Earth Day

Make the Earth Smile

Happy Earth Day! Shouldn’t it be every day? We think so! But did you know that the first Earth Day wasn’t celebrated until 1970 and didn’t go global until 1990? That’s crazy if you ask us.

If we’re being honest, sometimes it feels like having an impact is impossible. It seems like such a huge task to help save the planet. Well, it is. But it starts small. All of us can do little things to help make the world a better, safer place to live.

At PGT we recognize that we don’t have the reach necessary to make a huge impact, but that doesn’t stop us from doing everything we can to help.

 

"If you do enough small things right, big things can happen!" - John Wooden

So that’s where we start…small.

We talked about a piece of the puzzle that is directed toward the transportation industry in last week’s blog. PGT has gone through the process of becoming a SafeWay Transport Partner to work with carriers who value protecting the environment. We make those carriers a priority because their values match ours.

Is it much? No, not really. We could probably do more- and we will! It’s important to all of us at PGT to take care of the world we live in! Happy Earth Day!

On a daily basis we do small things to help our environment- a lot of which people don’t even realize.

Paperless: for the most part, our company is entirely paperless. Our files are stored electronically, we opt for ACH payments whenever possible, and we utilize our software systems to build our databases.

Recycling: when we can’t be paperless, we recycle it. We make weekly trips to the recycling center to dispose of carboard, paper, cans, bottles, etc. We believe it is important to reuse as much as possible!

Energy-Efficient: we have installed energy-efficient lighting throughout the building to help keep energy usage as low as possible. We also keep our furnace and air conditioner units serviced and maintained to ensure they are running efficiently.

LC Needed

Immediate Opening

The logistics industry isn’t only for those in sales. Some would argue that one of the most important people in the industry are logistics coordinators (LC). They are the ones that keep things moving between customers, brokers and carriers.

Guess what? You’re in luck! We are hiring for the LC role with an IMMEDIATE opening! You can check out what two of our LC’s love about working at PGT in our Table Talk from Tuesday.

This position will work directly on a broker’s account. You’d be the lead LC on the account and will be responsible for covering freight, doing daily check calls, updating carriers and customers, collecting paperwork, and updating our TMS. The best part? The faster you help the broker’s business grow, the quicker you’ll have the opportunity to be promoted! You control your destiny!

The million-dollar question everyone wants an answer to- What does it pay?

We take pride in our work here at PGT and want you to as well. This role offers a competitive base salary plus a lucrative commission structure. How much you take home is really up to you and how hard you choose to work. Ultimately, it is entirely in your own control.

What else does PGT have to offer? Let us break it down for you by highlighting some of the most important parts.

The atmosphere. Relaxed. Casual. Fun. Sound good yet? PGT is all of those things and then some. We want everyone to enjoy coming to work. Sure, there are always going to be bad days, but we believe there are more good days than bad here. There are TVs going, music in the background, and often jokes and stories flying back and forth. We enjoy simple things like casual attire, walks around the building, flexibility, and team events outside of the office.

The benefits. Our list of benefits continues to grow as we grow. We currently offer a 401k with a 401k match! We want you to be with us until you retire, so let us help get you there. We pay a cell phone stipend and paid time off at time of hire. In addition, we can get you set up with medical, dental and vision insurance. Not bad for a company less than two years old, right?

Growth potential. New company = endless opportunities. We have a solid staff that has laid the groundwork for success, now we just need you to help build the foundation of our future. As we grow, so do the opportunities. The potential to move up into various other roles is endless. You can do as much as you want with us and go as far as you want to go. You control your destiny when you work at PGT. How far do you want to go?

Sounds good, right?

Come join our team! Check out the job description on Indeed and apply while you are there! Or just give us a call at 513-453-6046 to set up an interview.

What’s New at PGT?

New Happenings

Where do we start? So much has changed since we opened our doors almost two years ago. As we continue to grow, change is inevitable.

We’ll give you a look inside the happenings of PGT today.

One of the biggest changes we made at the end of 2021 was to our TMS system. We upgraded to a software that was built around our needs and functionality but is also scalable to continue to grow with us. We have a great relationship with the developers of our TMS and they are more than happy to work with us to customize features to match our customers requirements.

We already talked about our MBE certification in a previous blog. That was quite the process, but ultimately, one that is worth it in the end because of all the advantages it gives our customers.

Our marketing efforts were expanded in 2022 as well. Check us out on social media! We are active on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter (admittedly, our Twitter following needs some work HA!).

So, what's on the horizon?

