November 5, 2015

At FedEx Ground, small businesses are at the heart of everything we do. Since our company's founding more than 30 years ago, we have proudly and exclusively contracted with thousands of independent businesses for transportation, pickup and delivery services.

Since 2007, FedEx Ground has recognized the most outstanding of these businesses and their owners through our Entrepreneur of the Year program. One of our company's highest honors, this award recognizes businesses that demonstrate exceptional business growth and development, customer service, safety, community involvement, and business ethics.

This year, we recognized a group of 17 regional winners from which three overall winners were named:

Elite Transports, Inc., Rialto, Calif.

'Our objective is to provide peace of mind to customers, so they feel confident their packages will arrive safely, securely and as promised every time.' - Manuel Angulo, President, Elite Transports, Inc.

JSD Express, Inc., Utica, N.Y.

'Safety is the number one metric and service is number two. If employees focus on safety first, service follows.' - James De Armond, President, JSD Express, Inc.

Pickett Transport, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio

'Servant leadership is the way we go. We serve our employees to let them know that we care - because we really do. We want to create opportunities for our drivers and a career, so they can feel part of the business.' - Mark Pickett, CEO, Picket Transport, Inc

Check out www.buildagroundbiz.com to learn more about the three overall winners. Each story is unique and provides a lesson on what it takes to grow a successful independent business.

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