Pub2-2021-Issue3

14 Kentucky Trucker Would you please tell us about your family? Lesha: My parents, Tommy and Phyllis Rogers, started the company. My father passed away in 1999, and my mother in June. I have three siblings, and we are all very close as a family. My youngest sibling, Carla, works in the business. The third generation is now part of the operation; that is, my children Kristeena and Charles. My daughter-in-law, Kate, is our accountant. My husband, Glenn, has been a key asset to work alongside me. My father brought him into the company, so he is very knowledgeable in all aspects of the business. My Aunt Marsha has been here from the beginning, and she is still the glue helping to hold all of us together. I was 33 when I was placed in the leadership role after my father passed away. My mother, though still alive, wasn’t active in daily GETTING TO KNOW LESHA AND KRISTEENA BREEDING OF ROGERS TRUCKING operations. After the recent passing of my mother, I became the primary owner. I have worked alongside aunts, uncles, cousins, and others who have become family, so it truly is a family business. The company website had information about Charles Tommy Rogers and his legacy of determination and self-reliance. He sounds like a remarkable man. What was the most important business lesson he taught you? Lesha: He was my father. There are many valuable lessons I could take from him. One of the most valuable lessons he taught me was to treat people the way you want to be treated and to be fair and honest. Another lesson was determination. My parents had very humble beginnings in the industry. I remember the tough times when they weren’t sure how payroll would be made or where they would get the fuel money. My father would talk about not having money for food on the road. He had a vision of owning a fleet of trucks, and nothing was getting in the way. He was determined to succeed in building something that he loved. Kristeena: I was only 9 when my grandfather, Tommy, passed away, but I have a host of memories of him as my grandpa more than just a businessman. As I have gotten older, I reflect on things he did to teach me early on. When I was about 7, I wanted a dog. He gave me a job to make money for the dog, so I cleaned his office. At the end, he handed me money and took me to get the dog. Of course, $500 was a little steep for a 7-year-old to clean his office, but the moral is you have to work for what you want in life. He would take my brother Charles and me with him to meet business people or take us to events from a very early age. He wasn’t just spending time with his grandkids,