The Trailer Bridge Annual Sales Conference was held in Jacksonville this past month, bringing together team members from various offices to learn more about the company’s growing services, how to serve prospects and customers growing their book of business, and ultimately be inspired to tackle the year ahead with the knowledge that as Ted Lasso would say, “Ain’t nobody in this room alone.”
The training, led by Chief Commercial Officer, Jeff Vaughn, and President of Logistics, Eric Masotti, gave a nod to the hit tv show Ted Lasso that is known for its underlying leadership lessons among its humor.
To start the day, Eric covered his Top 8 Favorite Ted Lasso lessons: BE
01 02 03 04
I BELIEVE IN HOPE. I BELIEVE IN I BELIEVE.
05 06 07 08
EVERY CHOICE IS A CHANCE
I SUPPOSE THE BEST BRAND IS BEING YOURSELF
AS THE MAN ONCE SAID, “THE HARDER YOU WORK, THE LUCKIER YOU GET.”
It was a day packed with information – from LTL to Intermodal, Marketing to Sales Tips and so much more – and it ended with a look to the future of Trailer Bridge, one full of opportunity and growth.
But among the training, there was something more important and more magical – a day full of getting to know each other, laughing and enjoying the company of team members typically spread across the country. As we often say, Relationships Matter because logistics is personal, and if there was one big takeaway from the event, it was the importance of the relationships we build right here inside of TB.
“I am still sooooo amped from this conference. I learned so much, got inspired, and beaming proud to be part of the Trailer Bridge family!! Ready to get out there next week!”
-Evelyn Tadlock, Intermodal Ops & Sales, Dallas
“Great conference. I’m honored to be a part of a company where the leaders invest the time in you!”
– Rayne Price, Sales & Ops, L.A.
“Great event! I’m happy to have met our sales professionals and shared more about Trailer Bridge’s government business.”
– Chris Goss, VP, Government & Project Logistics“Pick up the damn phone.”
- Jeff Vaughn
The Whale Spear, an honor awarded to a top performing TB salesman every few months, has reached its new holder! Its most recent journey was from Michael Preamble in Atlanta to Kyle Olsen in Kansas City.
This is what Chief Commercial Officer, Jeff Vaughn, had to say about Kyle’s accomplishments:
“Kyle was chosen as the next Whale Spear recipient because he has developed multiple customers that have turned into top TB Customers such as Kuraray America, FreightCo, Vital Farms, Quickrete, and Compass Minerals. He also built out large whale accounts such as Diageo and Traeger Grills by working these two accounts throughout our team network to put a successful strategy together.”
Kyle constantly reaches out to his colleagues for advice and now many of our new sales/ops team members ask him for advice or strategy. He has proven to have the grit factor to develop a touch strategy and make it happen.
- Jeff Vaughn
Meet the Accounting & Finance team!
They are Trailer Bridge’s number gurus who manage all things money and provide financial support to our internal teams. On any given day, you may find them:
• Issuing payments to vendors and monitoring expenses
• Collecting and applying customer payments
• Creating financial reports, budgets, and forecasts for our executives
Have questions? The TB Accounting Team is here to help! Reach out through these two email addresses for the quickest response:
Questions for Accounts Payable: accountspayable@trailerbridge.com
Questions for Accounts Receivable: AR@trailerbridge.com
We caught up with the team to learn what it’s like to work in accounting & finance at TB. Here is what Austin Earl, Controller, shared with us:
What is the most rewarding part of your work?
Watching everyone’s hard work translate into profit for Trailer Bridge.
What is the most challenging aspect of your work?
Accounting for all the moving parts at TB: vessel costs, tugs, containers, chassis port terminals, voyage departures/arrivals, barge utilization, booking counts, brokerage offices, capital purchases, and much more.
If you had to describe the finance team in 3-5 words, what would they be?
On stand-by
Adam Baltzell and Aaron Green from the Jacksonville brokerage office recently attended the FlexCold cold storage facility tour, hosted by the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals (CSCMP). Located near JAXPORT’s Blount Island Terminal, FlexCold opened in August of 2022 and features extended storage capabilities due to its mobile racking system. Here are Adam and Aaron’s top takeaways from the experience:
“The mobile racks were definitely cool. They also have an impressive blast freezer that can freeze a pallet in less than 24 hours. In less than 5 months they are almost at capacity and have plans to double in size by mid to late 2024.” - Adam Baltzell
“Really cool to see how everything is run especially since I’ve been in a cold storage prior to this but nothing as high tech as theirs is. One of the coolest aspects of the warehouse is they can store 45% more product by using aisles that can shift side to side instead of having them bolted on the floor in one place.” - Aaron Green
Be on the lookout for industry groups in your area that offer tours and networking opportunities like this! It’s a great way to learn more about the industry, meet potential customers and grow your professional network.
