Inspiring Keynotes & Industry Leaders

Special guests joining us at SCON23

Jeff Gordon

NASCAR Hall-of-Famer, four-time NASCAR Cup Series champion, and three-time Daytona 500 winner

Vice Chairman – Hendrick Motorsports

Now serving as Vice Chairman of Hendrick Motorsports, Jeff Gordon remains a motorsport legend and iconic figure in the world of professional racing. With an illustrious career spanning over two decades, he amassed an impressive record of 93 victories and was celebrated for his exceptional talent and fierce competitiveness on the track.

Beyond his racing prowess, Gordon is a full-time race analyst for FOX NASCAR and also recognized for his philanthropy and dedication to charitable causes, including The Jeff Gordon Children’s Foundation, which has granted over $16.5 million to support children battling cancer. His enduring impact on the sport and commitment to giving back has solidified him as an inspirational role model for auto enthusiasts and fans worldwide.Chairman

David Heller

Sr. Vice President, Safety and Government Affairs – Truckload Carriers Association

David Heller is the Senior Vice President of Safety and Government Affairs for the Truckload Carriers Association (TCA) and is responsible for communicating and interpreting all trucking-related regulations – safety, legislative, and otherwise – to the membership of TCA and its congressional representatives on Capitol Hill. David has appeared multiple times on CNN and Fox News as well as the Dave Nemo Show and Road Dog Trucking News with Mark Willis to explain TCA’s position on key legislative and regulatory issues while also authoring a monthly column for FleetOwner magazine.

John Elliott

CEO – Load One, LLC

John Elliott founded Load One, LLC in 2003, and with the help of a dedicated professional management team, Load One has grown to over 150 million in annual revenue. John has been named personally as a Heavy-Duty Trucking Innovator award winner and received the Mike Russell industry image award from the American Trucking Association. John also serves as Vice President at large of the American Trucking Association and has previously served as Chairman of the Truckload Carriers Association (TCA) and President of TEANA (The Expedite Association of North America).

Grace Maher

COO – OTR Solutions

Grace Maher is the Chief Operating Officer of OTR Solutions, America’s most trusted freight factoring and trucking technology company. OTR Solutions provides industry-leading technology and financial services, tools, and support to help carriers start and grow a successful operation. Grace’s industry experience of more than ten years has instilled an unyielding commitment to delivering exceptional technology solutions to carriers.

Sharon Harding

Director, Provider Development – Ascent

Sharon Harding has been at Ascent since 2006 where she leads the Provider Development (PD) team to onboard and maintain the foremost transportation companies who share the same company values and mission. Sharon strives to inspire others through her own actions and joy towards life. She is empathetic and fair while providing clear expectations; her drive in life is to help others succeed.

Scott Hutchinson

Business Development Manager – Grand Aire, Inc.

Scott Hutchinson, currently in the Business Development Manager role at Grand Aire, Inc., is responsible for acquiring new as well as supporting existing accounts with Air and Ground services in the Northeastern Territory of the United States. Prior to Grand Aire, Scott was in Expedited Trucking for 26 years, notably as Director of Operations at Tri State Expedited Services, as well as working as Operations Manager at Try Hours.

James Jaillet

VP, Marketing – NTI (The National Transportation Institute)

James Jaillet leads NTI’s client communications and outreach. He leverages NTI’s data and relationships with motor carriers and private fleets to understand what’s happening in the freight markets, the driver market, the economy, and trucking industry trends. With this knowledge, James communicates best practices and policies for creating effective recruiting and retention programs to fleets across the industry.

Tajratan Deol

Manager – Deol Road Carrier

Deol Road Carrier Ltd has transported both truckload and less than truckload shipments throughout Canada and the U.S. as a privately owned and operated company since 2001. Tajratan Deol started out at DRC, his father Manwinder Singh’s company, at the age of twelve working with the dispatch team. Today, Tajratan is fully involved with the company in Operations Management while he attends Wayne State University majoring in Business Management.

Brad Backhus

Director of Operations – Universal Traffic Service

Brad Backhus is the Director of Operations at Universal Traffic Service. Universal Traffic Service is a full-service transportation management provider. Brad oversees the operations department which handles shipment management, carrier compliance, truckload & expedite procurement, cargo claims, and tracing. Prior to UTS, Brad worked at Roadway Express for 8 years as an Operations Supervisor.

Harry Storck

Vice President Safety Services – Protective Insurance

Harry Storck leads the Protective Insurance (now part of Progressive) Loss Prevention team providing risk & compliance consulting services to insureds in the commercial transportation vertical. Prior to joining Protective, Harry led AIG’s commercial auto risk consulting practice. He received his BA from Loyola University – Maryland in Business Administration.