College of Business Administration Award Recipients

DISTINGUISHED ALUMNUS OF THE YEAR AWARD

Robert B. Schilli, Bus Ad '57
Town and Country, Mo.

Hailing from a small town in southeast Missouri, Bob had the good fortune of attending a Marquette vs. St. Louis University basketball game. That event inspired him to continue his Catholic education at Marquette, which at the time he says was “not a choice of students from the Show-Me State.”

Today, Bob is the CEO of Schilli Corp., which delivers a full suite of transportation services to clients while providing 450 employees with fulfilling careers. In addition to hauling chemicals, the firm also transports bulk dry products, operates storage warehouses and truck dealerships, and is the sole provider of patented, specialized tanks for discharging viscous materials. Bob established Schilli Corp. in 1983 as a parent/holding company for the trucking operations, warehouse activity and truck dealerships — after he purchased Truck Transport, Inc. in 1962.

While a student, Bob worked his way through Marquette as a local brewery tour guide during the school year and returned to his Missouri hometown during the summers to work at a local trucking company. It was during those summers, Bob says, that he became interested in transportation. He was active in Delta Sigma Pi, student government and the American Finance Association.

He lives near St. Louis with his wife, Darryl Ann. The couple have two sons, Robert, Jr., who serves as vice president of Schilli Corp. and is Bob’s “go-to guy,” and David, a successful lawyer who has spent the past 20-plus years as a partner in a major law firm. Bob and Darryl Ann also have four grandchildren.