Steve Russell, the founder of one of the nation’s biggest trucking companies, died today at the age of 76.
Celadon Founder Built Celadon Into Billion Dollar Company
Russell started Celadon in 1985 transporting auto parts to a factory in Mexico. From this start, he was able to build Celedon into a $1 billion company in 2015 that operates 5,000 tractors and 12,000 trailers. Over 4,000 people are employed by Celedon.
Russell was deeply devoted to art and even named the company Celadon (meaning green-glazed pottery) because at the time it was deemed to be the most beautiful sounding word in the English language.
Russell’s successor at Celedon, Paul Will, issued a statement on the company’s founder’s death: “We are deeply saddened by Steve’s passing. Our thoughts and prayers are with Steve’s family and many friends at this time.”
I once interviewed Celadon Group founder Steve Russell during a stint on business desk. He was an interesting man.https://t.co/A6WnkLk7jO
— David Woods (@DavidWoods007) April 15, 2016
Sources:
The Indianapolis Star
Indianapolis Business Journal
Journal of Commerce