TransCore | Corporate Responsibility

Providing a Second Chance at Life

The concept of giving back to the community has come to define an important company value for TransCore employees across the globe. As families celebrated Thanksgiving, one story of selflessness stood out.

Every year, nearly 21,000 Americans wait in line for a life-saving liver transplant. In fact, even more are diagnosed with liver disease but don’t even make it to the list, and another 2,500 die while waiting.

TransCore Corporate Controller Mike Crotty became intimately aware of these facts when his father-in-law Michael Rosenstein was diagnosed with non-alcoholic cirrhosis of the liver.

While attempting to secure a spot for Mr. Rosenstein on the liver donation list, Mr. Crotty learned of a relatively new procedure called living donor surgery. Because a healthy liver has the ability to regenerate, living donor surgery is now an option. As fate would have it, Mr. Crotty was determined to be the match that Mr. Rosenstein would need.

The evaluation process included an intense testing process that included x-rays, CT scans, MRIs, blood tests, and medical history evaluations, as well as a rigorous exercise regime to get both donor and recipient in the best shape of their lives to ensure the greatest chance for a successful transplant.

On August 9, 2018, the two underwent life-saving liver transplant surgery at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC), one of the first medical centers to offer the pioneering surgery. Both patients did extraordinarily well and are on their respective ways to full recoveries.

“I’m often asked how hard a decision it was to donate a portion of my liver,” said Mr. Crotty. “Truthfully, it was the easiest decision I ever made in my life. I’m grateful to TransCore for standing with me every step of the way.”

Mr. Crotty plans to volunteer at the UPMC’s new donor evaluation center, which opened in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, this past July, providing those considering living donor surgery with the valuable knowledge gained from first-hand experience.

TransCore is proud to highlight Mr. Crotty’s example of selflessness and sacrifice, and for raising awareness within our company and his community of living donor transplant opportunities.

Opportunities for Veterans

With nearly 1.5 million Americans serving in the U.S. Armed Services, returning to the civilian workforce can be difficult. To support these hometown heroes, TransCore became the first in the tolling industry to join forces with the U.S. Army’s Partnership for Youth Success program (PaYS).

The PaYS program connects soldiers with businesses looking for qualified candidates. By serving as a strategic partner in the program, TransCore guarantees a job interview to those soldiers who have fulfilled their Army obligations and are seeking employment in the transportation industry. Participating businesses and soldiers are entered into a database, providing opportunities to match companies with candidates.

“With all that these men and women do for our country every day, we knew we had to support this effort,” said TransCore’s Senior Vice President Jim Wilson, who served in the U.S. Navy for three years before joining TransCore. “It’s a win-win for everyone. Our military veterans are able to transition to real world opportunities, and TransCore gets access to highly skilled, dedicated individuals we want on our team.”

A Bounty for Military Families

As part of the International Bridge, Tunnel and Turnpike Association (IBTTA) annual service project, more than 30 TransCore employees joined industry volunteers to support an organization that helps feed military families and veterans in need.

Milk & Honey Farms is a non-profit organization that harvests fruits and vegetables from its privately-owned farm in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. The organization provides garden plots to volunteers from the local community, who then harvest and distribute the vegetables via the local food back, churches, or veterans’ organizations.

Volunteers from this year’s IBTTA Service Project helped prepare the land for additional vegetable lots, clearing brush and dead trees, building tiers on hillsides, correcting erosion areas, and planting necessary vegetation.

“With all that our military veterans do to keep us safe and secure, we were excited to do our small part as a show of gratitude for their service and commitment to this country,” said TransCore’s Florida Tolls Program Director, Jim Wilson, who served on the project’s leadership committee.

To learn more about Milk & Honey Farms and how you can support their efforts, go to www.milkandhoneyfarms.org.

Building Homes in Houston

Volunteering for the annual service project of the American Association of Airport Executives (AAAE), TransCore employees joined their industry peers in helping low-income Houstonians pursue the American Dream of home ownership.

As the service project’s largest volunteer group, Team TransCore included a diverse mix of employees from Engineering, Quality Assurance, Environmental, Health and Safety, Installation, Field Service, and Marketing. The team quickly learned how to frame walls that would later be moved to houses being built by Habitat for Humanity.

The service project kicked off the 88 th Annual AAAE Conference in Houston. TransCore regularly supports AAAE’s efforts to make a difference in local communities.

“This opportunity gave us the perfect chance to show our support for our Houston neighbors,” said Southwest Region Manager, Clint Holley.

Hospital Smiles

For children with chronic or life-threatening illnesses, spending time in the hospital is an unfortunate fact of life. These visits can take time away from friends, family, pets, school, and activities they love doing. In fact, children account for nearly six million hospital visits in the US each year.

TransCore employees in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania recently learned about a local organization that delivers “Bags of Smiles” to children in area hospitals. Caitlin’s Smiles, a non-profit organization, asks for volunteers to assemble arts and crafts kits, decorate gift bags, and prepare the packages for delivery to children in hospitals throughout Pennsylvania, Delaware, Ohio, Maryland, and the District of Columbia. The gift bags and crafts kits are sent to children emergency rooms and outpatient surgery departments to help kids cope during difficult and scary times.

Our employees worked together to create the gift bags, which included coloring books, modeling clay, books, and journals, as well as kits to make book markers, jewelry, and magnets. Several other employees donated supplies for the gift bags.

