Suick Lure Company continues to land the lunkers
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November 11, 2024
WISCONSIN RAPIDS – Sparhawk Trucking’s drivers rack up millions of miles every year.
Soon, Company President Mark Sparhawk said they will add to that mileage with the first in a series of roundtrips from Wisconsin Rapids to Tennessee to deliver donated items for Hurricane Helene victims.
When three community groups approached the company about providing a truck trailer to fill donated goods for the hurricane victims in North Carolina and surrounding states, Mark said it was an easy “yes” for Sparhawk Trucking.
The donated trailer was parked at the local Pick n’ Save, a call for items went out and it is now completely filled with nonperishables ranging from chainsaws, generators, propane cook stoves and heaters to first aid supplies, clothing, bedding, hygiene products, tents and sleeping bags.
Now, Mark said it’s been a bit of a “collect, wait and see” situation as they wait for a nod from a Baptist church in Piney Flats, Tennessee, to bring the haul down.
“There’s been limited access to North Carolina, the largest state in need, but once we get the word to transport, a driver will take it down there,” he said.
Mark said there have been limited roadways into North Carolina open, and at first, the only semis and trailers allowed into the state were those bringing in food.
He said a second trailer is in the process of being filled with more nonperishable items, and he anticipates providing a third trailer in the foreseeable future.
“The needs there are great, and it’s going to take a long time for North Carolina (and other states) to recover from this,” he said. “We want to be able to provide the trailers filled with goods to those where the need is greatest.”
Whether that is two trailers total or two trailers a week, Mark said, “we are in.”
“I put myself in their position and wanted to do something,” he said. “With a natural disaster like this, you can’t do anything without trucks. Trucks are part of our country. I’m grateful we can do something.”
As it awaits the green light, Mark said the company has been inspired by the generosity of donors.
The inside of the truck, he said, is 53 feet long, 102 inches wide and 110 inches tall – and it’s strategically filled to the brim.
“There are a lot of generous people stepping up – the generosity is overwhelming,” he said. “We’re happy to provide the equipment and transportation of the items there safely.”
In addition to the trucks and trailers and fuel, Mark said Sparhawk has several drivers willing to volunteer their time to drive the loads south.
Exactly which drivers are yet to be determined, but Patti Bell – the front office, billing and executive assistant at Sparhawk Trucking – said there are several volunteers – including Mark.
“Mark is a truck driver, too, and it would not be uncommon for him to say, ‘I’m taking this one,’” Bell said. “That’s who Mark is. His dedication to this company and to those in need is exemplary.”
The road taken
Sparhawk Trucking, Mark said, is an evolution of the business that his father, Thomas A., created when he took over his own father’s body shop business and transformed it into a local trucking business.
Mark said he began working in the shop in 1994 and assumed leadership of the business in 2012.
Since then, he said the company has grown significantly – now moving freight across the United States via refrigerated, flatbed, dry van, curtain side and specialty loads.
Its clientele, Mark said, is more diverse than ever.
What was formerly a business growing alongside “Paper City” that had six or seven paper mills within a 20-mile radius of the Sparhawk terminal, he said, has seen some pretty large changes over the years.
“In the mid-1980s, we hauled for Consolidated Papers and Nekoosa Port Edwards, and as they grew, we tried to grow with them,” Mark said.
Next, he said, came opportunities with the rough-cut lumber industry, which needed to be delivered to Wisconsin and made into furniture or planed and sold at big box home improvement stores.
Mark said that prompted Sparhawk to invest in trucks with curtain sides (flatbeds with a roof on top and curtains on the side).
“It worked well because the paper mills would still load that,” he said. “All we had to do was ensure the paper didn’t get wet, and these were as watertight as a regular trailer.”
Mark said that momentum carried Sparhawk forward for several years until a growing number of paper mills shut down, merged or were sold and new management came in and was skeptical of the curtain-side trucks.
“It was devastating at the time, but it forced us to find some other products to move around the country, including lumber, brick and tile,” he said.
The need to move lumber and paper consumption dropped, which Mark said forced Sparhawk to diversify again – this time into temperature-controlled freight and refrigeration units (2004).
That sector of the business, he said, started with two trailers going to California every week, loaded produce and came back to the area – a gig that lasted for a few years before expanding into serving cheese processors.
“We started hauling for them and that took over, and now we have about 160 reefer trailers and ended up shifting our business,” he said.
Mark said Sparhawk continues to haul for paper mills and cheese processors but has also broadened its capabilities with flatbeds, drop decks and removable gooseneck trailers that can haul a caterpillar or excavator on them.
The variety, he said, is a bonus for Sparhawk’s drivers who may want to mix up the types of trucks they drive, as well as whether they drive short regional runs or long runs.
“It’s somewhat dependent on what we have going on, but we can generally get what our drivers want,” he said.
Mark said he is among those juggling time behind his desk with behind the wheel where he’s happiest.
“The absolute best place for me is behind the steering wheel of a semi,” he said. “For me, it’s almost magical – it takes my frustration and tension away. I just drive, and I love it.”
It’s built into the culture
Sparhawk’s decision to donate as many trailers as needed, as well as the drivers to haul them, for Hurricane Helene relief doesn’t surprise the Wisconsin Rapids community.
One Facebook follower commented on a post asking for donations saying, “Sparhawk always comes through when they are needed.”
Mark said he is proud that Sparhawk can do its part, even as the business – like others in the transportation and logistics industry – has had a rough few years.
“Our costs are up 40% but our rates are 20% less than they were two years ago,” he said.
But Mark said that hasn’t thwarted the company’s efforts to help Hurricane Helene victims or the ongoing support it provides closer to home.
For example, the building that houses Sparhawk Trucking is also home to Feeding Our Communities with United Services (FOCUS) – a unified endeavor to address food insecurity including through its pantry onsite.
In 2020, the pantry provided food, hygiene products and educational services to more than 6,300 households and nearly 18,500 people.
Mark said Sparhawk provides greatly reduced rent to the facility as its way of giving back to FOCUS.
The impact, he said, is very apparent to Sparhawk’s employees.
“On Thursdays, they have their shopping lines of cars wrap around our parking lot and down the street,” he said.
Giving back to things that have a human touch, Mark said, matters to him and is a crucial element to how he prefers to do business.
“There is so much in business and life that has gotten electronic, but I’m more old school,” he said. “I want to talk to somebody, shake their hand and give them my word I’ll take care of something. Integrity and respect are very important to me, and we are an honest operation that cares.”
Mark said that care also extends throughout the community in the form of donating the use of curtain side trailers for events, such as the downtown Fourth of July celebration.
The trailers, Bell said, can be opened on one side and act as stages for bands to play on, rain or shine.
“That happens all over the place during the summer,” she said. “It works well – if it ends up raining, the band can still play.”
Bell said Sparhawk responds to many other community requests – whether it’s donating turkeys or rallying behind a food drive with WAOW Channel 9 television station, serving as a collection site for Wood County.
“The results of that drive were tremendous,” Bell said. “You find out there are a lot of generous people, and Mark is one of the most generous I’ve encountered – willing to help the greater good. We know food insecurity remains a significant issue, and it’s all about making a positive difference for others who are dealing with hard times.”
