Gail Rutkowski Transportation Excellence Award
The Gail Rutkowski Transportation Excellence Award (GR-TEA) recognizes companies or individuals who
demonstrate exceptional leadership, innovation, and impact in transportation and logistics. Honorees
leverage their knowledge, relationships, and industry expertise to create long-term value for shippers,
carriers, customers, and the broader supply chain community.
Established at CSCMP EDGE 2021, the award is named in honor of Gail Rutkowski, a lifelong champion of
the transportation industry who has served as a shipper, carrier representative, consultant, and tireless
advocate for the profession. Her passion and dedication have inspired countless transportation
professionals around the world.
How to Recommend a Candidate
If you know an individual or organization that exemplifies transportation excellence and should be
considered for the Gail Rutkowski Transportation Excellence Award, please email details about your
candidate to [email protected].
2025 Transportation Excellence Award Recipient
John Janson
Vice President, Global Logistics – SanMar
John Janson’s path into logistics began behind the wheel of a school bus while attending Boise State
University. After being introduced to trucking, he quickly developed a deep respect for the complexity
of transportation and the essential role every worker plays in keeping goods moving.
Over his career, John has held transportation and logistics roles with organizations including MicronPC,
MWI Animal Health, AmerisourceBergen, and Transformsolar, gaining experience across all facets of global
transportation. He joined SanMar in 2017 to lead the global logistics team, focusing on moving product
where it’s needed most, reliably and efficiently. SanMar is recognized as a Top 100 U.S. importer by the
Journal of Commerce and operates nine distribution hubs that enable 1–2 day delivery to 97% of
the country.
John is known for building strong industry relationships and sharing practical insights. He has contributed
to the Parcel Forum, the Journal of Commerce, NASSTRAC, and CSCMP, and has been featured in
publications and podcasts including Transport Topics, Bloomberg Intelligence, and Wolf Financial.
In 2022, he was recognized as a “Rainmaker” by DC Velocity for advancing the profession of supply
chain management. He is honored to receive the CSCMP Gail Rutkowski Transportation Excellence Award at
EDGE 2025.
Past Recipients
2024 — Meg Schmidt Duncan
2023 — Mike Regan
2022 — Mexpress