Team Managers
James & Carine Ruder
I was born in Grand Rapids MI, but lived most of my life in Memphis, Tennessee. I was basically born into this industry. My father owned a chain of pallet companies in the midsouth. I remember working there as young as 8 years old on the weekends and in the summers. I was a plant manager by the age of 21, and have been a plant manager in this industry ever since.
I moved to Colorado 6 years ago when I was hired as the plant manager at L&R Pallet. I have been married to my beautiful wife Teri for 23 years and have 3 children and 4 grandchildren. The thing I find most rewarding about working at L&R Pallet is how we love our employees. This doesn’t mean we don’t take things like performance, production, and quality seriously, because we do. However, it is far more rewarding to come beside the employees and love them by helping them succeed not only at work, but in life rather than to simply force them to perform or replace them.
“People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” ~ Maya Angelou
I grew up in Birmingham Alabama. After several work related moves around the country, my family and I relocated to Denver 20 years ago and love living here. My previous work experience was over 33 years with National Car Rental where I held several positions in Operations Management. I came to work at L&R Pallet 6 years ago and what a blessing it has been. Our team members are truly amazing. To be involved in such a spiritual workplace is personally rewarding. When away from work, I enjoy spending time with my wife and grandkids, as well as riding my motorcycle.
I was born and raised in Colorado. I have a wife of 16 years and 3 children and I enjoy fishing and anything to do with wood and metal craftsmanship. In this season of my life the verse that means the most to me is John 8:32, “Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” I started in the transportation industry in 1997 as a mechanics helper. I have worked in many different transportation verticals including dealerships, fleet shop, mobile truck repair, specialty equipment service, independent repair shops and last but not least the pallet industry. I have been at L&R for 5 years and I help to manage the plant. I lead our maintenance department, hire new team members and help with equipment and pallet building training. I work at L&R Pallet because I enjoy a challenge and seeing the results of a dedicated team striving for excellence every day.
I have lived in Colorado for 44 years and have worked with L&R Pallet for 29 years. I am 24 years happily married, a father of 2 children and grandfather. Of the 29 years I have worked for L&R Pallet I have worked several positions. From driver to sales, dispatching, clerical and invoicing. My experience gives me a good foundation of knowing our customers and their needs. It is a great bunch of people that I work with that keep me coming to work everyday. The dedication of our people is awesome. James and Carine Ruder have not only made this a great place to work, but a great environment to work in!
I was born in Dallas, Texas. I moved to Colorado in 1988 and made this my home. I have two sons and three granddaughters.
I have been in the accounting field for over 30 years working in public and private industries. Coming to work at L&R Pallet was a blessing and has helped me grow spiritually. James and Carine are awesome and truly want the best for their employees. I work with the greatest group of people and enjoy coming to work every day!
Outside of work I enjoy spending time with my family, especially my granddaughters, taking walks and tap dancing.
“Faith is not being sure HOW it will happen but knowing it WILL”
I have been in the accounting field for over 30 years working in public and private industries. Coming to work at L&R Pallet was a blessing and has helped me grow spiritually. James and Carine are awesome and truly want the best for their employees. I work with the greatest group of people and enjoy coming to work every day!
Outside of work I enjoy spending time with my family, especially my granddaughters, taking walks and tap dancing.
“Faith is not being sure HOW it will happen but knowing it WILL”
Assistant Coaches
Yellow Hats: Ever Marquez, Elmer Pineda, Juan Oaxaca
Special Teams
Transportation
Maintenance
Custom Build
Sawyers
Sort & Reclaim
Pallet Repair
New Build
Envirocycle
Leadership
At L&R Pallet we strive to build key team of servant leaders. This model of leadership is transformational and builds a foundation for trust and growth. A servant leader is committed to the growth of people. Our leadership team believes that people have an intrinsic value beyond that of the work they do. They lead with a deep committed to both the personal and professional growth of each and every individual within their organization.
We do our best to ensure the welfare and well-being of our team members. Servant leaders are able to deeply understand and empathize with others. It is important to recognize and accept people for their uniqueness and understand their point of view.
This posture allows servant leaders to have an ability to convince others as opposed to coercing them into compliance. Effective servant leaders are able to listen intently and respectfully to their employees and act on the information they receive. Servant-leaders model service. They aim to practice kindness and patience as they motivate and encourage others instead of using guilt or force. They model relationships based on mutual respect and free from coercion or abuse of power. They seek to create an environment that is warm, inclusive, and instrumental.
We must ask ourselves, “Are we creating a life-giving culture where employees feel valued, accountable, recognized, and find dignity in their work?”
