reserve, and others may be called in the future. For employees who
were called to report for duty in the military, Ryder provided full make-up
pay for the first month of service, after which the Company paid one half of
the difference between the employee's military pay and their Ryder pay for an
indefinite period.
Employment Assistance and Re-Deployment
Many Ryder employees have returned to work at their home locations. For
those in the hardest-hit areas, Ryder redeployed displaced employees to other
company locations. Ryder continues to provide regular pay and benefits to
employees of locations that have not been able to reopen.
Many storm victims were forced to relocate out-of-state and are trying to
establish new lives. To support these individuals, Ryder has been working
with local advertisers in Houston, Dallas, Baton Rouge, Memphis and Birmingham
to offer job outreach services to those who have been displaced. Ryder has
received hundreds of inquiries from the job outreach advertisements. The
Company has identified employment opportunities for individuals who may
qualify to work at one of Ryder's 850 U.S. locations as drivers, technicians,
logistics employees, or other support functions.
To continue its job outreach efforts, Ryder posted open positions on
Monster.com. Ryder also joined with other companies to place an ad in USA
Today offering employment opportunities for those displaced by the hurricanes.
Employee Relief Efforts
A team of Ryder HR personnel and volunteers has been operating the Ryder
Employee Emergency Help Desk, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Utilizing
the Ryder Employee Relief Fund donations, which are also matched by the
Company, Ryder has provided more than 90 grants and a variety of other
requests have been fulfilled for services such as food, clothing, counseling,
temporary shelter and transportation. Ryder continues to provide assistance
to meet the needs of impacted employees.
Prior to impact, teams and supplies were staged for deployment into
impacted areas to help employees and customers begin recovery of equipment,
facilities and business operations. Ryder locations in Jackson, Miss.,
Beaumont, Texas, and Lake Charles and Baton Rouge, La., continue to operate as
distribution centers for ice, water, food and other supplies such as
generators, first aid supplies, flashlights, batteries, chainsaws, propane,
gas grills, blankets and tarps. Additional Ryder staff from other regions was
mobilized to support the relief efforts. Ryder worked with affected employees
to find temporary housing and secured RVs and hotel rooms.
Security Support
The security of Ryder employees, vendors and customers working in and
around the severely impacted areas was also a primary concern. Security Team
resources reached and completed a preliminary assessment of all targeted
locations. Ryder implemented appropriate security measures at the highest
priority locations and security escorts accompany our drivers as needed.
Other Disaster Relief Contributions
The following anecdotes highlight collaborative efforts made by Ryder, its
employees and customers, and the community in general to assist victims of
Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.
* Food & Supply Drives -- More than 100 Ryder locations across the U.S.
organized donation drives to collect non-perishable supplies and deliver
them to affected employees and customers, as well as general donations
for people affected by the disaster.
* Miami-Dade County (Florida) Commissioner Jose "Pepe" Diaz Convoy -- Six
trucks were donated to Metro Miami-Dade County Commissioner Jose "Pepe"
Diaz to assist his efforts to collect food items and supplies in
Miami-Dade County and deliver them into the impacted areas of the Gulf
Coast.
* Motorcycle Ride For Relief -- Ryder's Davie (Florida) Used Truck Center
location held the "Ride for Relief," a motorcycle (and car) motorcade
and lunch fundraiser for Ryder employees, families and friends, on
September 25th. The "Ride for Relief" raised approximately $3,000 for
the Ryder Emergency Relief Fund and the American Red Cross.
* North Carolina Convoy -- Five Ryder drivers assigned to a customer
location in Apex, N.C. drove to New Orleans with water, food, and other
emergency items that were donated to the American Red Cross. The
drivers delivered the supplies to a staging area located approximately
one hour outside of New Orleans.
* Detroit-Area Convoy -- On September 9th, four Ryder drivers and two
tractor trailers from Highland Park, Mich. arrived in Heidelberg and
Quitman, Miss., with 100 skids of relief supplies for hurricane victims.
The African Methodist Episcopal Church distributed food and supplies to
affected neighborhoods. Partners with Ryder in organizing the convoy
were Big Boy Restaurants, United Auto Workers (UAW) Region 1A, UAW Local
600 Transportation Workers, the African American Episcopal Church in
Louisiana and Mississippi, Wayne County (Mich.) Executive Robert Ficano
and Ford Motor Co. Other convoy elements moved on to Louisiana.
