Juan De La Paz, a 28-year-old driver from Chaparral, N.M., became a millionaire Jan. 17 in Swift Transportation's second "Thanks a Million" promotion.

The million-dollar winner was named from 10 finalists during a short halftime ceremony at the Memphis (Tenn.) Grizzlies NBA game against the Philadelphia 76ers. The finalists and their guests were met at the FedEx Forum by a New Orleans jazz band and more than 200 screaming, cheering employees from Swift's Memphis terminal.
The driver appreciation program was designed to demonstrate Swift's appreciation for its approximately 20,000 professional drivers and to promote safe driving. For drivers to be eligible to win, they must, among other things, have no preventable accidents and complete all required logs during the program period. Drivers earned vouchers that were entries into the giveaway based on their safety and productivity.
De La Paz said he earned 103 vouchers, but he wasn't trying.
"To be honest, I completely forgot about the contest," he said in an interview immediately following the ceremony. "I was just concerned about doing the best job I could."
De La Paz drives team out of Swift's El Paso, Texas, terminal, and has been with Swift for nearly four years. He had not given a lot of thought to what he might do with a million dollars, he said, but one thing he would like to do is build a new house for his mother, who he lives with along with two unmarried sisters.
"I just want to get home and see my family laughing and happy, and we'll take it from there."
Each of the other nine finalists received $10,000. The other finalists, and the terminals they operate out of, were:

• Paul Mondragon (Albuquerque)

• Aaron Jones (Eden, N.C.)

• Gustavo Gilman (El Paso)

• Jamison Lockamy (El Paso)

• Stephen Hartley (Fontana, Calif.)

• James Moses (Greer, S.C.)

• Michael Harmon (Memphis)

• Jeffery Esperium (Riverside, Calif.)

• Roger Holden (Seattle)

"The $10,000 and this experience today, I'm already a winner," said Hartley.
Swift officials say it's impossible to measure how much the Thanks A Million program (the first $1 million was awarded last September) has helped driver recruiting and retention, as there are many other efforts under way and it's hard to tell how much each one contributes. This will likely be the last Thanks A Million promotion, but the company is looking for other ways to show its appreciation for its drivers.