We are happy to announce that two of our staff members have earned promotions! Through all of their hard work and dedication we are proud to promote Karen to Director of Operations and to promote Richelle to Director of Sales.
Karen and Richelle have been a part of this company for many years. They both ran their own teams within our Freight Department. Richelle was the Regional Team Leader of the East Region, while Karen was in charge of the Central Region. They both oversaw and managed their own group of Carrier Sales Reps, but collaborated as one single unit. The Freight Department is in charge of managing shipments, sourcing and securing capacity for existing and potential clients.
With these new roles Karen will now oversee the entire Freight Management Department, while Richelle takes on the new position of overseeing the whole Sales team.
Richelle has been with us for over 12 years and actually started as a Temp. She has grown and elevated her position, knowledge and skill set within this company. We have been in search for a brave leader to manage our sales team and we thought, who better than one of our own! She has always been a dedicated, hardworking and loyal employee. She puts in countless hours to ensure that the work gets done. And with her outgoing nature, kind but spicy demeanor and vast knowledge of our company, she will be a great asset to the Sales Department. We know she’ll put in the effort to make things run smoothly and progress our company in the right direction.
We have been very fortunate to have Karen on our team for the past seven years. She started here as an accounting assistant and when she showed interest in the freight management side, she switched departments and became a Carrier Sales Rep. She quickly mastered that role and grew into an Account manager. From there she became a Team Lead and now she is taking over as Director. She really did start at the bottom and climbed her whole way to the top. She is an excellent employee who always displays a positive attitude and passion for her work. She is known for her sweet personality and outstanding customer service. We know she will continue to be a great leader and hit the ground running as she takes on this new role of managing a whole team.
We are beyond proud and appreciative of these women and we wanted to give them the spotlight they deserve. We also wanted to give them the opportunity to voice their own experience and growth within this company. This will help give a better understanding of their time here through their perspective and what it’s like working here through their eyes.
How They Got Started in Their Careers in the Freight Industry:
Richelle: “I started as a temp and quickly fell in love with the notion that not every day would be the same, therefore making my days interesting. Including, the time I had a shipment to Mexico and an hour before delivery there was a police and cartel situation that held my drivers up. Now that was something!”
Karen: “When I first started, I knew absolutely nothing about Freight and Transportation. I took a position as an accounting assistant before becoming intrigued about what KCC actually does by watching the team interact with the drivers, carriers and customers. Luckily KCC took a chance on me by giving me the opportunity to move into the freight department. They taught me everything I know, and I fell in love with the role.”
The Secrets Behind the Screens:
Karen: “I still learn on a day-to-day basis. No issue is the same and I still am challenged each and every day. It’s like a jigsaw puzzle fitting different shipments, issues and projects together and I thrive on figuring out ways to get it done.”
Richelle: “I want people to know that just like everything there is always a behind the scenes of what makes things work. When you have people that truly love and enjoy what they do, you don’t even realize some of the crazy things that may have happened for it to get there.”
What Has Made You Stay at KCC After All These Years?
Richelle: “I am extremely proud of the fact I started here as a temporary employee and am now the Director of Sales. My love for the industry, my customers, my drivers, and most importantly our team continues to fuel my commitment to continue giving the best experience I can and pushing the company bigger.”
Karen: “I love that it’s a smaller company and our thoughts and ideas are not only heard but often implemented. It makes you feel very valued as an employee. I also love transportation and figuring out how to get loads done. I have learned and been able to be a part of huge shipments and projects over the years. I helped orchestrate those moves and to see it in action is really neat to me, that experience is invaluable.”
In an effort to improve our ability to service our customers and grow as a business, we are excited about the opportunities these promotions will provide for our customers and employees alike! We believe it will improve the overall process and allow us to provide value, service and trust every day to each and every one of our customers. Lastly, we want to thank Karen and Richelle for their loyalty after all these years and for being a huge part of this companies’ success.
Karen Hess | Director of Operations
Richelle Pollard | Director of Sales
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