Today I’m joined by Evans Transportation, a transport and logistics company whose unwavering commitment to value provision has driven an average customer retention rate of over nine years.
Evans is a full-service, third-party provider of custom logistics solutions for a diverse range of shippers across North America. Assetless and privately owned for maximum agility, Evans’ success is fueled by unmatched technology and its uncommonly dedicated team.
Today, John Conrad, Chief Revenue Officer at Evans Transportation, will be talking all about Evans Transportation and what they do, navigating the biggest challenges and opportunities in parcel delivery, keeping goods safe in transit, and why they’re committed to delivering the full ‘Evans Experience.’
Guest bio:
John Conrad has been in the transportation management industry for 17 years, spending time at CH Robinson and Kenco before being drawn to Evans in 2014 by the genuine integrity and positivity of the team. During his working hours at Evans, John is helping solve transportation challenges. As Evans’ Chief Revenue Officer, he leads a team creating customized logistics solutions to keep their partners moving, and Evans’ combination of extensive industry experience, personalized customer service, and emergent technology proves to be a valuable resource for clients. John graduated from Wheaton College where he studied Business and Economics. He was born in Naples, Florida, and currently resides in Chattanooga, Tennessee with his wife and six children. Together, they enjoy the outdoor activities that their community provides, skipping town on occasion for a trip to the mountains to hit the slopes. During the last year of his thirties, John told a friend that he wanted to be part of something transcendent. That comment sparked a two-week life changing adventure, opening John’s eyes to the global water crisis. The statistics are staggering – at any given moment half of the world’s hospital beds are occupied with patients suffering from waterborne diseases. It’s a massive crisis that needs a solution, and John serves as a board member of the Ugandan Water Project in effort to help solve the problem.
IN THIS EPISODE WE DISCUSS:
[02.10] John’s reflections from the show floor at Home Delivery World.
[02.56] An introduction to John, his 20-year career history, and his role as Chief Revenue Officer at Evans Transportation.
“We’ve experienced some pretty athletic growth over the last five years… I’m responsible for our team finding and keeping revenue, it’s a big job. And when your President and CEO wants to double in the next five years, it’s a really big job!”
[04.08] Evan’s roots as one of the country’s first 100 freight brokers 40 years ago, their evolution, and how they helped pioneer the transportation management system.
“There’s about 30,000 registered 3PL’s and maybe about 30,000 that aren’t, working out of their basement or garage. There’s no shortage of competition in this space! So it makes it really hard to differentiate.”
[06.43] An overview of where Evans is now, and how they help their customers.
“We continue to be an organization that’s focused on our customer… We’re a people and technology company, that happens to be in the logistics space.”
[08.17] The ideal client for Evans Transportation.
“From an industry and vertical perspective, we don’t have an ideal client. Our ideal client is someone that understands the beauty of working with a partner… And they have to value technology.”
[09.47] Why Evans is committed to embracing a customer-centric approach, and an inside look at their recent customer advisory panel, the common challenges it exposed, and the surprising answer to the question: ‘What’s one activity in your organization that you’d like to see never happen again?’
[13.04] Some of the biggest opportunities that were revealed at Evans’ customer advisory panel, how the technology applications of their Execution Engine helps clients pursue those opportunities, and the importance of collaboration in overcoming shared challenges.
[15.24] How tariffs are impacting Evans’ clients, and how they’re helping them respond.
“With the current reprieve, there’s a mad dash to make things happen while they can. But we’re also seeing a significant amount of hesitation to a commitment on what people are going to do moving forward. There’s so much uncertainty… So we’re trying to be a problem-solver.”
[17.58] The ever-evolving world of parcel, and how high customer expectations and carrier changes are creating big challenges for shippers.
“From an end customer perspective, your expectations are changing… And the carrier landscape has also evolved… So, from a shipper perspective, they’ve got to maintain speed, be agile, and they’ve also got to be sustainable. Not just environmentally, but from a cost perspective.”
[22.30] The growing problem of cargo theft, and how Evans is helping clients ensure their goods are safe and accounted for while in transit.
[25.36] A case study exploring how Evans helped a client struggling with damage on LTL shipments to leverage technology and data and build a solution that reduced handling and dropped their freight claim percentage significantly, whilst also maintaining speed and reducing cost.
[29.31] The most significant impending transformation John anticipates for the supply chain and logistics industries, and how Evans is preparing for it.
RESOURCES AND LINKS MENTIONED:
Head over to Evans Transportation’s website now to find out more and discover how they could help you too. You can also connect with Evans and keep up to date with the latest over on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube or X (Twitter), or you can connect with John on LinkedIn.
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