5 Ricci's going the distance.

• Author: Charlebois, Janet
• Position: Ricci's Trucking Inc. - Company overview

Ricci's Trucking Inc. does something most trucking companies don't; they make their own roads.

The company deals primarily with the lumber industry and when they get a contract to harvest wood, they make their own way to get to that forest. They build a road, provide their own gravel and lay sand in the winter.

"When we go to harvest, we put the roads in and our trucks go and harvest the lumber," says Ricci's Trucking owner, Louie Ricci.

This ability to create their own path and the independence that comes with it is one thing that sets Ricci's aside from its competition and helps the company be successful.

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"We've got control of our whole operation," says Ricci.

According to Ricci, another key factor to the company's success is its ability to adapt to new environments.

"I think we're always keeping up with the changes, and anything new we try to get on it right away," says Ricci.

Whether it is new logging practices or new truck technology, Ricci's Trucking aims to keep up with any changes in the industry.

"We're very flexible with changes ... we adapt right away," says Ricci.

Ricci says having the ability to adapt and be flexible is key to the company's success.

Having good people, offering top wages and having a driver-screening process is important to ensure the continued success of Ricci's Trucking.

Louie Ricci realized a boyhood dream when he began Ricci's Trucking.

As a child he was exposed to the trucking world through family and friends.

The young boy who spent his summer holidays trucking realized his childhood dream when he purchased a gravel truck in 1973.

He soon bought a second truck and...