It takes thousands of truck drivers to bring the Super Bowl to Minneapolis, but not many of them have the resources or opportunities to stick around for the festivities. Minneapolis tech startup ONE20 wants to change that by sending three drivers to the big game on Sunday.
"There's an incredible amount of effort that goes into making the Super Bowl happen," said ONE20 CEO Christian Schenk. "And the American truck driver plays a huge part in that. We wanted to let them know that their work is appreciated."
ONE20 offers a collection of free and paid mobile apps for truck drivers. These apps assist drivers with various aspects of their job, including navigation, compliance and financial services. Schenk said that these features create a community where drivers benefit from each others' knowledge of the road.
ONE20 launched its platform in mid-2016, and recently passed 700,000 users, Schenk told Minne Inno. Prior to founding ONE20, Schenk was an executive at XRS Corporation, which was acquired by Vista Equity Partners in 2014.
Schenk estimates that drivers brought more than 100,000 truckloads-worth of supplies to prep the stadium and surrounding area for the Super Bowl this year. Among other things, their cargo included some of the Super Bowl Live setup on Nicollet Mall.
Truckers were asked to apply for ONE20's Super Bowl tickets by submitting a video stating why they wanted to go to the big game. The company then randomly selected Lee Schmitt, Steve Brooks and Michael Wheeler to attend. ONE20 said in a release that in addition to Super Bowl tickets, the winners would receive accommodations at Mystic Lake, access to VIP pre-game festivities and passes to see Florida Georgia Line on Saturday night.
"There's this stereotype that American truck drivers aren't the most educated or nice, and that's just not true," Schenk said. "There's a bit of injustice out there surrounding these guys, and we want to elevate awareness about what they do, and thank them."
