John Aguilar Owner of Vernon Transportation Company in Stockton Passes Away

John Aguilar the Founder, President and CEO of Vernon Transportation Company passed away on July 10, after a lengthy battle with cancer.  He was born on February 15, 1959 and raised in the small town of Galt, CA.  “John’s passing leaves a huge void in our local community,” stated Mark Martinez, CEO of the San Joaquin County Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.  “He will be missed by his family, those whose lives he touched and most of all by his dedicated staff at Vernon Transportation.” 

His parents, Martin and Jeanne, were from migrant farm worker families, working in the fields of Walnut Grove.  The youngest of six kids, he attended Galt High School and graduated in 1977.  He went to college attended Loyola Marymount University, and graduated with a Bachelors degree in Communication Arts, with a minor in Business Administration.

After graduating from college in 1981, John went to work for Loyola Trucking, and helped build them into one of the best Southern California local trucking companies in the early 1980’s.  In 1985, he started his own company, called John Aguilar & Company.  This was a freight brokerage/consulting company.  By 1986, he bought his first truck and worked as the only driver while he grew his business.  In 1988, he received a call from a major bottling company, inquiring about the company and the services his company provided.  Later that year, his newly re-named company, Vernon Transportation, began hauling bulk sugar for them.  The rest, as they say, is history. 

In 1994, a second company was formed, SSWR Group, Inc.  This company is the parent of Stockton Sanitary Wash Rack, a company that provides sanitation and support services for Vernon Transportation.  In 2000, he started John Aguilar Logistics Company, where they provide warehousing and distribution of sweeteners for some of the largest food companies in America.

Over the years, John had overseen the steady growth of his businesses, making strategic moves to increase the companies business at every turn.  Due to this increase in business a second office was established in Ontario to serve the Southern California, Arizona and Nevada regions.  Last year he was named to the top 100 Minority Business Suppliers by Minority Business Magazine.

John Aguilar was very involved in the local community.  He supported many local Latino activities and charities, to include the San Joaquin Delta College Cesar Chavez Memorial Scholarship Fund and Tariff Bureau, an organization of over 300 trucking companies that gives scholarship money to the children of member companies for their educational needs.  He served on the Board of Directors of Cal-West, and was a member of Rotary International.  He served on the board of directors and was recently elected the President-Elect of the San Joaquin County Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and also was the Chair of its Hispanic Government Relations Committee.  He also was a mentor at Nightingale Elementary School in Stockton.  In 2007, John was appointed to the Board of Directors for the California Hispanic Chambers of Commerce and also served on the Government Relations Committee.