Our History
About Gold Cross Courier
Gold Cross Courier Service is a company that was developed by several
generations of the Prock family. Deep community roots were established
in 1944 when Martin and Michael Prock owned and operated Prock
Funeral homes based out of Eau Claire, Wis. In 1946, the Prock family
started the first private ambulance service in the Eau Claire area; Prock
Ambulance Service. In 1975
they changed the name
to Gold Cross Ambulance
Service. The Ambulance
service grew to cover all of
Eau Claire County, most of
Chippewa County and part
of Dunn and Trempealeau
Counties.
Gold Cross has always strived to meet the needs of the community. When
the polio epidemic hit the nation in the 1940s, Gold Cross instituted an
air ambulance service to fly polio patients to hospitals in the Twin Cities
and Madison. During this same time, the Prock business developed a unit
that produced volt currents in ambulances to operate iron lungs. In the
1960s the Eau Claire city council directed the fire department to take over
emergency ambulance business in the city. Private ambulance services
were to handle only non-emergency calls in the city and emergency
calls outside city limits. Eventually, other ambulance services went out
of business. However,
Gold Cross remained open
and continued to dedicate
its services. In 1979, Jim
Prock, son of Mike Prock,
took over management of
the ambulance service after
his father left the business to
devote his time to his funeral
business.
With continued relations and ties to the health community, Gold Cross
Courier Service was established in 1982 with three vehicles. As with the
other businesses, it operated as a family owned organization. Gold Cross
Courier Service’s initial clients were Mayo (Luther Hospital) and Midelfort
Clinic. In addition to medical courier services, Gold Cross Courier Service
also met the needs of businesses in the community, offering same-day
delivery of durable goods through pick-up and delivery from point A to
point B. In 1987, Gold Cross Courier Service became incorporated. The
corporate office is currently located in Eau Claire, Wis.
In 1992, Jim and Linda
Prock, owners of Gold
Cross Ambulance Service,
became partners with Mayo
Health System. In 1995,
Mayo Health System bought
out Gold Cross Ambulance
Service. Gold Cross Courier
Service continued to
develop relationships with
many businesses and grew
large enough to open its first
branch office in 1998 in Mankato, Minn. In 2000 it opened the Rochester
branch office. In 2008, Gold Cross Courier Service purchased Reed’s
Courier. This investment tripled courier deliveries between Minnesota and
Wisconsin.
In 1992, Gold Cross Answering Service was developed to support
the ambulance, courier, funeral services and other clients with 24/7
dispatching. The answering service was sold in 2004 to Jim and Linda
Prock’s daughter Stephanie Butero.
Today, Gold Cross Courier actively operates through many physical
branch offices spread out between Minnesota and Wisconsin, in additional
to several satellite offices. Gold Cross Courier Service Inc. has grown
to over 240 employees in multiple states with a large fleet which ranges
in size from small cars up to 26-foot trucks. Even though Gold Cross
became incorporated, it still promotes a family atmosphere which
strengthens the intuitive team in continued growth and development of
customized services for all business needs.
Gold Cross Courier Service, Inc. has been a leader in the direct
delivery courier industry since 1982. We specialize in the ontime
delivery of specimens, pathology, blood-related lab work,
results and reports for the medical industry as well as the timecritical
delivery of proof work, cash and deposit letters. We also
deliver securities exchange materials, documents and contracts
for the financial industry.
Gold Cross offers transportation and distribution services
customized to fit your business from single-use courier service
for documents and parcels, to dedicated delivery service
custom contracted to fit the needs of your industry. Our timecritical
delivery standards and performance are carried through
all of the services that we offer, from our regional tractor-trailer
delivery all the way through to our priority envelope and parcel
service.
Our drivers are bonded, professional, and trained in all aspects
from medical to hazardous materials. We are insured, licensed
and have the highest DOT inspection. We are open to new
ideas and concepts to fulfill the needs of our clients.
Meet Our Team
James O. Prock – President and CEO
jprock@goldcrosscourier.com
Jim is the owner and operator of Gold Cross Courier Service. He attended the University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire and Chippewa Valley Technical College. His innovative entrepreneurship is evident in the success of the companies he manages. In addition to Gold Cross Courier Service, Jim also owns and operates Gold Star Mini Storage and other commercial storage buildings. He previously owned and has since sold Gold Cross Ambulance and Gold Cross Answering Service. Jim has an exceptionally solid work ethic and believes that his employees can practice the same work ethic while still having fun. Jim’s personality is outgoing, understanding and family oriented. He takes significant pride in his family and he has been married for 34 years. He and his wife have three daughters—all college graduates—and seven grandchildren. Jim is a loving devoted husband who has also been a dedicated caregiver for the past 23 years for his wife, who was diagnosed with MS. As a longtime resident of the Chippewa Valley, Jim has served on many committees including: EMS committee, CPR committee, Eau Claire Highway Safety Committee, Jaycees and HOA board member. In his free time he enjoys camping, boating, hunting, golf and playing the guitar.
Dave Prock - Vice President
dprock@goldcrosscourier.com
With over 20 years of experience in international sales and the combined experience of ground transportation, sales and customer satisfaction is a specialty of Dave. As the Gold Cross Courier Sales Director, Dave represents our company in the public on a daily basis. He covers sales for all branch office and assists branch managers in their sales leads. His exceptional personality makes him a front-runner in his field. Dave enjoys may hobbies including golf and hunting, however, more importantly he enjoys his wife of 35 years, children and grandchildren.
Testimonials
“The Eau Claire Branch of Gold Cross Courier is an absolutely amaxing branch of this company. I have worked with their employees daily for the past six months and have never been let down. They provided a fast and efficient service that makes my business run even smoother day in and day out. Thank so much.”
– Chris Peck, Assistant Store Manager, Sherwin-Williams
“I have been using Gold Cross Courier services for several years now. I find Rick to be very personable and easy to work with. Your 24/7 service is more than just a claim because I have used it all hours of the day and night, every day of the week. I find Gold Cross’s daily scheduled routes to MSP very cost effective and use this service whenever possible. For services scheduled days in advance or last minute, thanks for being a very reliable courier.”
– Dale Smieja, Phillips Medisize
“Gold Cross Courier is synonymous with dependability. In the years that we have been doing business with them, they have proven themselves worthy of being our #1 carrier for all local LTL freight. It is a breeze to get instantaneous quotes, set up pick-ups/deliveries and get status updates from dispatcher Rick, no matter what time of day. Gold Cross has very fair and competitive rates to go along with their world-class customer service to make them the total package. They are the best; our go-to!”
– Jody Harmon, Schmit Prototypes
“Gold Cross Courier has been fatastic for us! It’s reassuring to have such a dependable company to rely on for our expedited transportation needs. I appreciate the way you all bend over backwards to help. Too few companies are so customer focused.”
– Tim Helland, Project Manager, Mail Source, Inc.
