Kevin Betcher

Truck Driver, Bettendorf, IA

Doesn’t quit in the face of a challenge. Shows commitment in extreme conditions. Always goes the extra mile.

In 2008, Raul Saucedo joined CTI after working for another steel service center in Chicago that was on shaky financial ground. What drew him most to CTI was the fact that it was a strong company – both financially and culturally – well-known and respected in the industry.

It was a cold day in the Quad Cities. Late January brought a strong, arctic high-pressure system with record-breaking temperatures as low as 35 below zero. Kevin Betcher, a truck driver who has been with Olympic Steel for three years, was returning from a delivery. About 70 miles from the factory, the truck’s fuel filter clogged — a result of the extreme cold. He slowly made it off the road and pulled into a nearby truck stop.

Following standard procedure, Kevin called roadside rescue to learn they were responding to many other trucks with the same issue and would not be able to dispatch a crew until the next morning. But Kevin wasn’t ready to give up and get a hotel for the night. Instead, he marched into the truck stop, purchased a new fuel filter and wrench and replaced the truck’s filter with a wind chill factor of -50 degrees whipping around him.

When asked why he would do that, Kevin responded, “It’s my job! It’s a driver’s job to keep his truck running and not cost the company money. That’s what I was taught as a truck driver. Plus, it’s cost effective for the company.”

He was back at the factory that night with no impact to his truck or the next days’ scheduled deliveries. And when the same thing happened two more times during the winter, Kevin knew just what to do.