Names of Note: Modesto women win honors for safe trucking. Turlock thrift shop grows
Dot Transportation Inc. recognized three Modesto women for safe driving of its semis.
Diana Avila and Jeannie Dennis each topped 1 million accident-free miles. Misty Robles surpassed 500,000.
The Illinois-based trucking business is an affiliate of Dot Foods, which distributes products from about 1,000 companies in the United States and Canada. The women work out of a distribution center on West Whitmore Avenue, one of 14 for Dot.
Each woman drives an average of about 3,000 miles a week. A news release provided more details:
Dennis has been in trucking since 2000 and with Dot since 2014. “I love it out here on the road,” she said. “At sunrise when it’s dark and quiet and beautiful out there, that’s my most favorite time. I’ll just drive for hours without music and just enjoy the silence.”
Avila started driving for the company in 1999. “Once I put on my Dot shirt and suit up, the adrenaline starts flowing,” she said.
Robles joined Dot in 2017 after nearly 20 years in retail and education. “My favorite thing about my job is being out in the open, out on the road,” she said. “It’s really nice to see different things and enjoy that open space.”
Dot is hiring amid a driver shortage aggravated by COVID-19. Its drivers make an average of $96,000 a year across the U.S., including a recent $5,000 raise. More information is at DriveForDot.com.
Off Center adds store
Off Center Thrift & Gift has opened a second store a few blocks away in downtown Turlock. They raise money for a wide variety of nonprofits in the area, chosen twice a year.
The new site is at 112 Bonita St. and called Off Center on Bonita. The original is at 410 East Olive Ave., named for its proximity to Center Street.
The second store allows the addition of indoor and garden furniture to the inventory, founding board member Sylvia Cox said by email. Off Center also has clothing, housewares, books, music, jewelry and other gently used items.
The operation began in 2006 in response to the closure of a thrift shop that had supported Emanuel Medical Center since 1964. Last June, it passed $1 million in total donations to health, education, arts and other causes in Stanislaus and Merced counties.
Both stores are open from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Mondays through Fridays. The Olive site also is open 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturdays. Donated items are accepted between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. Tuesdays and Fridays. More information is at www.offcenterthrift.org.
Names of Note recognizes people and organizations for their contribution to their communities. Submit items to jholland@modbee.com.
This story was originally published February 27, 2022 at 7:00 AM.
