Richard "Dick" Thomas is founder and Chairman of the Board of Priority Dispatch, Inc. Priority is a ground based messenger courier transportation service headquartered, in Cincinnati, Ohio. Priority Dispatch was founded by Dick Thomas in 1973. Today, PDI operates in Ohio, Michigan, Kentucky, Indiana, Illinois and Tennessee. Priority employs 100 Associates and contracts with over 600 drivers throughout the Midwest region.
Dick was raised in the Chicago area and educated at Indiana University. He has attended continuing education and graduate courses in strategic planning, total quality management, consultative selling, acquisitions, and quality function deployment.
In addition to managing Priority, Dick has been involved in a number of business and civic activities:
Founder and President: Messenger Courier Association of the Americas
Board of Trustees, Greater Cincinnati Chamber of Commerce
Founder of Cincinnati’s Over the Rhine Chamber
Founder, Chamber Family Roundtable
Board Member, Cincinnati Minority and Female Business Incubator
Board Member, Strategic Eight Series
Leadership Cincinnati Class XIII
Leadership Cincinnati Steering Committee
Chamber Institute for Small Enterprise, Chair an Steering Committee
Recipient of Cincinnati's “Small Business Person of the Year" award
Chairperson, Cincinnati Chamber, Small Business Division
Board Member, American Heart Association
Multi-year year Sponsor, Ohio Valley American Heart Mini-Marathon
Recipient of Ohio Valley Sponsor of the Year, American Heart Association'
Multi-year Sponsor of the American Diabetes Association, Step-Out to Fight Diabetes Campaign
Dick and his wife Gretchen (deceased) have two grown children that work in the business. Son, Jeff Thomas is the CEO and President of Priority and daughter, Julie Thomas is Vice President.