Andra M. Rush is chair and CEO of Rush Trucking Corporation, president and CEO of Dakkota Integrated
Systems, and chair, president and CEO of Detroit Manufacturing Systems.
As founder, chair, president and CEO of Rush Group, which operates Rush
Trucking, Dakkota and DMS, she leads the largest woman-owned business
in Michigan, and one of the largest Native American-owned businesses in
the United States.
In 1984, she borrowed $5,000 from her parents and used her credit cards
to launch Rush Trucking Corporation with one van and two pickup trucks.
Today, RTC transports goods for Fortune 100 companies across the U.S.
and Canada with 850 tractors, 1,250 trailers, and 800 employees and
associates.
Rush launched Dakkota Integrated Systems in 2001, providing service to original equipment
manufacturers by managing the complete system assembly of automotive interiors through integrated
process and assembly expertise. Dakkota, a joint venture between Rush Group and Magna International
Inc., has been recognized for supplier development and diversity by the state and national Minority
Supplier Development Council. The auto supplier, which employs 1,400 highly trained team members,
was named 2013 Supplier of the Year for quality and world-class manufacturing by Chrysler Group and
earned the Supplier Quality Excellence Award in 2014 from General Motors.
President Barack Obama acknowledged Rush during his January 2014 State of the Union address for
creating manufacturing jobs in Detroit with the June 2012 opening of Detroit Manufacturing Systems –
the first such plant opening in the city in decades. In about a year, she and her team of production and
supply chain experts launched five production lines and eight injection molding machines and hired 700
team members -- 70 percent live in Detroit. The plant’s workforce continues to grow, increasing to
nearly 1,000 employees by January 2015, to meet the needs of customer Ford Motor Company, and to
prepare for new opportunities with Chrysler, General Motors, Honda, Toyota and other OEMs.
Rush is a member of the U.S. Manufacturing Council, which regularly advises the U.S. Commerce
Secretary on matters related to government policies and programs and their impact on the U.S.
manufacturing sector. The advisory panel also seeks to identify and propose solutions for industrywide
manufacturing issues, workforce skills development and the image of manufacturing, a pillar sector and
an innovative and exciting industry for inspiring careers.
An active member of several organizations, including Business Leaders for Michigan, Detroit Economic
Club, Detroit Regional Chamber, Downtown Detroit Authority and United Way, Rush also has served on
supplier advisory boards for Chrysler and General Motors.
She was honored in April 2015 by the Michigan Women’s Foundation with its Women of Achievement
and Courage Award and inducted into the Michigan Women’s Hall of Fame in October 2014 for
innovative job creation and manufacturing ingenuity.
Rush holds a bachelor’s degree in nursing from the University of Michigan Ann Arbor and is the proud
mother of three sons.
Media Contact: Micki Steele, (248) 587-7922 mobile, [email protected]
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