Last week, the Robertson Williams Transport (RWT) and Energy Transport Solutions (ETS) family gathered inside the Kansas City Royals Hall of Fame at Kauffman Stadium for our annual Christmas Party and Awards Ceremony. Surrounded by decades of Kansas City baseball history, complete with stories of grit, discipline, and championship character, we celebrated milestones, honored outstanding employees, and reflected on what truly drives our success.
This year’s keynote, delivered by President & CEO Eric Kolkmeyer, centered on a powerful theme: the Army Values. Known by the acronym LDRSHIP—Loyalty, Duty, Respect, Selfless Service, Honor, Integrity, and Personal Courage—these values shaped Eric’s military service. Today, he sees them alive and well throughout both companies.
Because at RWT and ETS, these values are not slogans. They are how we operate. They are who we are.
Loyalty: The Foundation of 70 Years
Eric began by recognizing loyalty as the bedrock of our culture. Drivers who stay with us through the years. Mechanics who ensure every piece of equipment is safe. Dispatchers who manage constantly shifting schedules. Office staff who keep the business moving. Customers who trust us load after load.
This loyalty has carried the company to a remarkable milestone of 70 years in business, a feat few companies achieve. Many of our employees have earned multiple ten-year plaques, each representing dedication, trust, and belief in the mission.
“We’re here tonight because of loyalty—plain and simple,” Eric said. “It is the reason this company continues to stand strong after seven decades.”
Duty: Doing the Job, Doing It Right
Duty shows up in every corner of our operation. It’s the driver heading out in a snowstorm because a customer relies on us. The team responding to last-minute changes and emergencies. The willingness to put in extra hours to keep freight, fuel, and schedules moving.
This duty carries special weight when we deliver jet fuel to military installations. Each load supports missions that matter, missions where precision and reliability are not optional.
“People depend on us,” Eric shared. “Duty is doing the job, doing it well, and doing it because others rely on you.”
Respect: For People, the Work, and Our Customers
Respect means treating people the way they should be treated, from new hires to long-time veterans. It means respecting the dangers of the job, the regulations that protect us, and the critical nature of the fuel products we haul.
It also means representing our company with professionalism at every stop, whether serving a small farm customer or a major commercial account.
“When we pull up to a customer, we represent more than ourselves,” Eric said. “We represent our entire company and we do it with pride.”
Selfless Service: The Heart of Who We Are
Perhaps no value defines our team more clearly than selfless service.
Our employees work long hours, overnight shifts, weekends, holidays, and through product outages, weather challenges, and terminal delays. They often sacrifice personal time to ensure customers are served and loads are delivered safely.
And sometimes, the service they provide supports missions far greater than they know.
Eric explained how Whiteman Air Force Base routinely orders surges of 50 loads per week, efforts that quietly prepare for missions we are never told about. “That is not routine,” he said. “That is service to others without knowing why.”
Honor: Upholding a Legacy Built Since 1955
Eric spoke emotionally about the honor of carrying forward the legacy built by his parents and grandparents. Every driver, mechanic, dispatcher, billing clerk, and technician from 1955 to today has contributed to the reputation of ETS and RWT and to the family histories sustained by those paychecks.
“You are honoring the legacy of ETS, Robertson-Williams, Transport Delivery, Sierra Transport, Nash Fuels, Wellington Oil Company, and many others,” he said. “We stand on the shoulders of those who came before us.”
Integrity: Doing What’s Right—Even When No One Sees It
In the fuel transportation industry, integrity is not optional. Cutting corners can create dangerous outcomes. Rushing can lead to mistakes. Ignoring procedures can put lives at risk.
Integrity is owning mistakes, reporting them, and correcting them before they escalate. It builds trust with the customers who rely on us to operate safely and professionally.
“This company is chosen again and again because we do what’s right,” Eric said. “Integrity is one of our greatest strengths.”
Personal Courage: The Strength to Push Forward
Courage appears in many forms across our companies. Drivers navigating unpredictable highways. Mechanics troubleshooting difficult repairs. Leaders making tough decisions. Employees pushing through personal hardships while continuing to serve.
And sometimes, courage means being part of something historic.
A Moment of History: Operation Midnight Hammer
For the first time publicly, Eric shared the story behind one of the most significant military missions of 2025: Operation Midnight Hammer. In June, B-2 bombers from Whiteman Air Force Base carried out a global mission targeting three Iranian nuclear facilities—an operation that helped end a major conflict within 12 days.
Those aircraft were fueled, in part, by the jet fuel delivered by our teams.
“The success of that mission is directly tied to the people in this room,” Eric said. “Drivers, mechanics, administrators, operations managers, directors, ownership—all supporting a shared objective.”
It was a moment of profound pride. A reminder that our work matters, far more than many of us ever see.
Excellence: A Byproduct of Lived Values
Eric closed with a reflection on what has carried ETS and RWT through 70 years and what will propel us forward.
“It isn’t the equipment,” he said.
“It isn’t luck.”
“It’s our values.”
When lived consistently, those values become powerful:
- Loyalty becomes reliability
- Duty becomes consistency
- Respect becomes teamwork
- Selfless service becomes commitment
- Honor becomes reputation
- Integrity becomes trust
- Personal courage becomes resilience
Stacked together, year after year, they create excellence, not as a goal, but as a natural result.
“We’ve built something lasting,” Eric concluded. “Something worthy of a 70-year celebration. And the next 70 years start right now.”