* Atlanta-Area Fundraiser -- Ryder's Shared Services Center in Alpharetta,
Ga. held a bake sale and raised nearly $1,000 for the American Red
Cross.
* Fort Worth-Area Fundraiser -- Employees at Ryder's Transportation
Management Center (TMC) in Alliance, Texas raised more than $2,250 for
the Ryder Employee Relief Fund.
* Donated Sales Commissions -- Several of Ryder's sales representatives
joined together to donate their sales commissions earned in September to
the Ryder Emergency Relief Fund.
* Delivery of 100 Mattress and Blankets -- Ryder donated a truck to
deliver 100 mattresses, donated by Vitafoam, and 100 new blankets,
donated by Gillespie Furniture, to hurricane evacuees.
* Pet and Animal Supplies -- Pets & Animals in Distress volunteers from
Ft. Lauderdale, Pompano, Port St. Lucie and Fort Pierce, Fla., along
with two volunteers from Orlando, loaded relief supplies to help Katrina
pet victims in the Mandeville, La. and Perlington, Miss. Gulf Coast
areas. The Meow Mix Company, Pedigree and Nutro Dog Food companies
generously donated several thousand pounds of dog and cat food for these
areas to provide relief to our four-legged friends. Ryder's Fort
Pierce, Fla. location donated the 24-foot truck to help pick up and
deliver all the food to the Katrina animal victims in the Gulf Coast.
* Delivery of Supplies from Illinois -- Ryder of Rockford, Ill. donated a
tractor-trailer to North Park Church of Christ to deliver 12 skids of
food and cleaning supplies to hurricane victims in Long Beach, Miss.
North Park Church of Christ collected the more than $11,000 worth of
food and supplies.
* Delivery of Supplies from New York -- Ryder donated a truck to transport
hurricane relief donations from Montour Falls, N.Y. to a staging center
in Jackson, Miss.
About Ryder
Ryder is a Fortune 500 company providing leading-edge transportation,
logistics and supply chain management solutions worldwide. Ryder's stock
(NYSE: R) is a component of the Dow Jones Transportation Average and the
Standard & Poor's 500 Index. For more information about Ryder System, Inc.,
visit http://www.ryder.com.
Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements: Certain statements and
information included in this presentation are "forward-looking statements"
under the Federal Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.
Accordingly, these forward-looking statements should be evaluated with
consideration given to the many risks and uncertainties inherent in our
business that could cause actual results and events to differ materially from
those in the forward-looking statements. Important factors that could cause
such differences include, among others, our ability to obtain adequate profit
margins for our services, our inability to maintain current pricing levels due
to customer acceptance or competition, customer retention levels, unexpected
volume declines, loss of key customers in the Supply Chain Solutions (SCS)
business segment, unexpected reserves or write-offs due to the deterioration
of the credit worthiness or bankruptcy of certain customers in our SCS
business segment, the possibility that changes in customers' business
environments will limit their ability to commit to long-term vehicle leases,
changes in market conditions affecting the commercial rental market or the
sale of used vehicles, increased competition from vehicle manufacturers and
large service providers, higher borrowing costs and possible decreases in
available funding sources caused by adverse changes in debt ratings, changes
in accounting assumptions, adequacy of accounting accruals, changes in general
economic conditions, unexpected reserves or losses due to the effects of
Hurricanes Katrina and Rita on our operations and the economy, availability of
heavy- and medium-duty vehicles, increases in fuel prices, availability of
qualified drivers, our ability to create operating synergies in connection
with our acquisitions, our ability to manage our cost structure and changes in
government regulations, including regulations regarding vehicle emissions,
drivers' hours of service and security regulations issued by the Department of
Homeland Security. The risks included here are not exhaustive. New risks
emerge from time to time and it is not possible for management to predict all
such risk factors or to assess the impact of such risks on our business.
Accordingly, we undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise any
forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future
events, or otherwise.
SOURCE Ryder System, Inc.
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Related links:
http://www.ryder.com
CONTACT:
Lisa Brumfield, +1-305-500-3668,
Lisa_Brumfield@Ryder.com, or Edward Rifenburg, +1-305-500-4161,
Edward_Rifenburg@Ryder.com, both of Ryder System, Inc.
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