When the 150 Business Challenge was first launched in November of 2017, the collaborative program between Expediter Services (ES) and the Women In Trucking Association (WIT) set out to achieve the goal of assisting in the creation of 150 women-owned businesses in transportation. As the program enters its fifth year, the 150 Business Challenge has become a true vehicle of change within the trucking industry, helping in the launch of 132 women-owned businesses.
“Back in the fall of 2017 when we partnered with Expediter Services to launch the 150 Business Challenge, we had high hopes that this program could be a difference maker for creating true ownership opportunities for women in the trucking industry, and the results speak for themselves,” said Ellen Voie, President & CEO of the Women In Trucking Association. “Through this program, ES has helped aspiring women entrepreneurs by removing some of the most trying obstacles when it comes to starting a business in trucking.”
The 150 Business Challenge follows the proven working model that ES utilizes in offering truck ownership opportunities and assisting the program participants in establishing profitable small businesses through a variety of support mechanisms found within the ES Community. Professional drivers interested in the ES truck ownership programs, including the 150 Business Challenge, go through a screening and qualification process that also has an evaluation period.
In addition to looking at work history, it is during the evaluation period program that participants are given the opportunity by ES to demonstrate their attitude, their aptitude and their work ethic. The process that ES utilizes for qualifying truck ownership program participants is unique because it places a greater emphasis on a driver’s work history over a traditional credit score. ES offers qualified participants competitive, market-rate financing for professional drivers seeking to own trucks from the leading equipment brands in the industry.
One of the features of the 150 Business Challenge is the opportunity for program participants to drive as an owner-operator for one of the partner carriers in the ES Community. Members of the 150 Business Challenge are now a part of the fleets at FedEx Custom Critical, Forward Air and Panther Premium Logistics, a service of ArcBest. As part of the additional support that is available, ES also provides program participants access to a complete set of services and discounts through the ES Community that cover the key areas of fuel, maintenance, insurance and back-office support. Other services and discounts are also available through the ES Community.
“Over the years as we have developed our programs, we took note of the hurdles women have faced in trucking from a financial standpoint when looking to start a business, and that was part of our inspiration for launching the 150 Business Challenge,” said ES President and Co-founder Jason Williams. “As business owners ourselves, we understand and appreciate what it takes to push through challenges in order to achieve your goals. We believe in entrepreneurs, and part of our mission at ES is helping people by placing them in the best position to make the most of an opportunity to successfully run their own business.”
Long before the collaboration with WIT on the 150 Business Challenge, ES had established a reputation in the industry for opening doors for women who are seeking to become business owners in trucking. Today, the number of women within the ES Community who are fleet owners, owner-operators or independent contract drivers involved in the programs offered by the company now exceeds 38 percent of the ES fleet.
“Since I first met with the leadership team at ES several years ago, I could see the commitment they have as a company for opening the doors of ownership opportunities in the trucking industry to everyone,” said Ellen. “When we look at the impact that the 150 Business Challenge has made since 2017, this program has become a platform for success because ES offers women more than the opportunity to buy a new truck. This is a truly comprehensive offering that delivers access to the support that business owners need to prosper and grow. ES has done an amazing job with 150 Business Challenge, and we’re looking forward to seeing the next steps for this program.”
Just as the calendar was getting ready to turn to the New Year, Jeff Tacker from the ES Senior Leadership Team had the opportunity to share some thoughts on national radio about the 2022 It’s All About You Campaign from ES. Jeff, who serves as the Chief Operating Officer and the Chief Commercial Officer for Expediter Services, was a guest during December’s final days on the Dave Nemo Show, which is broadcast on SiriusXM’s Road Dog Trucking Radio Channel 146.
Jeff was one of the day’s main guests featured on the day he appeared. He was on the air for two segments on Radio Nemo, covering a 30-minute block of the four-hour daily program. Jeff was interviewed on this edition of the Dave Nemo Show by Jimmy Mac, who serves as the program’s lead guest host.
The two segments featured on this edition of the program provided Jimmy and Jeff a chance to reconnect after they had spent some time together at the Women In Trucking Association’s Accelerate Conference, which had taken place in Dallas in November.
