Rite Way Milk Chosen as PCDC Legacy Business of the Year

A local family-owned business that specializes in dairy transportation services has been selected as PCDC’s 2024 Legacy Business of the Year.

Rite Way Milk, Inc., owned by the Stewart family, will be inducted into the PCDC Business Hall of Fame at the banquet on October 30 at the Holdrege Country Club. 

“In selecting your company, PCDC board members noted your long history of successful operations and multi-generational management,” PCDC Board President Jared Engelbert stated. “For nearly 80 years, Rite Way Milk has served the dairy industry by providing reliable transportation to regional processing centers. Rite Way Milk is an important contributor to Phelps County’s agri-business sector. The breadth and depth of your customer base is truly a testament to your dedication to excellence and customer service. Moreover, as a multi-generational business, Rite Way Milk serves as a guidepost to other companies, pointing to what’s possible when sound, long-term strategies are followed. Your company is truly emblematic of the ideals that make Phelps County a leading economic powerhouse.”   

Rite Way was founded in 1947 by Carrol (Curly) Geer. Norm Stewart has been a partner in the company since the 1980s. Norm and his wife, Corliss, and son and daughter-in-law, James and Katherine, have owned the company since 2017. Norm serves as president of the company, and James is Vice President.

“The family aspect of our business is definitely the most important with my dad, Norm, still running the company at age 71 and my mom, Corliss, coming out of retirement from her previous career as a nursing home administrator to manage the Holdrege office,” James said. “My wife, Katherine, helps me with truck and trailer maintenance full time as well as juggling our cattle operation and raising our two sons, J.P. and Cash.”

The company manages pick-up and delivery logistics for Dairy Farmers of America, serving five regional dairy processing plants in Fort Morgan, Colo.; Wichita, Kan.; Hutchinson, Kan.; and Omaha. Rite Way has 10 full-time employees, including an office manager who works remotely from Elizabethtown, Kent. 

“I attribute our success to the work ethic of our employees and ability to adapt and evolve with the dairy industry as new regulatory and industry standards arise,” James said. “I recall a time in our industry where you either grew the size of your business, or you were pushed out for being too small.”

In the late 1990s, the company grew to almost 80 power units and tankers, trying to keep up with the demand and competition. But, they found that even at that size, a larger company was always trying to “buy you out or push you out,” James said.

“We had to rethink our goals of what we wanted our business to look like in the future,” James said. “Sometimes the smaller businesses outlast the mega hauler companies, which in our case is what happened.  We did eventually downsize our business to a more manageable size so we could focus on running it better and more efficiently, which meant going back to where it all started, right in small town Holdrege, Neb.”

The selection criteria for the Legacy Business of the Year include capital investment into the community. Rite Way is doing its part to make the community better with recent investments at its headquarters at 815 4th Avenue in downtown Holdrege.

“Some of the investments we are most proud of would be investing back into our community, whether it’s working with the PCDC on adding an Airbnb above our offices or improving the overall looks of downtown Holdrege with the mural on the side of our building that was coordinated by the Iron Horse Arts District,” James said. “We also take pride in sponsoring local organizations such as 4-H, Holdrege Public Schools, and our county fair.”

James expressed gratitude to PCDC for being chosen for the award. He said future goals for the company are to maintain its current trajectory with the business, keep investing locally, and be an asset to Holdrege and Phelps County communities.