This month, Trailer Bridge announced two new additions to our leadership team. Ann Phelps will now serve as Vice President of Customer Experience, Ocean, and Chris Goss will lead the company’s government division as Vice President of Government and Project Logistics.
“Both Ann and Chris not only bring a wealth of industry knowledge to their new roles, but they also bring a curiosity that will be instrumental in our future growth,” said Mitch Luciano. “They are willing to ask questions and to explore new ways of thinking in an industry that is ever changing - it’s a trait that will benefit our internal teams and customers for years to come.”
Read the full press release here.
Thank you to everyone who attended our Jacksonville Brokerage Open House at the end of January! The space was full of energy as members of TB Nation – from Puerto Rico to Portland, Nashville to Laredo – came together to celebrate the growth of our company and spend some much-needed time together.
Big kudos to Jenny Lewis & Catherine Porter for all their work in organizing the event!
Trailer Bridge CEO Mitch Luciano was recently a panelist for a JOC webcast centered on the future of technology in the logistics industry.
One of Mitch’s key talking points was our partnership with Mastery Logistics Systems and implementation of the MasterMind™ TMS in 2022. This huge technological undertaking, which benefits both our employee and customer experience, demonstrates the importance of technology in the future growth of Trailer Bridge.
He also stressed that the true advantage of MasterMind is that it provides a balance, combining digital automation with the element of human communication - “Truck drivers are human and they want to be on the phone with people and customers want to be on the phone with people…so there had to be this middle ground of having this total digital platform and then having an element of non-digital.”
To view the on-demand recording, register here.
11 internationally recognized rules detailing the responsibilities of sellers and buyers for an international shipment including: payment, shipment management, insurance, documentation, customs clearance, and other logistics activities.
In 2022, more Americans listened to podcasts than have a Netflix account. Source. From sports to comedy, there is a podcast for everyone. See what TB Nation listens to and maybe even find your new favorite.
• All-In Podcast
• And That’s Why We Drink
• Are You Garbage
• Bad Friends
• Barstool Foreplay
• Crime Mysteries
• Dan Carlin’s Hardcore Mystery
• Dateline
• Dissect
• Doughboys
• Ed Mylett
• The H3 Podcast
• Joe Rogan
Experience
• Joel Osteen
• Level Hearted
• The School of Greatness
• New Thinking Allowed
• Old Man and the Three
• Oversharing with the Overbys
• Pardon My Take
• Racer Chaser and Ologies
• Radio Rental
• Small Town Murder
• She Reads Truth
• Sinica Podcast
• Sports Day Tampa Bay
• Stuff You Should Know
• The Daily
• Think Fast, Talk Smart
• Trash Taste
• True Crime Junkies
This year, TBGives is bringing us more ways to get involved and give back to our community. Here is what will be going on in Q1:
Now - 2/13: Blanket Drive for Clyde E. Lassen Veterans Nursing Home: Keep a veteran cozy and warm their heart by donating a blanket to our Valentine’s Day blanket drive. Donation bins can be found in both the corporate office and Jacksonville brokerage locations.
Not in Jacksonville but want to participate? Connect with a member of the TBGives team to learn how you can donate to this month’s activity.
3/25: VFW Dinner - more info to come!
If you are interested in participating in any TBGives events, contact:
Ashley Waugh awaugh@trailerbridge.com
Cici Sanchez
cisanchez@trailerbridge.com
Recent Releases, Available Now in Paycom:
• Mastermind Onboarding course
• LTL Smart Meeting & LTL Freight course
• Internal Safety courses
Coming Soon in Paycom:
• Internal Applications and Transfers training
• HealthJoy and ClassPass training
• Support Services training
• Logistics Accounting training
• Upcoming Events:
• 2/21 - 2/23: In-Person New Employee Onboarding
• Monthly Mastery TMS MasterClass sessions with training champions
• CorpDev. Bookclub: You are a Badass by Jen Sincero
• Support Services Bookclub: Fans First by Jesse Cole
February Smart Meetings:
• Personal Branding with Whitney Croxton
• Organization with Becca Sutton
Last month, Extreme Leadership Group 9 met for Session 3 of Extreme Leadership in January. The session recapped session two and dove into what it takes to be build and lead an Extreme Team.
Get ready to celebrate Group 9 Graduation on March 23 and the announcement of Group 10!