 

The most important piece of the puzzle: PEOPLE. We added three knew associates this month and look to do the same in May. We are working to fill out our sales floor and expand our operations teams. More people means more space! Our sales floor is big, but the operations and support staff need their space also. The next step is to expand into our back office and build our customer service and accounting teams. The good news is that we have the space to do it! Let the build-out begin!

Technology is always changing, and our goal is to continue to stay current with modern technology. Our TMS is ahead of the game, but our next step is to update the rest of our IT system and security setup. The details of all of that are boring (and over our heads, if we’re being honest), so we will leave it at that. Just know that the more advanced our technological systems are, the better we can serve you!

One of the biggest changes happening at PGT comes on the business side of things. We are looking to get at least one, if not more, assets on the ground in 2022. This will allow us to begin using our own trucks to move your freight! Stay tuned for more about this at a later date.

Big things are continuing to happen at PGT- change is just one of them!

Why PGT?

Jobseeker Edition

Have you ever thought about changing careers but are too afraid to take the leap? Or maybe a career change isn’t the problem, but joining a new company brings some new hesitations? Fear of the unknown is a real thing. In this week’s Table Talk Tuesday, Kandra, Taylor & Jake tell you why they joined the PGT team. 

They all have different reasons, but one reason they all have in common – the pay.

SmartWay Transport Partnership

PGT partners with the EPA

Did you know PGT has been a SmartWay partner since 2020? In case you don’t know what that means, we’ll explain that here.

In 2004, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) launched a voluntary program to track, document and share information about fuel use and freight emissions across supply chains. The SmartWay Transport Partnership is an innovative collaboration between the EPA and the industry. The SmartWay Transport Partnership provides a framework to assess the environmental and energy efficiency of goods movement supply chains.

The SmartWay program helps “companies identify and select more efficient freight carriers, transport modes, equipment, and operational strategies to improve supply chain sustainability and lower costs from goods movement.” With the support of major transportation industry associations, environmental groups, state and local governments, international agencies, and corporate communities, SmartWay helps offset environmental risk for companies and reduces freight transportation-related emissions.

As a SmartWay partner, we have access to carriers who have also committed to the SmartWay initiatives. We can then combine our partnerships with carriers and the EPA to measure and improve logistics operations so we can reduce our environmental footprint. As a 3PL, we believe it is important to work with carriers who take the environment into consideration and work to improve in any way possible.

Partners rely upon SmartWay tools and approaches to track and reduce emissions and fuel use from goods movement. The Partnership currently has nearly 4,000 Partners including shipper, logistics companies, truck, rail, barge, and multimodal carriers.

We are proud to align our mission with the SmartWay Transport Partnership goals and continue working together to improve the industry’s environmental mark on the world.

For information about the SmartWay Transport Partnership click here.

Sales Openings

Sales openings galore

Okay, so the reality is, we will always be hiring sales associates. It’s just the industry we are in and as we plan continuous growth, we need more people to reach those goals. 

We’ve already posted about our open sales positions, but because the role is so great, we thought we’d do it again. Don’t worry, we won’t repeat ourselves. Instead, check out our video below. If this doesn’t answer all of your questions, just contact us. You won’t regret it!

Let’s Talk Changes

Industry & Pricing Changes

Table Talk Tuesday is back!

Today, Team Jake talks about industry changes over the years and how prices/costs have increased over the years. Better yet, they talk about how we handle them and how our customers should navigate the ever-changing dynamics of shipping freight. Enjoy today’s video below.

Certified MBE

Did you know PGT is a MBE?

In June 2020, PGT opened our doors and began building an operation. One year later, we became a nationally certified, minority owned business enterprise (MBE).

So, the real question is: how does that benefit our business partners?

There are several intangible and quantifiable benefits to working with a MBE. We will do our best to break it down for you.

Cost Savings.

In the modern era, many companies have diversity spend requirements. Partnering with PGT and other MBEs can offer cost saving strategies by taking advantage of numerous federal and state tax incentives, tax breaks, and potential rebates. We won’t pretend to know all of the opportunities on the tax side (you have an accounting/tax department for that, right?) but we do know there are a lot of perks. This could lead to expanded growth opportunities through associate investment, acquiring other companies, expanding your business, etc. There are tax incentives for the MBEs themselves and PGT loves to share those savings with you to help reduce your costs.

Brand Recognition.

Building a working relationship with a MBE can strengthen your brand. It can provide new marketing avenues and community outreach opportunities. Working with minority-owned companies like PGT shows you value inclusion, equality, and unification- all of which tend to paint a positive picture of your company within the local, regional, and national outlets. Your Public Relations team will have new opportunities to get in front of markets they may not have been active in prior to the relationship with a MBE. With more opportunities comes more brand recognition.

