Meet Ashley

A True Cincinnati Native

Our newest associate and latest addition to our Logistics Coordinator staff is Ashley! She is a Cincinnati native, born and raised here her entire life. She went to school in Mariemont and currently lives in Milford!

Ashley celebrated ten years of marriage this year. Together their blended family consists of four children and two cats. Ashley has one biological son who is 11 along with three bonus kids, ages 21, 16, and 15. Her two cats are rescues from the SPCA. In the winter, their free time is spent at the Cincinnati Cyclones hockey team as a season ticket holder!

She has been in logistics for about two years, but when she thought about joining PGT, it was the small, family company that drew her in. “I’ve worked at a couple different multi-billion dollar companies in the past, and I realized it just isn’t for me. I feel like a smaller company is the way to go!”

Money tends to be the motivator for most people who show up to work every day, and Ashley definitely fits in that category. She knows at PGT, her paycheck is determined by her drive and success. That’s why she takes a lot of pride in her adaptability. “I am a quick learner once I can get my  hands on things,” she explained.

Her best advice to anyone looking to join the team in any type of sales/negotiation role would be to befriend a truck driver outside of work to help you see both sides of the industry. She also believes having a yard sale will help tremendously. She added, “have a yard sale and haggle the prices on every single item. You’ll build some strong negotiation skills that way.”

In her free time, Ashley enjoys crafting. She started a small crafting business during the peak of COVID. She’s excited for the craft fair in November!

We are excited to see how Ashley grows the account she works on daily! Big things are in store!

Meet Jim D

New to Industry, not new to Sales

We recently added another Jim to our team, the second one this year! Maybe it’s a new trend?! Let’s introduce you to Jim Dietz, our newest team member!

Jim was born and raised in Northern, Kentucky. He attended the University of Cincinnati where he graduated with a bachelor’s in marketing. He has been in sales for almost five years, but is new to the logistics world. He lives with his girlfriend, Macee and their cat, Oliver.

Like most people, Jim is motivated by his family and girlfriend. He takes a lot of pride in how hard he works and the respect he has for anyone around him. He loves being outside and enjoying time with his family and friends. Jim isn’t one to turn down some golf, hunting, or fishing. “Just get me outside in my free time and I’m happy!”

He hasn’t been here long, but it usually doesn’t matter when it comes to culture at PGT. Jim said he really enjoys the atmosphere and colleagues at PGT. “Working at a great company with great culture and people makes coming here every day a lot more enjoyable,” he explained. “That’s exactly what I would tell anyone considering joining the team here.”

Meet Jim

Cincy Native

Jim joined us a little over a week ago, but it’s no secret that big things are expected because of his experience. So let’s get into it.

Jim was born and raised in Cincinnati, Ohio. He attended Cincinnati State where he earned his associate’s degree in clinical science. He values his family, his fiancé and nine year old daughter, above all else!

He has been in logistics for over thirteen years. It has always been one of Jim’s passions. He spent many years working from home which gave him the freedom to travel while he worked- which kept life interesting- until COVID. 

“PGT has given me an opportunity to work in an exciting and energetic environment again,” Jim explained. “I’m extremely grateful for that.”

Even in his short time with us at PGT, Jim is

confident that anyone who wants to learn the business or has a passion for logistics should come to PGT. “You’ll be welcomed with open arms and everyone is willing to help,” he added. “Your success is important to everyone!”

Welcome to the team, Jim! We look forward to your success!

Meet Aaron

Poker Face?

In late January, we added another National Account Manager to our team. We’ll let him introduce himself to you!

Hello, my name is Aaron Taylor. I have been married for over ten years. My wife and I have two kids together, an eight year old daughter and five year old son. In my free time, I enjoy playing and dealing poker!

I have been in industry for 15 years. I spent seven of those years in local LTL freight. I take a lot of pride in my drive to work hard and be a team player.

As simple as it sounds, my biggest motivation is to be successful for my family.

