Entrepreneur
Founding Member
Master EntrepreneurAnyone who’s ever taken a road trip has most likely shared the road with an M.S. Carriers truck, often affectionately known as the “white stallion.” The ubiquity of these trucks on America’s highways is indicative of the growth that Mike Starnes has seen in his company since 1978 when it began out of his home with only two trucks. M.S. Carriers has grown to be a major player in the US trucking industry, running irregular routes and transporting a wide range of commodities throughout the country, as well as parts of Canada and Mexico. Today, M.S. Carriers operates as a subsidiary of Swift Transportation Co., based in Phoenix, Arizona.
Mike Starnes is a Society of Entrepreneurs founding member, past president, and 1998 Master Entrepreneur honoree, which is a testament to the successes he has achieved throughout his career. He has embodied the spirit of entrepreneurship, and he has worked hard to foster an environment where others can do the same, serving as Chairman of the Board of the US Chamber of Commerce and heavily supporting the efforts of the University of Mississippi School of Business. His civic involvements include the Chickasaw Council Boy Scouts of America and Stanford St. Jude Classic Youth Programs, Inc.
TCX was founded in 1981 to handle the transportation needs of shippers with traffic moving to the state of California. Since then TCX has expanded its market lanes to include the ten states in the west, northwest, and southwestern United States with additional service to Hawaii and Alaska. The states of North and South Carolina and Florida are marketed in the southeast. TCX is a total transportation company designed to meet the transportation needs of the Mid-South.
1978
Founding member
“I believe that entrepreneurs are the backbone of our economy in the United States. Small businesses are creating more jobs and more innovative ideas than big businesses. We all know that the essence of what has made America great. We, as a country, need to continue to foster an environment that is politically, economically and socially desirable to promote entrepreneurship.”
