Business View Magazine | December 2018

270 271 finding that putting people in other parts of the country is helping us identify more capacity, new niches, and changing the way we’ve always done business. It’s about growing through branch ex- pansion, but still having a large center of gravity here at headquarters, making sure we keep things consistent throughout our company.” BVM: What is your marketing strategy? Reed: “It’s a focus on brand integrity and having the entire organization aligned with our princi- ples and values - how we do business, how we go to market, how we represent ourselves in front of our customers, our carrier partners, and our ven- dors.We want to do things one way. And that’s the ReedTMS brand. “We start at the local university level, recruit- ing talent here in Florida and close to our other branch locations.We’ve gotten into some nice little niche verticals, hauling football equipment to the games at some large universities, and working with the university in a plan to co-brand marketing on our trailers and social media. That’s really helped us take off on the customer side, as well as the recruiting side. It’s a true differentiator for us.We’re really getting in front of a lot of faces through social media and it’s helped us ‘expo- nentiate’ our presence in the marketplace. For a company our size, our reach is much larger than bigger companies.” BVM: Is it challenging to retain drivers and skilled labor? Reed: “Everyone’s facing the same dilemma and there’s no secret sauce to combat it. A lot has to do with internal training. It’s important for driv- er managers to have better relationships with drivers and a higher understanding of the drivers within their team, so they can realize the chal- lenges they’re facing and coach them through it, and that helps us with driver retention. Some- times, it’s down to benefits. Every driver’s a little different with what makes them happy and want- ing to stay with your organization. The market is so competitive right now– the construction industry and other markets are competing for the same labor.” Strawn: “We’re heavily focused on our employ- ees. Some people talk about it.We live it and do ReedTMS LOGISTICS SEM Power has been offering the highest quality engineering, design, and installation of photo-voltaic systems since 2009. SEM Power provides an industry leading service and support for the ongoing operations and maintenance of existing solar plants, and have earned our reputation for the highest quality. Commercial Solar Power 888.496.1119 | info@sempower.net www.sempower.net • SEM Power means Energy Independence • Put your roof to work paying your energy bill & taxes • 30% solar power tax credit expires 2019 • Lower & level out your energy cost (813) 287-1500 www.jmarshall.sandler.com SANDLER TRAINING OF TAMPA BAY If your company is: - Struggling to uncover new markets and close more business - Concerned with ever-increasing competition - Frustrated with employees who just aren’t producing …maybe we can help? Congratulates on their staggering 5-year growth and success: Revenues up 220% Employee count up 200% it. Our driver retention is better than most, but obviously there is room for improvement. Our employees come first with us.We’re creating a foun- dation of training and growth opportunities.Our number one objective is to develop a solid environ- ment for people to grow and service our customers. That’s what’s going to take us into the next era.” BVM: What are the most important points you’d like to share about ReedTMS Logistics? Castriotta: “One thing I’ve noticed about ReedTMS in the time I’ve been here is the focus on hiring people with experience from other top-tier companies. And that thought-leader men- tality of having the best fit for whatever position we’re filling. The efficiency is led by each depart- ment head focusing on their function and making things better.We have a melding of the industry with the key personnel we’ve picked up.” Reed: “We’ve created a dynamic culture here. Very employee-centric.We want people to have fun. You can do that and work hard at the same time.After all, happy people are productive people. It’s a circle of trust.You create a great environment and they give back by producing and caring. If you show people you care about them, it’s amazing how much they care about you as well.” n Sandler Training www.jmarshall.sandler.com n SEM Power LLC www.sempower.net PREFERRED VENDORS October 23, 2018 ReedTMS Logistics was announced as a prestigious winner in the Recruiting category of the 2018 Optimas Awards by Workforce Magazine, a Human Capital Media publica- tion. The awards program, celebrating its 28th year, recognizes companies achieving successful measurable business outcomes through visionary and impactful human re- sources initiatives. Altogether, more than one hundred companies applied for this year’s Optimas Awards.