Business View Magazine Feb 2023

87 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE VOLUME 10, ISSUE 2 unloading. Their responsibilities are simply to hook, haul, and drop items. Combined with an attention to detail and to providing drivers with a positive work experience, Powersource pays top dollar for reliable drivers, offering benefits and potential bonuses as well. Those benefits and bonuses extend to non- driver employees including sales professionals, dispatchers, and other back-office staff, Bakos says. “We will provide lunches for our team regularly and after a good month, I may walk around handing out $100 bills to the team. We have a real family atmosphere here and our staff truly enjoys what they do every day. Bakos also has colleagues she can trust in leadership positions. Her general manager has been with the company for 26 years. Daughter Shannon, Vice President, is the future of continuing Powersource’s success. “It’s a very specialized field and our team’s goal is to keep our customers and our drivers happy,” Bakos says. She also believes having most of the full- time staff women is an advantage. “It wasn’t a conscious effort (to hire a large number of women),” she says. “But we made some strong hires and are in a good position for the future.” Powersource does not transport hazardous materials or products but is active with clients in a diverse array of other industries from beverages to events. For example, Powersource has transported stage elements, lighting, costumes, and more from one concert site to another for musical stars like Taylor Swift. Efficient operations and transparent communications with clients, drivers, and employees are the hallmarks that Bakos has used to grow the company. Its four sales professionals are in direct contact with clients on a daily basis while three dispatchers communicate continuously with drivers during their shifts. Unlike other trucking companies, Bakos feels live dispatchers are critical to maintaining an open dialogue with drivers. Bakos says, “That’s one of the things I really wanted to focus on and our drivers love it. Our dispatchers all have different personalities but POWERSOURCE TRANSPORTAT ION Barb Bakos Providing a comfortable environment for employees and drivers is paramount and was behind Bakos’ decision to construct a new headquarters at a new location in Portage a few years ago. The new headquarters offers fully modernized showers and a comfortable lounge for the drivers, a gym to allow employees and drivers to exercise when convenient, and even a fenced-in area where family dogs can play.