HOW DID YOU GET INVOLVED IN THE TRUCKING BUSINESS?
My background and education are in engineering. Logistics and supply chain have been my professional specialty for the last decade.
In 2017, I joined Tellworks Communications as CAO. Tellworks is a successful warehouse management company that is a primary distributor/vendor for T- Mobile and is instrumental in helping it build out its 5G infrastructure across the United States.
In 2019, we decided to add transportation to our portfolio and launched Makt-Trans Freight. I am an owner and CEO of the company, which started with five trucks and has grown to 30. In 2021, we added Makt-Trans Brokerage to increase our customer reach.
We learned the trucking business from the bottom up and initially provided transportation services for brokers. In 2022, we started to focus on growing our business with direct customers and on providing transportation service to T-Mobile. Our strategic plan is to continue to grow our customer relationships with open communication, honesty and excellent customer service.
WHAT’S IT LIKE TO BE IN CHARGE OF A START-UP?
It is a very entrepreneurial experience. I had an opportunity to start a greenfield operation in an industry that I did not have a background in. I took every step necessary to investigate and learn the business, the rules of the trade and everything that goes along with it. For me, this is an accomplishment, a success story and a challenge – how to build something from zero to 100.
Recently I stepped back from the CEO role, and now focus on the financial and strategic aspects of growing the company into the future. As a growing company we must have the right people with the right backgrounds in the right positions.
WHAT IS YOUR MANAGEMENT PHILOSOPHY?
I will provide the tools that are needed for individual success. I will share my knowledge and everything I have learned so the company will continue to be successful. I will have employees who have industry knowledge and can work independently. My team is a group of “subject matter experts,” knowledgeable in their functions and coordinated through the strategy provided by the leadership team. My team will provide the best customer experience in the trucking industry.
All this needs to be achieved with safety and compliance in mind.
HOW HAVE YOU ADAPTED YOUR HIRING AND TRAINING PRACTICES TO REFLECT DEMOGRAPHIC CHANGES?
We have a diverse group of individuals who now have industry knowledge and capabilities. We continue to train and teach our processes to provide a best-in-class skill set for our employees. We hired a safety director with many years of experience, which adds another layer of expertise to ensure safety in everything we do.
We invest in best in class tracking technology, cameras and Transportation Management Systems. We want our drivers to understand that technology is their friend and helps them in all aspects of their daily tasks, providing a safe environment for them and everyone around them on the road.
We want drivers who see the long-term opportunities. We don’t want them to jump to another company because they pay two cents more a mile. We want them to participate in our success. Driver loyalty is our goal.
Makt-Trans is in the process of setting up a training program for armed forces veterans who want to become truck drivers.
HOW DO YOU APPROACH STRATEGIC PLANNING FOR YOUR COMPANY?
We, the owners of Makt-Trans, are an entrepreneurial group with corporate executive management experience. We believe in strategy. We want to build success on a long-term view of how to best serve our customers. We want to create a profitable business for all shareholders, owners and employees.
We are focused on customer satisfaction and building successful services. We know the direction of the company and where we want to be in the future.
WHERE DO YOU WANT TO LEAD YOUR COMPANY IN THE NEXT FIVE YEARS?
Today our asset-based carrier company and brokerage are focused on a small, selected customer base. Over the next five years we want to grow to a multi-customer organization and continue to provide the highest quality of service. Makt-Trans Freight and Makt-Trans Brokerage will be a major player in the industry and will be recognized and respected.
LEADERSHIP CAN BE STRESSFUL. WHAT KEEPS YOU UP AT NIGHT?
I know that we have trucks on the road, and that any minute a truck could become involved in something dangerous. Keeping your drivers safe, keeping your customers safe is our number one priority.
HOW HAVE YOU LEARNED ABOUT BEING A LEADER?
My greatest asset is my multi-company and multi-cultural expertise and 40 years of global corporate experience in leadership. I’ve also attended many leadership trainings throughout the years.
WHAT KEEPS YOU ON TOP OF YOUR GAME?
I am technology focused, and always trying to understand exactly what technologies are needed to better facilitate what I do. What tools and processes do I need? I better myself to stay on top of my game every chance I get. I believe current knowledge is power. It doesn’t matter how old a person is, there is always something new to learn to stay current.