Talk about a glow-up! The Trailer Bridge Wellness Committee is back and better than ever in 2023 with a new name, new look, and new initiatives to support YOU in your wellness goals. Each quarter will feature a different theme, focused around the topics you said you cared about most - physical health, financial/ intellectual health, spiritual/ environmental health, and social/ emotional health. The group recently hosted a kick-off to get TB Nation excited about the year ahead, complete with smoothies!
Keep an eye on your inbox for calendar invites to all TBWell events!
The TBWell team will be doing a series of raffles in 2023, awarding one $250 cash prize each quarter and one $1000 cash prize at the end of the year to team members who show a commitment to wellness.
Each employee who participates in all TBWell events during the current quarter will be entered in the raffle for the $250 quarterly prize. Those who participate in all events for the entire year will be entered in the $1000 annual raffle.
Q1 Theme: Physical Health, Exercise, Weight Loss, Nutrition
Q1 schedule:
January:
1/20: Meatless Week Kickoff & Know Your Numbers Testing
1/27: Meatless Week Closing & Know Your Numbers Retest
1/27: Vegan Luncheon with Guest Speaker - Juan Carlos Asse, Director of “Unsupersize Me”, Plant Based Nutrition & Exercise
February:
February Step Challenge
2/8: Movie Time! “The Game Changers”
March:
(Date TBD) Smart Meeting: Healthy Meal Prep
What happens if there is a scheduling conflict and you can’t make it to an event?
We get it! If you know you won’t be able to be there, please contact the Wellness Committee (wellnesscommittee@trailerbridge.com) and you will be provided with a recording of the event to count towards your attendance. You must watch the recording and complete any quiz questions within 48 hours of the event for it to count.
Don’t forget to take advantage of your ClassPass benefits! Trailer Bridge provides 12 credits per month at no cost to you.
What can you use these credits for?
• Fitness classes: gym time, yoga, cycling, & more!
• Wellness: massage, skin treatments, body sculpting, and more!
• Spa appointments: manicures, lashes, waxing, blow dry bars and more!
The app also has FREE on-demand workout videos if at-home fitness is more your thing.
New to ClassPass?
Get the app to sign up and enter our company code to claim your free credits.
Company Code: TrailerB
Most people are familiar with the food pyramid but have you heard of the Daily Dozen? The Daily Dozen was developed by Dr. Michael Greger and is a list of 12 ingredients that you should incorporate into your daily life to maintain a healthy diet. To watch a short video on the Daily Dozen, click here.
Daily Dozen Feature: Beans
Servings: 3/day
Examples: ¼ cup hummus or bean dip
½ cup cooked beans, split peas, lentils, tofu, or tempeh
1 cup fresh peas or sprouted lentils
The TB Talent Acquisition team took a trip to Atlanta for the Georgia Tech Supply Chain Day career fair and stopped by to say hello to our Atlanta branch on the way! They spent the day working at the brokerage office and more importantly, getting to know our amazing Atlanta team.
This month, Trailer Bridge’s RoRo barge carried a production trailer for the PGA Tour from our Blount Island port in Jacksonville, to Puerto Rico. The trailer, which holds scoring and production equipment, will be used in the 2023 Puerto Rico Open, happening February 27- March 5.
The Talent Acquisition team and Atlanta branch manager Jason Ross attended Georgia Technical Institute’s Supply Chain Day career fair to share Trailer Bridge’s incredible opportunities for new logistics professionals.
Members of the Corporate Development Team recently came together to design 2023 vision boards! The group shared their goals for the year ahead using clippings from old magazines; the boards will serve as visual reminders of what they hope to achieve in the year ahead.
TB Nation voted, and these are the rockstars who were chosen to receive the coveted Kick-Ass Employee parking spots at the Corporate Office for the first quarter:
Drive, determination, passion and hard work are all free and more valuable than a pot of cash.
- Richard Branson
22 Ashley Allen
24 Tiffany Dowell
25 Amybeth Rodriguez
Ike Forrester
26 Ashley Estes
27 Chad Yarbrough
Ryan Hunter
Craig Johnson
Nolani Hutchinson
28
Ryan Smith
Mr. Edwin embraces several of the TB12. A few which are: He is very kind and fair. He is respectful and delivers exceptional service to everyone from the customers to us here in Truck Ops. Lastly but certainly not least, he is flexible and embraces change. He is always willing to help TB with last minute loads or any strange request that can be challenging. He has a contagious laugh and as his dispatcher, it is a pleasure to work with Edwin.
The Marketing Team wants your feedback, suggestions or stories for next month’s Bridge Please send to @Group–Marketing
There is a lot of visual talent at TB, and we want to showcase your skills! We would like to feature a TB “Pic of the Month” submitted by a TB rockstar. Please send to @Group–Marketing
