ReedTMS Logistics
Location: Tampa
Top executive: Jason Reed
How would you describe what your company does to a friend or family member who may not know? ReedTMS Logistics is an asset-based third-party logistics provider (3PL) comprised of Reed Transport Services and TMS Logistics. Reed Transport Services offers high-quality transportation solutions and freight management services while TMS Logistics is an asset-based provider for dry van, refrigerated and dedicated/private fleet services. What was the most exciting thing to happen at or to your company last year? It is hard to pick a single thing because we had so many big and exciting benchmarks and additions in 2018. To start, ReedTMS experienced a massive 52 percent top line growth last year. On a fun note, we got a new roof and invested in solar power as part of our Reed is Green initiative. We also added several enterprise level accounts and new marketing partnerships to increase Reed’s national brand presence. We also expanded our procurement department, continued to focus on branch expansion, and added to the learning and development team.
As one of the fastest-growing companies in the area, what’s the secret to your growth? Or in other words, how did you do it? We put a great deal of focus on new employee onboarding, education opportunities and ongoing professional development for employees and this has helped drive quality growth for our company. According to our executive team, we invested in our people, who are our single greatest asset, as well as into new technology, software and equipment. We also brought on new key members of the Reed leadership team which has been the catalyst and fresh eyes we have needed. The Reeds are always willing to hire and invest ahead of need to prepare for things to come. We have examined our existing policies and update accordingly based on growth and business need. Reed knows in order to have and maintain a high-quality company we must grow and nurture relationships both internally and externally as well as stay ahead of an everchanging market.
What is your No. 1 priority for the year ahead? We have several goals, but most of them are focused on process improvement. As we continue to grow and add personnel, we need to appropriately scale and update our policies, procedures, positions and training. Our employees are of paramount importance here at Reed, so we must scale our processes but maintain our incredible culture. Our customers, drivers and carrier partners are instrumental to Reed. We need to work to continue to deliver excellent service amidst cyclical market conditions. We also must stay abreast of rate and market disrupters. Reed must be knowledgeable and prepared for anything that could impact transportation.
What scares you the most about the year ahead? We must stay ahead and find new and innovative ways to provide better service to our customers and foster stronger relationships with our carrier partners. Reed must also continue to hire and retain top talent, grow existing accounts and continue to onboard new partnerships. Our continued focus on L&D will help us further develop our employees and help create additional growth paths for each position.
What are some of the growing pains you have experienced? Growing as much as we have so quickly has created challenges with the scalability of our structures, processes and procedures. We cannot have 300+ employees operating according to policies that were designed to account for an organization with 25 employees. As we continue to grow, we will also have to work harder to maintain our unique, fun, family-oriented culture. We must find the balance between growing either too fast or too slow. Once you are behind, in this industry it is hard to catch up.
Are you currently hiring? If so, how many positions and what types? We are currently hiring for a variety of positions.
— Eileen Dabrowski, Learning and Development Manager