The saying, “great leaders think alike,” is very true when observed inside the global business sphere.
The international business spectrum has proved to be the center of many innovations that turn a company into a corporate giant with its pioneering technology, standout leadership, and business strategies that disrupt the ongoing market.
Such zeal of an entrepreneur can not only light the vast spectrum of dynamic corporates but also exemplify how a technology leadership should look like.
Understanding these aspects of technology in the business, one such business space that fosters technology leadership is logistics and supply chain management. Having its vast accommodating ability to serve businesses, it has become necessary that the logistics industry upscales the utilization of technology that empowers the supply chain en-routing and focuses on employee management, end client ease, and synchronization of business workflow.
As one steps into the logistics industry, the immediate workflow one can imagine is the procurement, storage, and transportation mechanism. And, if the same imagination thread was discussed somewhere around Oklahoma, the USA, a normal routing and dispatching goods won’t work.
Understanding this demand of the oil shipping and dry freight business is the shipping giant Stevens Trucking Company.
This organization exemplifies multiple leadership lessons to the global business space. Whether inclusive leadership, innovative mindset, people-centric development, technology-mediated growth, or understanding the market tide in its own storm, Stevens Trucking has always been at the helm of wise business acumen.
Spearheading the transformation tide of Stevens Trucking is its dynamic leader- Cole Stevens. As the Vice President of Sales for Stevens Trucking, he ensures to adhere to the company’s core values that underline nurturing employees and its customers rather than playing a mere number game on the industry leaderboard. Referring to the company’s core values, Cole mentions that if you focus on your employee development and keep a focal point of harnessing your organizational upliftment, the business surely revamps, and then the sky is the limit.
Implementing these values has escalated Stevens Trucking to being the most trusted brand in The United States.
The company, since its inception, has been operating around 48 states and serving its clients 24/7/365 with its operation potential of 300 power unit and 1500 trailers.
Let’s slide into the inspiring story of Stevens Trucking Company.
The inception Story
Founded in 1979, the company started its journey with a single hotshot truck, aiming to provide its oil industry operations services. As the oil prices hit sky-high from $6 to $8 per barrel, the company took a wise diversion and initiated its dry-freight shipping facility. As experienced in the delivery segment of oil delivery, it had its expertise in the ins and outs of full truckload delivery and an understanding of how logistics work.
Possessing this wisdom of the supply chain segment, the family-owned corporation transgressed into the dry freight delivery segment and never sacrificed its core values. Mentioning the founder of Stevens Trucking- Kenny Stevens, Cole refers to the learnings he grew up with. “My father always said, ‘grow for your need and not for your greed,’ and this has been the core principle at Stevens Trucking for the last 40 years.”
Inspired by simple living and high thinking principles, the elder Stevens had always been the guiding light for the Stevens Trucking family. Be it overcoming the storms in uncertain times or amplifying its business with people-centric leadership, the principles ingrained in the company have their traces in the hardship, wisdom, and resilience inculcated by Kenny Stevens.
Today, Stevens Trucking is known for its fast and reliable shipping solutions along with its exemplifying success in the oilfield and dry-freight shipping space.
Weathering the Storms
Standing on such a huge success of forty years, it was not a cakewalk for Stevens Trucking. Once hit by the oil hikes due to the gulf crisis, the company had almost worn out but adding up the resilience of Cole Stevens and his family, the family-owned shipping giant could ride the storm in its favor.
Understanding the market’s volatility, the organization diversified in multiple industries so that if one sector faces the burns of financial deprivation, the Stevens Trucking community can balance out and sail through, taking care of its employees and staying true to its people-first principles.
A People’s Leader- Cole Stevens
As the youngest son of the family, Cole has shouldered the responsibility of driving the organization’s core values and exemplifies the true meaning of inclusive leadership. He says, “Businesses don’t run on mere statistical numbers. If you build people and ensure to serve your community, the business will always skyrocket your growth.”
He is a family-oriented person and is always noticed to engage his community with greater objectives. Be it connecting with customers, instilling his faith in the company drivers, or taking care of his kids on weekends, Cole ensures to make every second count. Valuing the time of his employees and as well as his customers, Cole’s punctuality and teamwork is worth appreciating. Adding up to his people-centric and thought-based leadership, Cole mentions that, as a family-operated organization, it is important to instill teamwork in your workforce and enable them to grow high in their subjective development.
While in his graduation, he has been an efficient baseball player and learned the benefits of being a team effort. His academics also enabled him to learn the lessons of being disciplined and becoming the leader that he is today.
We asked Cole, if not in the company, where he could be found, to which he answered, “One can spot me around my morning coffee shop and later around my employees and family. I make sure I focus on building people in my company and as well as in my family.”
He takes pride in mentioning that as a company, Stevens Trucking is not just a commercial enterprise hustling to draw profits but a community that harnesses people skills and eases employee efforts by judiciously utilizing technological innovations.
The Technology Marvels
Being focused on the core values of inclusive leadership, the shipping giant uses BlyncSync Technology to ensure its drivers’ safety. In its trucks, GPS systems are incorporated to help easy communication of company operations, drivers, and its customer’s ease.
This helps Cole understand the efficiency of its workforce while facilitating its customer facility of tracking the shipment if requested. Even being technology advances, Cole makes it an important vertical that technology doesn’t override the human touch, and hence, he is always connected with the organization’s employees in every walk of their life.
In case of any mishaps or driver emergencies, the first go-to strategy at Stevens Trucking is to take care of its diverts rather than business operations.
Envisioning the future, Stevens shared his insights about the future of automation. He says automation is a sure thing, but nothing can be compared to human endeavors. In times of future innovations, the company can hold onto the automation technologies and drive the tide with its vast network of business.
A Guiding Light to Budding Entrepreneurs
“Build people, focus on your work along with your people. There is nothing much rewarding than the development of your community. Once you can get your people to grow, the mutual benefits know no limits,” concludes Cole Stevens.
