Andra Rush

A summer internship for an air- freight company spurred Andra Rush’s interest in transportation. So moved by the experience, in 1984, she founded Rush Trucking while still in her early 20s.The trucking industr y was undergoing deregula- tion and Rush saw an opportunity for pioneering individuals to take a chance. She has never been afraid of taking a risk.

With her can-do spirit, she rolled up her sleeves and start- ed to work. She maxed out her credit cards, borrowed a little from her parents and started with three trucks, accepting every job she was offered. “I did everything there was to do to keep my fledgling company running from answering phones to marketing the business to driving and repairing the trucks,” Rush said. The hard work paid off. What started in 1984 as a small trucking company has grown to more than 700 tractors and 1,350 trailers, with 350 employees and 900 associates. Today, Rush Trucking services many of the Fortune 100 companies throughout North America, including Toyota, General Motors, Ford and Chrysler.

With a slogan to “exceed expectations,” Rush aligned herself with supportive networks from the start including the Michigan Minority Business Development Council and the Native American Business Alliance. She earned her certification as a women’s busi- ness enterprise through the Michigan Women’s Business Council about five years ago, taking advantage of the connections made. Rush is proud that her company is a strong supporter of diversity. “About 34 percent of our drivers are minorities,” she said. “Also, becoming a benefactor to those less fortunate was the main driving force behind the work.”

Rush said she strives to be a positive catalyst to improve social and economic conditions on the reservations and first nations, which are frequently plagued by unemployment and lack of opportunity. She would also like to work on solutions with tribes for economic viability, health improvement and elimination of epidemic diseases like diabetes where Native Americans rank the highest among the cultures in America. Rush’s trucking business has led her to other ventures as well.

She is president and CEO of the Wayne, Mich.-based Rush Group, Rush Trucking Corporation, TVS America and Dakkota Integrated Systems, LLC. These separately owned and operated companies have excited this entrepreneur and the many employees working with her. These businesses focus primarily on the automotive industry as well as govern- ment opportunities.