Caitlin’s Smiles was founded nearly 15 years ago in honor of seven-year- old Caitlin Hornung, who died of brain cancer. Today, the organization provides 1,000 Bags of Smiles and 10,000 crafts kits to healthcare facilities every month. To learn more, go to www.caitlins-smiles.org.

Supporting Cancer Research

When a TransCore employee recently passed away from cancer, many of her coworkers undertook efforts across the country to honor her memory and support the effort to beat cancer.

One such effort, Red Card Cancer, partners with youth soccer teams to raise funds that go directly to life-saving research at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center in Pennsylvania. The organization was founded in 2009 by Paul Payne, the coach of the Bloomsburg University Men’s Soccer Team.

TransCore Tax Manager Sean Karpel met with Coach Payne while coaching his son’s travel soccer team, and agreed that for every goal the Donegal Youth Soccer U10 travel team scored this season, TransCore would donate $500 to Red Card Cancer.

Based on last season’s 11 goals, Karpel was thrilled when his team nearly tripled that production, scoring 31 goals, resulting in a donation to Red Card Cancer in the amount of $15,500.

“Nearly every day, clients take the time to reach out to me to express how hard our employees work to ensure their success, on the job and in the community. It’s incredibly heart-warming to hear these powerful stories of giving that define our culture and our people,” said TransCore President Tracy Marks.

Bikes for Teens

Emphasizing our commitment to community stewardship, TransCore managers from across the country concluded a recent business meeting with a special community service project at Nashville’s Oasis Center.

Since 1969, the Oasis Center has supported disadvantaged youth with such basic needs as housing, transportation, and education. Recognized nationally for its innovative programs, the Center’s mission is to connect young people with members of their own communities, who guide, mentor and support teens in their transition to “happy, healthy and productive adulthood.”

One such program, known as the Bike Workshop, teaches teens how to safely ride a bicycle in the city. But before they can ride, they have to build their own bikes. At the end of the six-week workshop, each teen takes possession of a bike he or she has built by hand. In addition to providing a reliable means of transportation, the program teaches young people a new skill and instills a sense of ownership and pride in their own work.

Seeing the value of this program, TransCore donated bicycles and created a team-building experience that brought 30 department and business segment managers together. The managers assembled bikes and wrote personalized notes to the children who would be receiving the bikes.

“We have always believed that it’s just as important to distinguish ourselves as leaders in our communities as it is to be leaders in the marketplace,” said Tracy Marks. “Many of our employees regularly volunteer for service projects and charitable events outside the work environment. It’s become a very real part of our culture. Our project with the Oasis Center is just one example of how TransCore promotes that culture across the company.”

A Year of Giving

For more than 10 years, TransCore employees at the Delaware Department of Transportation (DelDOT) E-ZPass Customer Service Center have sponsored local charitable fundraisers, participated in communit events, and donated items in need.

Some notable projects:

Downtown Revitalization

Every summer, the DelDOT center joins other Downtown Dover businesses in sponsoring Dover Days, a weekend of activities celebrating the heritage and offerings of the historic district. In 2013, TransCore took an active role in the revitalization of the historic downtown area by relocating the DelDOT customer service center to a new 12,000-square- foot facility in the center of Downtown.

Pretty in Pink

In October, employees turn the Customer Service Center pink for Breast Cancer awareness. Throughout the month, employees host bake sales, sell casual day passes to wear jeans to work, and collect donations for families in need.

Boys & Girls Club

Every November, DelDOT sponsors and participates in the Greater Dover Boys & Girls Club annual 5K Run/Walk, which supports one out of every five school-aged children in Delaware.

Stuff the Bus

Also in November, employees collect canned goods and other food items for a unique local food drive known as DART Stuff the Bus. They then stuff a school bus to the rafters with area-wide donations.

Toys for Tots

In December, employees collect boxes of toys for the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots program, which has provided toys to less fortunate children in communities across the US.

“Our Dover office’s commitment to its community embodies the partnership that we’d like all of our employees to have with the communities in which they live and work,” said Tracy Marks. “We’re so fortunate that with our offices spread out across the US, we can positively impact the lives of so many people in need.”

New Generation of Scientific Leaders

Science and math are the catalyst to many innovative solutions. So, when the opportunity arose to support a competition that motivates high school students to pursue studies in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, Nashville-based transportation leader TransCore was eager to champion the cause.

As a returning lead sponsor of the 2020 Tennessee Science Bowl, TransCore provides critical funding for the competition, which takes place at the historic Oak Ridge National Laboratory each year. Hundreds of students from 50 high schools take part in lightning-round, question-and-answer sessions that focus on biology, chemistry, physics, astronomy, and math.

Approximately 15,000 students across the U.S. participate in similar Science Bowl competitions. Winning teams, including this year’s First Place Tennessee team from Oak Ridge High School, now advance to the U.S. Department of Energy National Science Bowl^® in Washington, D.C.

“It has been our distinct honor to support these students in their quest to become tomorrow’s science and technology leaders,” said TransCore Senior Vice President of Intelligent Transportation System Solutions Michael Mauritz, P.E. “Their dedication is inspirational and will certainly pave the way for many innovations to come.”

Congratulations to all of this year’s participating students.