In addition to looking at the year ahead, Jeff’s conversation with Jimmy offered him the opportunity to talk about what’s happening at ES as well as how the company works to create opportunities within the industry. It was during the second segment following a commercial break in the show when Jimmy asked Jeff about the 2022, It’s All About You campaign that ES is launching in the new year.
If you would like to listen to Jeff’s appearance on SiriusXM and the Dave Nemo Radio Show, Spotlight News has included a replay of the interview within this story. ES would like to thank Radio Nemo, SiriusXM and the Road Dog Trucking Radio Channel for allowing Spotlight News to share the replay of Jeff’s interview on the Dave Nemo Show as a special edition of the Success In Trucking Podcast. For anyone who has a subscription to SiriusXM Radio or the SiriusXM app, the Dave Nemo Show can be heard each morning from 7 a.m. to 11 a.m. Eastern time on SiriusXM’s Road Dog Trucking Radio Channel 146.
Success In Trucking Podcast: Radio Nemo Interview with Jeff Tacker
Guest host Jimmy Mac welcomed Jeff Tacker to the Dave Nemo Show in late December. Jeff, who is the Chief Operating Officer and the Chief Commercial Officer for Expediter Services, highlighted what is happening at ES and shared perspective on the 2022, It’s All About You campaign from ES.
Looking back on what is now more than 15 years of history since the founding of Expediter Services, the company has always placed its focus on how the programs and services from ES can best support owner-operators, independent contract drivers and entrepreneurs within the trucking industry in their efforts to be successful. The ES Company Motto of Never Stand Alone speaks to the commitment that the entire ES Team makes every day to concentrate on meeting the needs of trucking business owners and most notably the people in the driver’s seat. ES is always looking at the industry outward from the truck level.
As the calendar now turns to a New Year, ES is launching a new campaign that speaks to the company’s deep roots and dedication to trucking professionals who are seeking to build and grow their businesses within a dynamic and changing industry. The “2022 It’s All About You” campaign from ES will serve as a platform for amplifying the company’s outreach to aspiring trucking entrepreneurs and current trucking business owners. At the heart of 2022 It’s All About You, trucking professionals will find that ES will be inviting them to not stand alone and to utilize the programs and services available from the company to assist them with maximizing their success in trucking.
Throughout 2022, Spotlight News will be featuring a series of articles that will be sharing helpful information and valuable perspectives from the company as part of the 2022 It’s All About You campaign. At the launch of this initiative, we spent some time with Jeff Tacker, who is part of the Senior Leadership Team at ES. Jeff serves as the Chief Operating Officer and the Chief Commercial Officer for ES. We will be hearing from Jeff and other members of the ES Team throughout the year as part of the 2022 It’s All About You Campaign.
Here is one of the questions we asked Jeff at the beginning of the campaign…
What inspired the 2022 It’s All About You Campaign?
Jeff: Over the past couple of years, the entire world has faced a lot of challenges and the trucking industry, as the center of the supply chain, has risen to the occasion – whether that’s making adjustments within the COVID pandemic or dealing with equipment shortages and the availability of new trucks. With everything that has happened, it would be easy to look at the obstacles, but that won’t help you move forward. So, part of what we would like to do with our 2022 campaign is to help the people we serve and those who would like to join our ES Community to keep things in perspective and to focus on the positives, especially the opportunities that are present in today’s trucking industry.
At ES, the focus of our programs and our support services has always been placed first and foremost on trucking professionals – the owner-operators, independent contract drivers, fleet owners and small business owners in this industry.
The 2022 It’s All About You Campaign is a two-way call to action. First of all, it’s a reminder to all of us at ES to continue to be responsive and find ways that we can stand with the members of the ES Community while also expanding our community as we work to help the trucking industry move forward. We believe our 2022 It’s All About You campaign will be especially valuable for those trucking professionals who are working to address the current challenges of the day while making the most of the opportunities on the horizon.
Our 2022 It’s All About You Campaign is also a call to action for trucking business owners to take the time to look into the mirror and do a thorough evaluation of your business. How can you make your business better and stronger during these times? Where do you need help? Who is willing to walk with you and provide the type of support and deliver the kinds of advantages that can increase your success in trucking? We see 2022 as a time to look both inward and outward. As always, ES is here to make sure that you never stand alone. That’s why, in 2022, it’s all about you!