I haven’t been at PGT long, but so far, I’ve really enjoyed working here because of the atmosphere. Everyone is so willing to help and work together toward the same goal here, so it makes it more enjoyable. I would recommend anyone considering PGT to jump on in with us because you’ll enjoy the atmosphere!

We are excited to have Aaron on our team and look forward to his success!

Meet Chase

Local Girl Dad

January was a big month for us in terms of hiring. We added five new associates. We introduced you to three of them already, so let’s keep going through the list.

Next up is today’s spotlight, Chase Eldridge.

Chase joined us in late January but is no stranger to the industry. He has been an account manager for four years, so he brings a lot of knowledge and experience to the team! He is from Eastgate and went to Batavia schools growing up. He’s not a believer in college, unless it’s a field that is necessary. On a good shoe day, Chase is an astounding 5’6″…tall?

One of his goals is to become less prideful and focus on God and his two daughters, ages ten and five. Ultimately, Chase values and is motivated by financial freedom.

The one thing that he enjoys the most about being here is the culture. It’s what attracted Chase to PGT in the first place. His advice to someone considering joining our team is much different than anyone else. He said, “I mean, in all honesty, I would say it is great, but go find somewhere else so everyone that’s already here can get as much of the business as possible!” He was joking of course. Sort of. Maybe. (Reference the financial freedom above, ha!) Yes, he was. 

We look forward to your success, Chase!

Meet Gary

46 Years of Experience

Most of our sales positions are inside sales, however, our first outside sales manager worked out very well, so we decided to add a second one!

So, meet Gary Dobaczewski, our newest outside sales manager! He introduces himself below!

My name is Gary. I was born and raised in Toledo, Ohio and graduated from the University of Toledo with a degree in Business Management and a minor in Marketing and Logistics. I’m an alumnus of Bowling Green State University and a member of Delta Nu Alpha Transportation fraternity associated with the University of Toledo.

I have been in the transportation industry for 46 years in various roles, including sales representative, sales manager, terminal manager, national account executive, and national sales director. Those positions have led me across the country, living in Ohio, Michigan, Maryland, and West Virginia.

I was happily married to my late wife Becky for 44 years, until her death three years ago. She was not only my wife, but also my best friend and mother to our two children, Eric and Rosanne. She was an author of two books and an inventor. I am also a musician playing with several big bands in Northwestern Ohio and Northeast Michigan. Being Polish, I have also played in several Polka Bands in the local areas.

I pride myself on being the best I can be and value thinking outside the box to develop business solutions. I believe there aren’t any obstacles that you can’t overcome. I am a strong believer in God and Country. I was in Boy Scout Leadership for 18 years working with young boys to develop their skill. I helped them to believe in themselves so they can confidently achieve their goals with hard work and the right mindset.  

When it comes to PGT, I really enjoy the relationship with my teammates and the personal drive and professionalism they have to achieve their daily goals. If you like to work hard and want to earn more than a salary paycheck, PGT is truly the place to be.

January LIL

New Year, New LIL

New to the industry? No problem.

Natasha Caudill joined PGT over eight months ago as our second Logistics Administrator. Her role started as operational, but has quickly turned into more of a back office position where she handles a lot of our accounting and behind-the-scenes tasks.

When she was asked what intrigued her the most about the industry, she explained that it was the entrepreneurial atmosphere she felt at PGT. She also shared that “the logistics world is much more exciting than I expected because of the fast-paced environment.” 

She encourages others to join the industry but “the expectation to ‘work hard, play hard’ is very real, however, the rewards PGT has to offer is definitely worth it.” For Natasha, PGT provides endless opportunities for all women and men equally. She further explained that “ladies are never left out and are equally included and recognized.”

We are thrilled to have to Natasha on our team and are excited to see her continue growth and success.

PGT takes pride in our ability to treat everyone as equals and provide equal opportunities for everyone.

