Natalie Tidwell Wins the First Next American SuperStar Competition

After tallying close to 40,000 votes during the past six months, we are proud to announce the winner of the first Next American SuperStar competition, which was sponsored by Big Rig Owner magazine, TripPak Services, and Dave Nemo Entertainment. Natalie Tidwell, an experienced singer from Tulsa, was announced as the Next American Superstar at a concert in Nashville on January 11. The voting was close, but Tidwell’s strong voice and incredible range gave her the edge in the final analysis.

Next American SuperStar was the brainchild of John Carter, who runs a driver recruitment ad agency. Carter says that he is pleased with the overall results of the first competition. “Most people understand that drivers love music and comedy. I've worked in driver recruiting for more than 15 years, and I can't think of another promotion that has captured the attention of the drivers the way that Next American SuperStar has,” Carter said. “Adding quality partners like 1-800-DRIVERS and Idle Aire along the way allowed us to give drivers and owner operators more opportunities to vote – and they took advantage of it.”

Jerry White, the National Sales Manager for Big Rig Owner, said he was impressed by the passion shown by drivers and owner operators in selecting their favorite contestant. Many drivers went out of their way to write in comments about Natalie on their TripPak voting ballots. Driver John Hulm, from Arlington, TX. said, “Natalie Tidwell has a very strong and beautiful singing voice. She is the Next American SuperStar – hands down.”

Hulm got his wish as Tidwell was announced as the winner at the Next American SuperStar grand finale concert held in conjunction with the ACS Multimedia Advertising/Truckload Carriers Association Recruiting and Retention Conference in Nashville on January 11. “I was shocked, excited and thrilled that my name was called and I am flattered to be named the Next American SuperStar,” Tidwell said. “I want to recognize the talents of the other competitors – they were amazing! I will say I’m happy this came to an end though, and I wouldn’t have made it without the team behind me and the support of my sponsor.”

Tidwell was sponsored in the Next American SuperStar competition by CRST Malone. “We are so proud of Natalie and were delighted to be able to sponsor such a talented and professional lady,” said Sherry Bass, vice president of capacity development for CRST Malone. “Next American SuperStar has been a fabulous way to bring something new and exciting into driver recruiting and we look forward to the next contest.”

Valedictorian of her high school class and Magna Cum Laude graduate from The University of Tulsa, Natalie recently added a new title to her resume – wife. Natalie was married in September and says she looks forward to all of the excitement awaiting her in life. Tidwell will soon be moving to Nashville and is already doing demo work.

Big Rig Owner wants to congratulate Natalie Tidwell and all of the other Next American SuperStar contestants. Drivers and owner operators should look forward to the next “SuperStar” competition in March - with 12 contestants instead of eight this time. Auditions are in progress as of the writing of this article and the early indications are the entertainment value of the new competition will be impressive.

Don’t forget, drivers and owner operators who vote in the next “SuperStar” competition will also be registered to win a custom Orange County Chopper and a truck makeover valued at $50,000 from the Chrome Shop Mafia. Look for a special 32-page section on the new “SuperStar” competition in the March issue of Big Rig Owner!

Also, if you are ready to make a change in your career, CRST Malone is as committed to your success as you are. CRST Malone is 100% Owner Operator, which means steady freight and no competition with company trucks. Since you are paid a percentage of gross there is no waiting for a pay raise; we have them all year long!  Headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama, CRST Malone currently operates over 1500 trucks running throughout the contiguous United States. To learn more about becoming a CRST Malone Owner Operator visit www.crstmalone.com or call 1-800-366-6361.

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