In mid-November, ES President and Co-Founder Jason Williams made his second appearance of 2021 as a guest on the Dave Nemo Show, which is the morning drive program featured on SiriusXM’s Road Dog Trucking Radio Channel 146.Just a few days ahead of the segment on the nationwide radio broadcast, Jason and Dave had both attended the Women In Trucking Association’s annual Accelerate Conference in Dallas, and their time at Accelerate created a point of reference that made the segment very conversational.
Dave, who has more than 50 years of experience hosting radio shows that speak to America’s professional drivers, focused his time with Jason in three areas of interest. Dave began the interview by asking Jason to look back at 2021 and share his observations on what the ES Team and ES Community has experienced to this point in 2021.
In reflecting on this year in trucking, Jason was able to speak to the strength of the ES Community as well as the spirit of support and can-do attitude that remains strong among ES Community members as the trucking industry and the world continues to navigate the challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The second part of the conversation highlighted the relationship that ES has built with the Women In Trucking Association (WIT) over the years. Dave provided Jason with the opportunity to discuss how ES and WIT have worked together in collaboration to develop the 150 Business Challenge – the program the two organizations established in 2017 to assist in the launch of 150 women-owned businesses. Jason was able to share with Dave that the total number of new businesses created through this ground-breaking program has reached 130.
The final portion of Jason’s November interview on the Dave Nemo Radio Show focused on the vendor network and the comprehensive range of services that are available through the ES Community. The interview gave Jason the chance to talk about how the ES Community is continuing to grow and expand as part of the commitment by ES to make sure that trucking professionals Never Stand Alone.
If you would like to listen to Jason’s latest appearance on SiriusXM and the Dave Nemo Radio Show, Spotlight News has included a replay of the interview within this story. ES would like to thank Radio Nemo, SiriusXM and the Road Dog Trucking Radio Channel for allowing Spotlight News to share the replay of Jason’s interview on the Dave Nemo Show as a special edition of the Success In Trucking Podcast. For anyone who has a subscription to SiriusXM Radio or the SiriusXM app, the Dave Nemo Show can be heard each morning from 7 a.m. to 11 a.m. Eastern time on SiriusXM’s Road Dog Trucking Radio Channel 146.
STAY TUNED IN DECEMBER:The programs from ES as well as the ES Community will once again be in the spotlight in December when Jeff Tacker will be a featured guest on the Dave Nemo Radio Show. Jeff, who is the Chief Operating Officer and Chief Commercial Officer for ES, will be appearing during the Friday, December 17th edition of Radio Nemo. Jeff is scheduled to be interviewed by Jimmy Mac from Radio Nemo during the final hour of that day’s show, which begins at 10:00 a.m. Eastern, 9:00 Central. If you are not able to hear Jeff’s appearance live or on-demand through the SiriusXM app, ES will be once again working with the team at Radio Nemo to make Jeff’s interview available through a Success In Trucking podcast replay during an upcoming edition of Spotlight News.
During this season of Thanksgiving, ES would like to give thanks to YOU, the independent contractors, owner-operators, fleet owners, motor carriers and vendors, who are the backbone of everything we do as a community. You are the reason ES continues to invest in support services, programs and technologies in order serve you better by providing opportunities to help you grow your business. We’re here to support you and your business, so you Never Stand Alone.
We have much to be thankful for in 2021, and we’re looking forward to 2022, where it’s all about YOU!
HAPPY THANKSGIVING!
“The year that is drawing towards its close, has been filled with the blessings of fruitful fields and healthful skies. To these bounties, which are so constantly enjoyed that we are prone to forget the source from which they come, others have been added… No human counsel hath devised nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things. They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God, who, while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy. It has seemed to me fit and proper that they should be solemnly, reverently and gratefully acknowledged as with one heart and one voice by the whole American People, I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next, as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens. And I recommend to them that while offering up the ascriptions justly due to Him for such singular deliverances and blessings, they do also, with humble penitence for our national perverseness and disobedience, commend to His tender care all those who have become widows, orphans, mourners or sufferers in the lamentable civil strife in which we are unavoidably engaged, and fervently implore the interposition of the Almighty Hand to heal the wounds of the nation and to restore it as soon as may be consistent with the Divine purposes to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquility and Union.” – President Abraham Lincoln: Proclamation of Thanksgiving