Culture.

The value MBEs can provide has proven to be crucial for a company’s culture. Diversity is highly valuable and having a business relationship with a certified MBE like PGT shows that your business recognizes that value. Partnering with MBEs shows that your business supports the expansion and development of minority communities.

Minority-owned companies are well-connected with each other and in local businesses. That alone can bring more opportunity through various networking events.

There are definitely other benefits to working with PGT and other MBEs. We would love to talk to you about it and work together to determine the best plan to build our partnership. We believe all good things start with the initial conversation, so give us a call. We’d love to hear from you and answer any questions you may have. You can reach us directly at 513-575-7645.

Fallouts

Blue semi fleet

The dreaded fallout

One advantage to working with PGT is that you don’t have to deal directly with truck problems. We do that for you. Let’s be honest, that’s a good thing for you.

Just like all aspects of logistics, carriers come with their own set of challenges. Our goal is to minimize those as much as possible, but sometimes things are just out of everyone’s control. Instead of passing that headache on to you, we handle it for you.

One of those challenges is “the fallout.”

Carriers often book loads and then have to drop off the load after the fact. As a broker and a shipper, that can be very painful, especially if the freight is time sensitive.

Why do carriers fall out?

We wish the answer was black and white.

There’s a long list of reasons a carrier may not be able to hold up their end of the agreement.

  • Breakdown
  • Delayed at previous receiver
  • Weather
  • Driver Emergency
  • DOT Inspection

The reality is sometimes they just find a better load. “Better” could mean a few different things, too.

  • Less deadhead miles
  • Delivers closer to home
  • Gets driver to a better outbound shipping location 
  • Lighter/Easier load

In today’s market, however, one of the most common reasons for fallouts is money driven. Due to the tight capacity across the country (see previous blogs on driver shortage), carriers have options to be pick and choose more than they ever have. Majority of the time, they will pick the loads that pay the most money per mile. Can you blame them? No, not really.

In an effort to minimize fallouts, PGT takes some extra steps.

  1. Vet our carriers with multiple different tools.
  2. Use our preferred carrier base first, every time.
  3. Communication is key- we always explain the expectations up front, in detail. We also make sure carriers understand what happens if those expectations aren’t met.
  4. Use our TMS to document all previous fallouts.

Avoiding carrier fallouts is impossible, but we promise to handle it so you don’t have to. We will keep open lines of honest communication with you and will recover the load with a new carrier immediately. The conversation isn’t always easy, but we believe it is necessary in order to build a valuable partnership.

Logistics Administrator

We have the job for you!

Are you organized? Can you multi-task? Are you good at problem-solving? Have you been thinking of a new career path? Or maybe you like the path, you just want to revisit who you work for at the moment?

If the common answer to those questions is YES, you’ll want to keep reading!

The logistics industry has a need for many different skillsets. At PGT, one position we have is a Logistics Administrator. You know what we think about them? They are the glue for the entire operations team.

We’ll explain what’s in it for you. Most people care about the pay first, so we will start there.

We take pride in our work here at PGT and want you to as well. This role offers competitive pay plus a the potential for bonuses throughout the year. The pay goes hand in hand with your experience. We are willing to train, but if you have the background in both administration and logistics, we aren’t afraid to pay you for that experience!

What else does PGT have to offer? Let us break it down for you by highlighting some of the most important parts.

What else does PGT have to offer? Let us break it down for you by highlighting some of the most important parts.

The atmosphere. Relaxed. Casual. Fun. Sound good yet? PGT is all of those things and then some. We want everyone to enjoy coming to work. Sure, there are always going to be bad days, but we believe there are more good days than bad here. There are TVs going, music in the background, and often jokes and stories flying back and forth. We enjoy simple things like casual attire, walks around the building, flexibility, and team events outside of the office.

The benefits. Our list of benefits continues to grow as we grow. We currently offer a 401k with a 401k match! We want you to be with us until you retire, so let us help get you there. We pay a cell phone stipend and paid time off at time of hire. In addition, we can get you set up with medical, dental and vision insurance. Not bad for a company less than two years old, right?

Growth potential. New company = endless opportunities. We have a solid staff that has laid the groundwork for success, now we just need you to help build the foundation of our future. As we grow, so do the opportunities. The potential to move up into various other roles is endless. You can do as much as you want with us and go as far as you want to go. You control your destiny when you work at PGT. How far do you want to go?

Sounds good, right?

Come join our team! Check out the job description on Indeed and apply while you are there!  You can also give us a call at 513-453-6046 to set up an interview.