Daines Honors Montanan of the Week: Russell James of Missoula County

U.S. SENATE – U.S. Senator Steve Daines recognized Russell James of Missoula County for his tremendous impact on the state of Montana.

Through his “Montanan of the Week” initiative, Daines each week will highlight a Montanan by submitting a statement of recognition in the official Congressional Record, the document that reflects the official proceedings of Congress.

Daines welcomes anyone to nominate fellow Montanans for Daines’ “Montanan of the Week” program by calling Daines’ office at 202-224-2651 or by filling out the contact form on Daines’ website: HERE.

The following is a statement submitted to the Congressional Record:

Mr. DAINES, Mr. President this week I have the honor of recognizing Russell James of Missoula County for his impact on the Whitewater community.

A third generation Montanan, Russell was born and raised in Ovando, MT. Mr. James graduated high school from Thompson Falls, where he then went on to the University of Montana. Directly after graduation in 1980 Russell dove into the work force, taking a job as a professional truck driver.

Russell has been a professional truck driver for 38 years and has accumulated over one million accident-free miles. He has won numerous awards during his tenure as a driver, including the 2008 YRC Employee of the Year award and the 2018 YRC Road to Excellence Award. He has represented YRC every year at the Montana Truck Driving Championships since 2005 as well as the National Truck Driving Championships in 2011 and 2014. Russel is active in the community, volunteering with the Blackfoot River Preservation Group and environmental quality improvement and wildlife habitat. He is also an avid outdoorsman and enjoys tending to his small family farm.

I congratulate Russell on his lifetime of outstanding achievements and willingness to give back to his community. A tried and true Montanan, I look forward to seeing his success in his future endeavors.

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