Page 234 - BWM March 2013

234 | Business World Magazine | March 2013
The company was established in 1976 by
George Gilbert, a man who has been for-
merly honored as “Leader of the Year” by the
Texas Motor Transportation Association.
On that occasion, TMTA President John
Esparza described Gilbert as “one of those
extraordinary people you meet in life who
leads by his actions – true leadership, not the
talked-about kind.”
When Gilbert was only a fewmonths old,
his father died in an automobile accident. He
grew up humbly, but rich with the love, en-
couragement and support of a single, work-
ing mother who was devoted to church and
a cherished rose garden. She supported the
family through the sale of eggs, vegetables
and fruit grown on a local farm, but tragi-
cally died when Gilbert was a teenager. He
stayed busy at school, but also laboriously
toiled taking on varying odd jobs. In the case
of one customer for whom he mowed the
yard, his only compensation was a glass of
iced tea and a slice of pie, yet even for this,
he was grateful. Gilbert excelled in his stud-
ies, went on to complete junior college and
was on his way to the University of Hous-
ton when the draft designated him for duty
in Vietnam. He ultimately secured the rank