The Finger Lakes Area Chamber of Commerce highlighted more than 75 years of Wadhams Enterprises history during its June Business After Hours networking mixer in Phelps.
The June 10 event was held at Wadhams Enterprises' corporate headquarters at 369 Bostwick Road and gave Chamber members a closer look at the family-owned transportation company, which provides truckload, less-than-truckload, brokerage, milk hauling and bulk petroleum delivery services across the Northeast and beyond.
Wadhams Enterprises was founded in 1949 by Earl T. "Red" Wadhams with a single 1939 International truck used to haul vegetables and collect milk from Finger Lakes dairy farms. The company later shifted from can milk routes to bulk tank transportation and expanded into agricultural products, feed, fuel, asphalt, cement and general freight.
In the 1980s, the family launched RIST Transport, named for Red's sons Rick and Steve. The division grew into a trucking and logistics provider serving the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic and Midwest, with services including less-than-truckload shipping, truckload transport, freight brokerage and warehousing.
The company now employs more than 900 people, operates 27 offices and manages a fleet of more than 530 trucks. Its three main divisions are Earl T. Wadhams Inc., RIST Transport Ltd. and ARG Trucking Corp.
Co-owner Rick Wadhams led attendees on a tour of the headquarters, which were built in 1999 and include corporate offices, executive suites and a training facility. The tour was followed by a slideshow presentation, refreshments and networking.
During the presentation, Wadhams reflected on the company's growth from one milk truck into a regional logistics operation, emphasizing hard work, service, family values and community, according to the Chamber.
The Chamber's next Business After Hours mixer is scheduled for July 8 from 4 to 6 p.m. at Hampton Inn & Seasons on Keuka Lake, 110 Mace St., Penn Yan. Reservations are required, with admission set at $10 for members and $20 for nonmembers unless attendees have a 2026 season pass.
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