Get to Know the Winners: Hilldrup’s 8th Annual Best of the Best Awards
Learn about each of Hilldrup’s honorees, from sales winners to Value of the Year winners, who were recognized in our 8th annual awards event!
As one of Hilldrup’s most highly anticipated events of the year, we were honored to hold our 8th Annual Best of the Best Awards on February 10, 2026. The evening is dedicated to recognizing and rewarding employees whose work, professionalism and values brought Hilldrup to new heights in 2025.
From our sales award winners across our business lines to branches that delivered above and beyond to the employees who lived out our Mission, Vision and Values (MVV) the most, it was a night of celebrating excellence!
Taking place at The Publisher Hotel in historic downtown Fredericksburg, VA, Hilldrup was thrilled to celebrate the individuals, teams and branches that made 2025 so successful. Learn more about our winners below!
2025 Sales Award Winners
Representing multiple markets and branch locations, congratulations to our Sales Winners who were recognized in the following categories:
- Residential Sales Impact & Sales Excellence Award Winner: Thomas Leachman
- Workplace Solutions Sales Excellence Award Winner: Nigel Kelly
- Workplace Solutions Sales MVP Award Winner: John Kibbe
- Workplace Solutions Sales Impact Award Winner: Austen Thompson
- National Account Sales Excellence Award Winner: Carrie Takamatsu
- National Account Sales Impact Award Winner: Bob Gallucci
Branch of the Year: Orlando (2nd year in a row!)
Based upon a thorough evaluation of each of Hilldrup’s 11 branches, the Branch of the Year Award is based upon key metrics that include revenue, quality, safety, claims and profit. The award, presented by Jimmy Murray, was earned by Orlando under the leadership of its VP and GM, Ed Fitzgerald.
Ed spoke about the opportunities that he and his team took with partnerships, expanding their warehousing and team as well as absorbing clients when another local moving company closed its doors. In 2025, Orlando earned a perfect score of 100 for each of the metrics they were evaluated on to win this award – one that they consistently talk about wanting year after year! Now in their second repeat performance and their 4th overall Branch of the Year win in 8 years, congratulations Orlando!
(From left) Gary Hoffman, Director, Workplace Solutions; Ed Fitzgerald, Vice President, General Manager – Orlando; and John Kibbe, Director, Workplace Solutions.
Hilldrup Van Operator of the Year: Adrian Pineda
A true professional who treats every move job as personal business, congratulations to industry veteran and Hilldrup Van Operator, Adrian Pineda! Adrian and his son Bryan work on VIP moves across the country and take personal responsibility that every job is done not only right but flawlessly.
As a long-distance Van Operator based out of Houston, TX, Adian represents a Mayflower Transit trailer while serving Hilldrup customers. Carl Tisdale, Vice President, Interstate Operations, presented the award along with the incredible stats that earned Adrian this recognition. In 2025, Adrian packed and hauled 67 orders, he logged 56,920 miles with no safety infractions, and accumulated a total linehaul of $415,000 with a claim dollar of just $311.
With his son following in his incredible footsteps, Adrian serves as an example of what commitment, hard work and excellence truly look like on and off the road. Congrats, Adrian!
Adrian Pineda is Hilldrup’s 2025 Van Operator of the Year! Adrian was presented the award by Carl Tisdale, Vice President, Interstate Operations (right), and alongside his son, Bryan Pineda, who serves as a helper and right-hand man while serving customers on the road.
Charles G. McDaniel Award of Excellence: Danny Dent
A pillar of our company who worked behind the scenes for decades and retired at the end of 2025, Danny Dent who served as Director, Facilities – DMV, was honored as the 2025 recipient of the Charles G. McDaniel Award of Excellence!
Charles G. McDaniel, Chairman Emeritus, was in attendance and began the presentation of the award with sharing that Danny and his family have been a part of the company’s fabric through generations. In fact, between Danny, his two brothers and his father, the Dent family has a combined 153 years of service to Hilldrup.
Danny formally joined Hilldrup in 1979 after his father worked for the company as well. Over his career, Danny held a number of positions in Operations earning promotions that were always merit-based. His calm demeanor, unparalleled knowledge of everything from plumbing to electrical to machinery and more allowed Hilldrup to always be in proper working order.
John Seal, Executive Vice President, Business Operations, shared personal stories of Danny’s impact on our employees, operations team and even himself as Danny trained John when he joined 25 years ago. Congratulations, Danny!
(From left) Charles G. McDaniel, Chairman Emeritus; Danny Dent, Director, Facilities – DMV; Charles W. McDaniel, President and CEO; and John Seal, Executive Vice President, Business Operations.
Safety Award: Richmond
This year we presented a new award – Hilldrup’s Safety Award, presented by Justin Moyer, Vice President, Risk Management and Compliance. Every employee – whether they work in the office or in the warehouses or out on the road – understands the importance of safety and is integral to its success.
Our Richmond branch led by Steve Norton, was recognized for having no safety points for the past 2 years. Steve and his team knew that they could make their equipment operate better and safer. After coming up with a plan with Justin and Kyle Mackenzie, Sr. Director, Leasing & Fleet Management, and seeing that plan through to increase their preventative rate by over 25%, Richmond is our inaugural winner of Hilldrup’s Safety Award for 2025!
Justin Moyer, Vice President, Risk Management and Compliance, with Steve Norton, Vice President and General Manager – Richmond.
Value of the Year Award Winners
Hilldrup’s six Value of the Year Award Winners are the embodiment of our company’s values. Congratulations to each of our Value of the Year Award recipients for 2025!
- Fearless Communication: Barney Mitchell
- Empowered Accountability: Lisa Patterson
- Uncompromised Integrity: Sandy Schaaf and Jennifer Cleven (the first time we’ve had dual winners!)
- Unwavering Commitment: Nathan Mueller
- Infectious Positivity: Jeannie Keene
- Purposeful Agility: Chanel Payne
(From left) Chanel Payne, Sandy Schaaf, Jennifer Cleven, Lisa Patterson, Jeannie Keene, Nathan Mueller, Barney Mitchell are Hilldrup’s 2025 Value of the Year Winners – congratulations, all!
Thank you to Onie Girton and our Marketing Department for coordinating this year’s event and to each of our employees who took the time to nominate a colleague! We look forward to highlighting these winners throughout the year!
