J.J. Rodeheffer says in all honesty, it is not that difficult to be a great company. All you have to think about is how you want to be treated. As part of any interaction that you would have, treat people the same way and you can build an excellent company.
You might find it difficult to argue with that since the third-party logistics company, Zipline Logistics LLC, has doubled its revenue each year over the past five years and topped revenue of $10 million in 2011. It employs 17 people.
Rodeheffer and his two partners claim their success formula is simple: focus on doing what’s right; treat your clients and customers fairly and honestly; pay your carriers on time; and value long-term business relationships over one-time business transactions.
Smart Business talked with Rodeheffer, partner at Zipline, about building a great company.
Q. With company growth comes the challenge of disseminating information and market knowledge down to the next new level of employees. What do you see as a key factor in doing that successfully?
A. Training has been something that we have taken great pride in. I don’t necessarily know if we ever had the thought when we first opened Zipline that training would be one of our biggest strengths. But we realized early that we’ve got to pass along not only the information but the drive and the motivation, and to do that you simply just can’t expect a person to pick that up.
You want hard workers, and you interview for the type of person that you want — a competitive hard-working, multitasker — but in the end, the person still has to have knowledge. In the last two years, we really have spent a significant amount of time building a training program. When we did our first training guide we thought we were way ahead of the curve. We had an 80-page booklet and about four to five weeks of classroom training. For this next class, our fourth group of trainees coming in, 80 pages have turned into a few hundred and the topics have continued to grow.
Q. Once they are trained for the job, what are the keys to keeping people motivated?
A. First, once training is up, that’s not it. You have to strive really hard to further the education, whether that be logistically, and learning about your industry or what’s going on out there but also within the local community from networking, to knowing the businesses that are around here, whether that be potential suppliers, learning more about your competition and what they are up to. Keeping the eye kind of straight ahead and knowing what’s out there in front of you — I think has been important.
Moreover, charity group work is vital — not just a simple donation but some actual participation. That just kind of creates the awareness of where the company is now, where you are going, and I think that creates a positive attitude that comes into the day-to-day job as much as it does to the outside of the office.
Q. What are some of the keys to developing customer relationships that last?
A. I think too many companies get focused on small decisions and short-term thinking, and that leads to thinking about short-term profits. That gets in the way of developing long-term, long-standing relationships. You want to be here in the same role in five years, and 10 years, not how you are going to make your next quick buck. You have to really solidify in your customers’ minds that you have their best thoughts in mind. That could be, ‘Hey you know what? I know I quoted you $1,700 on this, but I’m only going to charge you $1,600. I found a cheaper truck, I’m still making a fair rate and I just wanted to let you know that I have your best interests in mind.’ Things like that just go a long way.
How to reach: Zipline Logistics LLC, (888) 469-4754 or www.ziplinelogistics.com
