Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association
1 NW OOIDA Drive, Grain Valley, MO  64029
Web site: www.ooida.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:  Norita Taylor, norita_taylor@ooida.com  
Headquarters: (800) 444-5791

OOIDA recognized by public relations professionals

PR association hands two awards to truckers association

(Grain Valley, MO, Sept. 17, 2007) – The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA) was honored with two silver awards from the Greater Kansas City Public Relations Society of America (GKC-PRSA). One was given for a quarterly newsletter, and one given for the association’s work done in relation to the Mexican truck pilot program. These awards  represent the first ever recognition OOIDA has received from a public relations association.

The GKC-PRSA is a local chapter of the national public relations association, which hosts an award celebration each fall to recognize outstanding public relations campaigns and materials created by companies in the metro area of Kansas City.

The categories of awards given to OOIDA were as follows and apply to projects completed between June 2006 and May 31, 2007:

CATEGORY: Newsletters
PROJECT: OOIDA Political Action Committee Newsletter

CATEGORY: Government and Public Affairs
PROJECT: Cross Border Trucking Challenge

The newsletter award was named to Mike Schermoly, director of marketing and to Melissa Theriault, associate director of government affairs. The other award was given to the association as a whole for the concerted efforts from several departments on that campaign.

Norita Taylor, media affairs coordinator at OOIDA, said “Getting a nod like this from PRSA means a lot, especially since this is the first time an advocate for small business truckers has reached out beyond its membership into the public relations industry.”

The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association is the national trade association representing the interests of small-business trucking professionals and professional truck drivers. OOIDA was established in 1973 and is headquartered in the greater Kansas City, MO, area. The Association currently has more than 156,000 members from all 50 states and Canada.