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When Danny Bell first joined the Rhode Island Trucking Association (RITA) decades ago, the organization—a nonprofit trade association made up of owner-operators, fleet owners, motor carriers, and allied industries united to promote highway safety, provide information and education, and give members a voice in legislative matters—operated from a basement in East Providence. Today, thanks in part to Danny’s extraordinary generosity, RITA operates from a stunning headquarters on Bald Hill Road in Warwick, a building to be maintained in perpetuity through the RITA Foundation BellMax Building Fund.

"It was fate. It was luck," reflects Bell, describing his nearly 40-year friendship with RITA President and CEO Chris Maxwell that began when Bell's Ocean State Oil serviced D'Ambra Construction, where Maxwell started his career. Their bond deepened through shared leadership roles—both served as RITA board chairs—and a mutual passion for the trucking industry, essential to Rhode Island's supply chain.

For Danny, the decision to establish this fund was deeply personal—a way to give back to the association that had been instrumental in his business success over the decades. But when it came time to name the fund, another of Danny's thoughtful gestures spoke volumes about the bond between the two friends.  

"Because of the friendship and successful partnership we've shared over the past 40 years, Danny generously wanted to merge our two names into this fund," Maxwell explains. The "BellMax" name—combining Bell and Maxwell—represents Danny's selfless recognition of their long-time service to RITA and their mutual commitment to the industry they both love.

"This is our more noble calling," says Maxwell, describing the RITA Foundation's mission of "Moving Minds,” a slogan coined by RITA’s former Chairwoman, Deborah Katz, to inspire the next generation through educational programs, scholarships, and workforce development. The RITA Foundation, established in 2017, is the organization’s charitable arm and operates from the very building that the BellMax Fund will sustain and support.

Built in 2007 and acquired in 2021, the multi-million-dollar headquarters represents far more than office space—it's a symbol of how far RITA has come since 1931 and, more importantly, the collective strength of its membership.  

"We’ve entrusted the Rhode Island Foundation; our investment is protected and has the perpetual resources to stand strong," explains Maxwell. "Future generations will derive the benefits of the fund’s distributions but never be able to deviate from its intended purpose."  

The organization’s foresight ensures that future RITA leaders will inherit not just a building, but a protected asset that will continue to support its essential work. “This building is here to serve the industry,” Bell emphasizes, expressing the spirit of stewardship that has sustained RITA for 95 years and will carry it confidently toward its centennial celebration.  

Concludes Maxwell, “Part of our duty as custodians of this really epic association is to leave it protected with funds like this one.”