Martin T. Rucker II

If you had told my 21-year-old self that at some point, I would get to sit down and meet Martin T. Rucker II, I would have thought it was a crazy idea.

Since the time I could walk, I was going to Mizzou’s campus for football games, and to meet Martin and hear his football journey into business ownership was one of the more remarkable experiences I have had to date.

If you are not familiar with Martin, he played tight end at the University of Missouri-Columbia and then in the NFL from 2008 to 2013.

After his NFL career, he knew he wanted to own his own business in the construction space. Martin got to know Jim Kissick. From November 2014 to June 2020, he worked with Kissick Construction Company, Inc. to learn the business and started his own dump truck business, Martin T. Rucker Development (MTRD), in 2014.

Today his company has 12 dump trucks and handles projects all over the metro. They are MBE and SLBE certified by the City of Kansas City, Missouri, and the State of Missouri and DBE approved by MoDOT, kDOT, and SCDOT(South Carolina).

MTRD partners with heavy construction contractors, asphalt contractors, and concrete providers to deliver regional hauling services for its clients. They are independent and minority-owned; MTRD is dedicated to timely deliveries, competitive prices, and exceptional customer service.

Martin is heavily involved in the community, sitting on several nonprofit boards, including the Northland Regional Chamber of Commerce, Northland Progress, Metropolitan Organization to Counter Sexual Assault (MOCSA), and Value Unconditional.

Martin was recently named a 2022 NextGen Leader by the Kansas City Business Journal and was also a graduate of the Executive MBA program at Rockhurst University last May.

With Martin’s work ethic, love for the community, and drive to help others, I know he will continue to be a rising star in KC. I look forward to watching and supporting his journey.