Wooster Motor Ways’ Williams added to OTA Hall
Paul M. Williams, middle, was joined by son Paul T. and wife Sue at the annual Ohio Trucking Association awards ceremony in September. He received the Hall of Honor distinction given to members making outstanding contributions to the association and the industry.
Paul M. Williams, president of Wooster Motor Ways, was named to the Ohio Trucking Association’s Hall of Honor at its annual meeting in September. OTA is a professional trade association with over 850 members. Established over 100 years ago, OTA promotes safety, innovation and professionalism in the trucking industry.
The annual award is presented to those who embody the spirit of the association’s founders and have made outstanding contributions to the group and the Ohio trucking industry.
Williams has been a member of OTA since 1988 and has sat on the board and served as a board chair. “I am very humbled by the award. The OTA provides a great opportunity to meet quality competitors and exchange information,” Williams said.
Williams grew up inside the trucking industry. At the age of 16, he was cleaning the docks, warehouses and bathrooms and was working the docks two years later before moving to operations inside the warehouse division. Williams shifted to sales in 1994 and was named executive vice president two years later. After Wayne Hochstetler retired, Williams took over the helm as WMW president.
The biggest challenge for the trucking industry, according to Williams, is securing qualified drivers. “I could put 10 drivers to work tomorrow,” he said.
Son Paul T. Williams joined the family business two years ago in the sales division. Today, Paul T. Williams devotes 80% of his time to recruitment.
“The trucking industry is doing well, but the industry is a pendulum. It always swings. Adjusting to the market is essential,” Williams said.
Over the last six years, WMW Specialty Commodities Division has worked inside the oil and gas business hauling sand for hydraulic fracking. More recently it has moved into the liquid propane and natural gas arena. Williams’ vision is to grow the specialty division.
Williams’ leadership and contributions are not confined to the trucking industry. He is an active volunteer community member. His over 25 years of association with The Village Network, a behavioral-health organization helping youth and families, earned him a spot on the TVN Hall of Fame in 2018. Williams is a past chair and board member of the Wayne County Chamber of Commerce and a 27-year member of the Rotary Club of Wooster.
Williams’ most recent passion is Habitat for Humanity in Wayne County. WMW has been involved with Habitat for over 40 years, according to Williams. As a board member, he is most proud of the work done to move the ReStore to the Akron Road location in Wooster. Habitat ReStore accepts donations and sells home-improvement items to the public at a fraction of the retail price. The proceeds contribute to the work of Habitat for Humanity.
Williams lives in Wooster with his wife Sue, who has worked at Weaver Homes for 25 years, and his two children, Paul T. and Megan.
Paul T. graduated from Miami University and worked elsewhere before joining the business two years ago. Megan is a freshman at Kent State.