For Tommy “Kriss” Ballard, Concrete Delivery Professional, working at a desk job would never do. His passion for being outdoors, seeing new things, and meeting new people led him to a driving career at an early age—first at 7-Up/RC Cola, then FedEx Ground, then Texas-based Hope Concrete, and now Dolese, where he’s worked as a CDP in our Durant Batch Plant for the past 10 years.
“Some of my co-workers at Hope moved to Dolese and encouraged me to do the same. Jeremy Baumgardner hired me shortly after our first meeting,” Kriss said. “I enjoy the concrete business: meeting customers and seeing how things are built.”
He’s named after his mom, Tommy. His grandfather is also named Tom, so for all his life, he’s been called by his middle name, Kriss.
Kriss is our 2024 Driver of the Year, and we recognized him during our OSHA training sessions in March. Throughout his tenure at Dolese, he’s never had a vehicle or on-the-job accident, and he’s driven more than nine years without a rejected load.
“Kriss is a very safe driver who represents Dolese well,” said Jeremy Bumgarner, Ready Mix Manager, Durant Batch Plant. “He has a very friendly, outgoing, quick-witted personality and keeps everyone—including customers—in great spirits. I’m proud to have him on my team.”
When he’s not driving, Kriss keeps himself busy with hunting, fishing, freshwater diving, and, most recently, beekeeping.
“I built my first hives a couple of years ago, following in the footsteps of my wife’s uncle who had once owned our house and was a beekeeper,” Kriss said. “I’ve been fascinated watching the bees at work and feel privileged to do my part to keep them alive. They say beekeepers live longer, and I feel like I’ve absorbed something positive.”
His single beehive is now two, with two separate queens. He recently built above-ground flower beds for the pollinators on his property and hopes to have honey from the hives soon.
Since being named Driver of the Year, Kriss represented us at our own Truck Rodeo, where he placed first, and at the ORMCA Truck Rodeo, where he placed 6th. He will represent us at the NRCMA Mixer Driver Championship in Denver, Colorado, in October.
“I already have one driving championship trophy from a competition I did with FedEx in 1997. I won that year and just recently dug out my trophy and polished it up,” he said. “It’s been a great privilege to be named Driver of the Year for Dolese, and I hope to represent the company well in competition this year.”
