Business profile - M Hart Express

Since the late 1980s, M Hart Express, Inc. has offered area businesses reliable short and long-distance freight hauling throughout Indiana and surrounding areas. Owner Randy Gearhart recently talked about the history of the business, what he enjoys about being a business owner in Hope, and what he believes has contributed to the longevity of the family business.

Where did the name M Hart come from?
When we first started it came from my parents Maurita and Harold’s sides of the family.

How did the business come about?
Our family had been in the transportation business for years. My dad and grandpa used to haul corn into Kentucky and bring coal back. They used to service a lot of the schools in Shelby and Bartholomew and Shelby counties when they burned coal. We’d been a transportation business for so long then...a group of us here decided we would get a truck and haul corn into Kentucky, like in the old days. Then we started hauling mulch. It started with one truck and took off from there.

When did you establish the space you have now?
It was back in the 1990s. We were working out of my mom and dad’s garage. We got to the place where we needed a bigger space.

What types of services does your business offer?
We haul freight of all kinds for customers in Bartholomew County and surrounding areas. We can run 48 states. We mostly run in a 1,000 mile radius in central Indiana.

What has contributed to the longevity of the business?
We always stress service. We have always strive to provide the service (that) we say we will. We don’t go out and advertise trying to do stuff we can’t do.

What do you enjoy most about the transportation business?
I would say meeting people. There’s a lot of people we have done business with for years and years.

How many employees do you have?
We have eight in the office, 17 drivers and we also have independent operators.

What are your operating hours?
Basically 7 a.m to 5 p.m. or when the customer needs us. The office is open Monday through Friday.

What do you enjoy most about being a business owner in Hope?
We have had opportunities (and) we could have moved the operation out of town, but we’ve always wanted to stay close to Hope since I grew up around Hope. Obviously the trucks aren’t here and it makes it a little bit of a different operation with the office here and trucks at another location, but it has worked out.

What do you think is contributing to the growth of Hope and its business community?
I think the town itself is unique. The people take pride in the community.

Where do you see your business going in the coming years?
Bigger isn’t always better. In the world of business, everyone wants to get bigger and expand and all that but then they disappear sometimes. We aren’t the biggest carrier out there, but our main thing is to provide service for our customers.