Jeff Silver could have eased into retirement with a list of accomplishments that would have made any resume glisten. The third-party logistics company he had helped build into the second-largest freight brokerage in North America had just been sold for a lot of money and he didn’t need to work anymore.
But this wasn’t about need. It was about desire. So Silver headed back to school to earn his master’s in engineering logistics from Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Silver had an idea about a new approach for the transportation industry, and he wanted to make it a reality.
So he invested his capital and founded Coyote Logistics.
The company opened its doors in 2006 intent on bringing about change to his industry. Coyote would use proprietary technology to create solutions to meet the operational demands of today’s increasingly challenging supply chains.
The company specializes in fleet backhaul, which utilizes clients’ trucks to transport loads on return trips to reduce the number of trucks transporting half or empty loads. This reduces traffic and emissions.
The company began with 30 employees, but is expected to grow this year to 800 employees working in seven offices across the United States.
Silver, the company’s CEO, relies heavily on technology. But he puts just as much emphasis on finding good people who buy in to his leadership and will agree to work hard to help his company help its clients.
Silver makes an effort to clearly explain his values to people so that they know what he stands for. In return, Silver provides regular training for employees and consistently recognizes excellent performance.
And he does all this while working with his wife to raise seven children. But his efforts have paid off as Coyote Logistics was named the No. 2 best small company to work for in Chicago in a recent survey by the Chicago Tribune.
How to reach: Coyote Logistics, (877) 626-9683 or www.coyotelogistics.com
