RICHMOND, VA—The Home Depot, the world’s largest home improvement specialty retailer, recently gave two Estes entities 2012 Carrier of the Year awards in their respective categories.
Estes’ specialized division was recognized as the 2012 Direct to Customer Carrier of the Year and Estes Forwarding Worldwide (EFW), a wholly owned subsidiary of Estes Express Lines, the 2012 LTL Carrier of the Year.
Specialized has worked with The Home Depot on innovative ways to improve customer service. Together, the two companies piloted several programs last year that enhanced performance and provided a wider range of customer delivery options. Specialized began its relationship with Home Depot in 2004 serving 59 stores in two states. Today, the division of Estes serves nearly 300 locations and will make an estimated 195,000 deliveries to consumers on behalf of Home Depot by the end of 2012.
EFW earned the award for its outstanding commitment to customer service and dedication to the alliance between the two companies. For example, in response to Hurricane Irene last year, the EFW team transported 10,000 shipments of emergency supplies in two weeks to Home Depot stores from Florida to Maine. The LTL Carrier of the Year award was presented to EFW on September 19, 2012, nine years to the day from the first shipment Home Depot tendered to the company. Today, EFW is the preferred expedited carrier for Home Depot and handles an average of 20,000 shipments annually.
“To be recognized by a customer for outstanding work is the highest honor we can receive,” said Rob Estes, president and CEO of Estes Express Lines. “We deeply value our relationship with The Home Depot and remain steadfast in our commitment to delivering the highest levels of customer service that have been the cornerstone of our company since 1931.”
About Estes Express Lines
Richmond, VA-based Estes is a full-service freight transportation provider offering an entire range of shipping solutions including LTL, Time Critical, Volume & Truckload, Global and Custom Solutions. Founded in 1931 by W.W. Estes and still owned by the Estes family, the company has grown from a small, local carrier into one of the most respected total-solutions providers in the industry. More information about Estes and its shipping options is conveniently available on www.estes-express.com.
About Home Depot
The Home Depot is the world’s largest home improvement specialty retailer, with 2,250 retail stores in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, 10 Canadian provinces and Mexico. In fiscal 2011, The Home Depot had sales of $70.4 billion and earnings of $3.9 billion. The Company employs more than 300,000 associates. The Home Depot’s stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: HD) and is included in the Dow Jones industrial average and Standard & Poor’s 500 index.