Meet Austin

Boy Dad

Today’s staff spotlight goes to one of our other January new hires- Austin McNamara! Let’s just get straight to it.

Austin from Northern, Kentucky, but he moved around a lot. He went to ten different schools in his youth. He likes to think of it as building his network at an early age (ha!). He is married to his wife Desiree and they have three sons, Carter (12), Declan (7) and Maverick (2). His family is his world!

Prior to joining us at PGT, Austin did a variety of different things. He was a heavy duty truck mechanic and shop manager for five years then got into car sales for a few years, and was a licensed loan originator for the last five years. He graduated from WyoTech where he studied heavy duty diesel mechanics and business management. 

When it comes to self-motivation, Austin resorts back to three things: family, money, and recognition! All of those things tied together motivate him every day to be the best version of himself. In his free time, he loves hanging out with his wife and kids and going golfing with his buddies. Austin is officially a Kentucky Colonel- the highest award/honor a civilian can receive from the governor of Kentucky.

In his short time at PGT, he states that his favorite part is “the atmosphere because it is such a tight knit group of people that all work together!” Austin looks forward to going above and beyond for his customers and team. “I pride myself on my ability to handle stressful situations because I am good at finding solutions,” Austin explained.

Welcome to the team, Austin!

Meet Patrick

Fresh out of College

We’ve used various avenues acquire top-notch talent! Last year, we branched into the college career fair market and came across a good one! It didn’t take long for us to know we had to snatch him up before he found something else!

Today we introduce you to Patrick Carnahan!

Patrick is from Columbus, Ohio and is a recent graduate of the University of Cincinnati (Go Bearcats)! He graduated with a degree in Industrial Management and started with us just a couple weeks later!

He takes great value in humor, genuine kindness, and optimism in the people he’s close with. And he means it! He takes a lot of pride in being able to make a dad joke off almost anything! Patrick is confident that there is a good statistical chance that he’s the tallest, left-handed, green-eyed person in the world…purely because of how narrow that demographic is!

Professionally, Patrick is motivated by a desire to create his own success as well as a deep-rooted inclination to pay his bills. He saw the opportunity to do just that at PGT! We gave him the opportunity to job shadow while he was finishing his degree at UC to give him some insight into the industry and the company. Since arriving earlier this month, Patrick says his favorite part of working at PGT is “by far the people.” He explained, “Everyone is approachable and friendly. They made my first few weeks engaging and entertaining.”

The team atmosphere at PGT is something he shares with others. “You can rely on your team. I’ve only known mine for a short time and I already feel like I can ask them anything and they’ll support me.”

Welcome to the team, Patrick!

Meet Victoria

Proud Mom of 2

We are back to our weekly spotlights for the month of January! We ended the year strong bringing on Victoria and managed to start the year strong with three new associates on the first working day of the year!

So we will start with our last new hire of December, Victoria Vormwald, and let her introduce herself to you!

Hello! My name is Victoria. I am twenty-something years old. I was born in Oswego, New York, but was raised most of my life here in the Cincinnati area. I attended Loveland schools through high school and afterward, attended Indiana Wesleyan for social work, however, I have never actually used my degree. I have worked in various capacities within the transportation and freight industry for years- in fact, going on my 10th year now!

I have two kids- an eight-year-old daughter, Azailia, and a four-year-old son, Kai. They are always my number one motivation. Both of them are the reason I wake up and grind day in and day out.

Here’s a fun fact for you: I had over 45 surgeries from 10-13 years old to have my left femur lengthened four inches due to a birth defect! (Thank-you Waters of Camp Lejeune!)

I have enjoyed everything about PGT because the environment has been so welcoming, even before my first day! Everyone has been helpful. It doesn’t feel like I’m walking into an office every day. 

If you are on the fence about joining us here, the best advice I can give you is to DO IT! It doesn’t feel like other companies I have experienced. I feel as if there is a camaraderie here that sets it apart from a lot of the cut-throat competitors out there. 

Welcome to the team, Victoria!!