Gateway CEO visited Newman Carriers on Fairmont Blvd for the first time and it was quite a morning! Owner Joe Newman welcomed students with juice and Casey's pizza, which is always a huge hit with our students. Joe is a huge supporter of Gateway CEO as an investor as well as a judge for our annual Fish Tank competition. He then invited each of his department heads to share with our students as they got a huge overview on the trucking/transportation business and so much insight into what's needed to ensure trucks are properly on the road, making deliveries, with the end goal of always getting the drivers back home. Joe coordinated the visit so that students received great information from each of the department heads. Check out the insights here!
- Joe Newman/Owner Operator - Joe started his career in trucking as a truck driver with just one truck. Since 1984 he has expanded his business to now transporting liquid commodities across 48 states and into Canada. Joe shared that while many companies sell products, they are a service business. Delivering liquid that can burn you up, blow you up or corrode you. In the trucking world, they have found their niche! He is proud to have his 3 sons as leaders in his company. He urged students to always - Just do the right thing. No matter what, when this is followed in business, it will always bring incredible results.
- Joe also shared the importance of aligning with good partners in business, with Truck Centers being another like-minded company that allows them always to do good. The trucking industry is highly regulated and logistics and safety is important with every single truck, delivery and return.
- Jake, VP of Newman Carriers - And also the 'numbers' guy. Jake stressed the importance of the trucking industry as it is the primary carrier of goods and services for everything that we have across America. If we don't have trucking, everything stops. The growth of warehouses, supply chains and logistics creates plenty of opportunity for our students in the future. He stressed the importance of knowing your numbers always, the profit and loss and the impact decisions make across the company. Good relationships are vital between employees, vendors and customers. Revenue quality comes from the right customers and networking is a powerful tool to make sure they stay connected with the right people.
- Heather - She is over Safety. She began in Automotive Maintenance and hated it. Eventually she moved into dispatch and within a few years into the opportunity of leading Safety. For this business, this is a huge responsibility and quite literally is a matter of life and death for so many if this isn't focused on properly. Government regulations drive requirements and she ensures these checks and balances are kept, especially with the type of materials that the drivers handle on a daily basis. Technology has made some of this process easier, but it is hands on every day to make sure the safety requirements are met for all 65 drivers.
- Michelle - Works as the Senior Logistics Manager - and in many ways refers to her and her team being the heartbeat of the operation. With Newman Carriers hauling such dangerous materials, there is no room for error. We heard this over and over again - ATTENTION TO DETAILS - is highly important within each facet of this business. While she started as an intern doing light paperwork for a trucking company, here she is decades later leading a valuable team. They focus on who is going where each day, coordinating the drivers, shippers, customers (delivery). What's most important - details of course, plus communication - keeping drivers informed with what needs to be done before leaving, during delivery and after. The ability to multi-task, problem solved and work under high pressure are all skills that allow putting all the pieces of the puzzle to satisfying all clients by the end of each day. Also Michelle stressed the importance of knowing the lay of the land. It’s critical. Technology that now tracks each truck has really improved the ability to manage a large fleet each day. She did impress upon students that incredible talent, skill and education goes into becoming a truck driver as they carry such responsibility on the road each day.
- Dave is the oldest of Joe's sons and takes care of the shop. He started out as a machinist and eventually joined the family business to ensure all shop and equipment is ready to go so that the fleet is always up to specs and can be properly maintained for the most effective delivery. Again, this is another department dictated by many government regulations and he makes sure their trucks are ready to go.
- Josh is the youngest of the sons and is part of a separate venture within the same complex called Archview Tank Wash. As a natural expansion of business, Josh took the lead on providing a new services that quickly grew from one client to over 100 in a period of months, with also now the option to have a tank wash right their for the Newman Carrier trucks. What's unique about Josh is that he went to school and practiced as a Physician's Assistant before he made the decision of joining the family business and taking on the challenge of learning something so new and different. One of the key aspects with the tank wash is knowing what was in the tank previously and being sure proper protocol is also followed so that no one gets hurt due to gases and toxic fumes.

This was a site visit that really allowed students to see behind the scenes all of the moving pieces that have to come together for proper and safe delivery of materials across the country. As these trucks are on and off the road, there are so many lives to protect. Thank you Joe and your entire team for welcoming students to your world and really helping them see what family business looks like!