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Schiotis Newest Hero of the Highway

Mon, 28 Nov 2011 10:28:44 -0600

THE OPEN ROAD FOUNDATION ANNOUNCES RECIPIENTS OF HERO OF THE HIGHWAY AWARD
Mike Schiotis Honored for Rescuing Woman from Violent Confrontation
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DALLAS, TX, November 28, 2011 – The Open Road Foundation today presented its Hero of the Highway Award to Mike Schiotis, an independent contractor for Panther Expedited, for his heroic role in the November 1^st rescue of a Mount Pocono, PA, woman who was under attack alongside Interstate 380 in Pennsylvania.

The Open Road Foundation is a non-profit organization which provides victim assistance and supports educational and career development programs for the employees and professional independent contractor drivers of the transportation and logistics companies operating in the United States and Canada. The foundation was created by Fenway Partners in 2008.

Mike Schiotis, a native of Spring Hill, TN, has been a professional independent contractor driver for Panther Expedited Services, Inc., for two years.

While under load and northbound near mile marker 8 at around 9 p.m., Schiotis noticed two cars on the side of the road. Thinking it was an accident, he moved to the far left lane and noticed a woman waving her arms back and forth. Thinking someone might be hurt, he decided to stop and then sees a man walking after her with a gun that was pointed at the woman.

The woman approached his truck and began banging on the door. According to police reports, her attacker then followed after her, allegedly striking the victim with a gun. Schiotis jumped out of his truck and separated the woman from the attacker. The woman jumped into his truck through the open door and he quickly followed. Schiotis, with the woman in the cab, left the scene immediately. He notified authorities through 9-1-1 who told him to go to a nearby truckstop. But the drama didn’t end there.

The suspect apparently followed Schiotis’ truck to the truckstop so he returned to the interstate where he teamed up with another unidentified trucker to create a moving roadblock until authorities were able to catch up and take the suspect into custody.

Police arrested Elvino Cagnardi and he was charged with attempted homicide and jailed in Monroe County in connection with the incident.

“What Mike did was a true act of courage and valor,” stated Andrew Clarke, President and Chief Executive Officer of Panther. “We are extremely proud that such an act of heroism came from a member of the Panther family.”

Bill Webb, President of The Open Road Foundation, added, “Mike’s act of bravery and self-sacrifice captures the essence of the Hero of the Highway Award.

This was the first Hero of the Highway awarded this year by the Foundation and only the fourth since the organization started.

The Hero of the Highway Award was presented today during a ceremony at Panther’s corporate headquarters in Seville, Ohio. In addition to a $500 cash award, Mr. Schiotis was presented a custom watch from The Open Road Foundation.

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About The Open Road Foundation

The Open Road Foundation was established in 2008 by Fenway Partners to develop and administer a victim assistance fund to support eligible employees and professional independent contractor drivers impacted by disaster and/or unfortunate personal circumstances. Additionally, The Open Road Foundation provides annual educational scholarships to eligible employees, professional independent contractor drivers, and/or their dependents who are enrolled in or applying to accredited colleges, junior colleges, and vocational schools. The Open Road Foundation is a Texas-based Corporation and is organized as a public charitable foundation under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. For more information, visit www.openroadfoundation.com.

2012 Scholarship Application Available

Fri, 18 Nov 2011 09:24:35 -0600

Applications for the 2012 Open Road Foundation Scholarship are now available. The application can be downloaded from this website and must be completed and returned to the Open Road Foundation by no later than close of business, July 6, 2012. Scholarships will be awarded by August 1. Click here for more information

2011 Scholarship Recipients Announced

Fri, 29 Jul 2011 12:16:32 -0500

The Open Road Foundation today announced the recipients of its 2011 educational scholarship recipients. The scholarships are provided annually to deserving men and women in the transportation and logistics industry in the United States and Canada. This is the third year the Open Road Foundation has provided educational scholarships and this year 35 individuals will receive a total of approximately $40,000 in funding to pursue their college degrees, both undergraduate and graduate level.

The 2011-2012 Recipients include:

Kiley VonDreele, affiliated with Coach America, attending Colorado State University

Steven Michael DePiero, affiliated with FastFrate, attending University of Glamorgan

Brittany Kane, affiliated with Coach America, attending Bowling Green State University

Andrew Estafanous, affiliated with East Coast Warehouse and Distribution, attending Rutgers University

Andrew Horgan, affiliated with East Coast Warehouse and Distribution, attending Clemson University

Katie Krueger, employed by RoadLink, attending Clark College

Joshua Goebel, affiliated with Coach America, attending Hocking College

Zachary Reisenauer, affiliated with Coach America, attending Montana Tech

Margaret Blasko, affiliated with Panther Expedited, attending The Ohio State University

Casey Collier, employed by Coach America, attending Santa Clara University

Jared Dalton Duke, affiliated with RoadLink, attending University of North Carolina- Charlotte

Christina Steyer, affiliated with Panther Expedited, attending The Ohio State University

Lauren Simpson affiliated with Panther Expedited, attending Amarillo College

Berta Moreno, employed by RoadLink, attending Roosevelt University

Jesse Stewart, affiliated with Coach America, attending Simpson College

Tiffany Bressen, affiliated with Coach America, attending Great Basin College

Miklos Csombo, affiliated with Canada Drayage, attending Concordia University

Mellisa Mae Sumpton, affiliated with FastFrate, attending University of British Columbia

