Because of his significant contributions to the Boeing Vanpool program, Ron Gilbert won Outstanding Vanpooler at the 24th Annual Clean Air Campaign and Awards Luncheon, held by Valley Metro in Phoenix, Arizona.
It all started with Ron’s move to Payson, Arizona in the fall of 1996, where he commuted 156-miles roundtrip each day to Boeing. Ron discovered other Boeing employees living in Payson so he started carpooling with four of them in 1998. After three years, the carpool grew beyond capacity, so Ron began looking at other options.
He heard about the Valley Metro Vanpool Program and made some inquires about joining. Ron took the initiative in June 2001 to start the first vanpool for the Boeing Company. He served as Vanpool Coordinator for almost four years (2001-2004), and continued to share driving duties over the past ten. Boeing now has a fleet of ten vanpools. Altogether, Ron and the Payson vanpool have logged more than 385,632 miles.
Ron and the Payson vanpool have seen many events over the years with road closures from wild land fires, road construction and vehicle accidents requiring them to find a different route home. Despite the long distance commute, seasonal change in road conditions and detours, having a group of great friends to vanpool together helps make Ron’s every day commute more pleasant and fun.
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