2016 In Review
While many are creating their lists of New Year’s resolutions to cast in preparation for the clocks to turn over on January 1, we at TanTara are ready to turn the page to our 36th year in business. That’s right, 2016 was our 35th year of trucking at TanTara Transportation Corp.!
To think of all the good times, bad times, good stories, and sometimes questionable endings that one can publish in 35 years’ time… And then to think about putting them all on paper seems and probably is, impossible. While it is enjoyable to reminisce about our previous 35 chapters, we are far from finished writing this story. We have a lot planned for the chapters and years to follow. But, just as it is important to set new goals and work towards a future of achieving them, it is dually important to remember how we got where we are today.
It all began in 1981
TanTara Transportation Corp. was born in 1981 when Mike Riggan purchased his first truck. At the time the business was called M.J. Riggan Inc. It was in 1987 that the company changed its name to TanTara Transportation Corp. The new name was a compilation of Mike and Diane’s two daughters, Tanya and Tara. The business was operated out of a home garage on 51st Street in Muscatine until late 1989, when it moved to a small office and shop on Musser Street. We moved to our current location in 1995. Living & working through the trials and tribulations of being a small business owner has never been a walk in the park. Mike will be the first to admit that he couldn’t have done it without the love and support from his equally dedicated wife, Diane.
For the past several years in our office, you could find a sign posted that reads “Hard work will always take you through hard times”. There have been numerous people whose hard work and dedication played a role in who we are today. It was with those dedicated individuals coming together to form one team, that we wrote our first 35 chapters in the book of trucking. Furthermore, it is those folks whom we owe it to, to continue the story and write another chapter. So to all of you who have had dirty hands, busted knuckles and the TanTara logo on your back… Thank You. Here is to writing chapter 36.
Current day photo of Musser Street Location
Current day photo of home garage on 51st Street
Our current location on Stewart Road