Josianne Tittley, affiliated with Canada Drayage, attending University of Quebec at Montreal

Gabrielle Tittley, affiliated with Canada Drayage, attending University of Quebec at Montreal

Ashley Mathew, affiliated with Coach America, attending St. Louis College of Pharmacy

Alisha Mathew, affiliated with Coach America, attending Georgia State University

Maxwell Kay, affiliated with Coach America, attending University of Akron

Justin Goebel, affiliated with Coach America, attending Ohio University

Christopher Goebel, affiliated with Coach America, attending University of Loyola Chicago

Marissa Goebel, affiliated with Coach America, attending Walsh University

Samantha Reinhart, affiliated with Panther Expedited, attending University of Akron

Keith Kaspar, employed by Panther Expedited, attending Robert Morris University

Brittany Core, affiliated with Panther Expedited, attending University of Akron

Coby Thompson, affiliated with RoadLink, attending Bradley University

Jaclyn Thompson, affiliated with RoadLink, attending Bradley University

Brittany Wadel, affiliated with Panther Expedited, attending Malone University

Brittany Naylor, affiliated with Panther Expedited, attending Point Loma Nazarene University

James B. Petrush, affiliated with Panther Expedited, attending Stark State College

Terrance Green, affiliated with Coach America, attending Howard Community College

Bill Webb, President of The Open Road Foundation, commented, “At the very heart of our mission of our foundation is helping further the education of deserving people in our industry while helping to develop the next generation of leaders. Because of the very thoughtful and generous financial contributions of our many friends and sponsors, we are able to positively impact a significant number of people each year.”

Applications for the 2012-2013 academic year will be available October 1 on this website.

ORF Provides North Dakota Flood Victim Assistance

Tue, 26 Jul 2011 13:49:38 -0500

The Open Road Foundation today announced that it has provided victim assistance grants worth a total of $74,000 to 19 employees of Coach America to help defray those families’ expenses related to severe flooding along the Souris River in the Minot, ND area.

The homes of all 19 employees were significantly damaged or destroyed by the historic floods caused by heavy rains upstream in Canada, together with snow melt and heavy local rains. Meteorologists called the event a “1-in-100 year flood.” More than 11,000 people total were evacuated during the flooding episode.

“The support from the Open Road Foundation was incredibly generous and came at a very crucial time for our employees,” said George Maney, President and CEO of Coach America, the largest tour and bus operator in the United States. “The speed of the response to the crisis helped our employees in the Minot area deal with what was and continues to be a truly life-altering experience. The Open Road Foundation has been there in the past for our people and was again this time.”

Bill Webb, President of The Open Road Foundation, commented, “We were very pleased to be able to respond in a timely manner to this crisis. We felt this was such a significant event that we needed to respond to the limits of our ability as a Board of Trustees and provide economic relief for these employees and their families. Because of the support of our many sponsors and contributors, we were in a financial position to provide these grants.”

The Open Road Foundation, originally founded by Fenway Partners, a New York City-based middle market private equity firms with holdings in transportation and logistics, just concluded its annual fundraiser in the form of a golf tournament in Demarest, New Jersey, just outside of New York City. More than $150,000 was raised through contributions from Fenway’s portfolio companies, their suppliers, and other individuals and companies that support those in the trucking and logistics industry.

Golf Event Nets More Than $100k

Tue, 28 Jun 2011 14:44:57 -0500

The Open Road Foundation's third annual golf tournament fundraiser, held in June at Alpine Country Club in Demarest, NJ, has netted the Foundation more than $100,000 in funds to be used to further the charitable mission of the Foundation. The event is held each year and serves as the primary fundraiser for the Foundation.

Premium level sponsors for the event included:

1800CONTACTS
Sprint
TRansport Insurance Agency
TrueNorth Companies
Scudder Law Firm
Ropes & Gray
Ernst & Young
Spencer Stuart
Goldman Sachs
Panther Expedited
Coach America
RR Donnelley
Fenway Foundation
ATBS
Roadlink
Dan Sokolowski
BB&T Capital Markets
Sonenshine Partners
Refrigerated Holdings

Hole sponsors included:

FleetOne
UBS
Marsh
GE Antares
High Road Partners
Gulfwinds International
RBC Capital Markets
Sard Verbinnen & Co.
Motorola Mobility
RBC Capital Markets
CRS, Inc.
DBG Benefits
Taylor & Martin
Chartis Insurance
State B&T
Morgan Stanley
Cedar Point Financial Services
York Risk Services Group
AON
Alix Partners
Crystal Technologies

New Website!

Sat, 01 Jan 2011 02:18:41 -0600

The Open Road Foundation recently revamped its website and it is now launched! Please take a look around and send your feedback to webmaster@openroadfoundation.com.

blog

Schiotis Newest Hero of the Highway

THE OPEN ROAD FOUNDATION ANNOUNCES RECIPIENTS OF HERO OF THE HIGHWAY AWARDMike Schiotis Honored for Rescuing Woman from Violent Confrontation________________________________________________________________________

2012 Scholarship Application Available

2011 Scholarship Recipients Announced

ORF Provides North Dakota Flood Victim Assistance

Golf Event Nets More Than $100k

New Website!

THE OPEN ROAD FOUNDATION ANNOUNCES RECIPIENTS OF HERO OF THE HIGHWAY AWARD
Mike Schiotis Honored for Rescuing Woman from Violent Confrontation
________________________________________________________________________