Wow! A lot has changed since I joined EASE seven years ago. We’ve come light-years from working in a tiny closet with only a few employees and two phone lines. It’s hard to imagine EASE now has more than 120 employees, many phones lines answered round-the-clock, 13,000 square feet of office space, and more than 80,000 square feet of warehouse space.
Remembering the Early Days
I began working with EASE seasonally on weekends in Columbus while I was finishing my Aviation Degree at Ohio University. Following graduation I moved back home to Dublin, Ohio, and decided to work part-time for EASE while I looked for a full-time flight job. However, we were a 24/7 operation. Remembering the early days I think back to the long work days, being on call overnight and on the weekends. But we were dedicated, we learned quickly from our mistakes, and it was shortly after that we realized we could really make this thing happen! It was then, Peter, our small team and I agreed to go “all-in” and commit to building EASE and our competitive edge.
One way we differentiate from our competitors is through our outstanding 24/7/365 customer service and visibility on all shipments. Undoubtedly, a customer services department was critical to our continued success and superior customer satisifaction. While I started at EASE as a Client Services Representative, I quickly grew into my current position as Director of Client Services. In short, my team is responsible for serving our customers by building and managing loads with efficiency and accuracy. We were further enabled to better service more clients by investing in state-of-the-art tracking technologies, developing our people and technology workflows and automation, and directly interfacing with our customers to provide updates in real-time by real employees.
Coming Together Propels EASE Ahead
I’m grateful for every challenge and accomplishment. It’s because of the things we’ve overcome and achieved that makes us great. As I think about a challenge I’m most proud to have overcome, it’s that we were not only able to remain open and operating during the COVID-19 pandemic, but that it’s lead to one of our greatest accomplishments too because we nearly doubled our revenue, reached $150 million, and later recieved an award by Columbus Business First for our Innovation in response to COVID. Another tremendous achievement was being named a FAST 50 (2nd fastest growing) company in Columbus during our 3rd year in business. It’s an incredible feeling to be part of all that!
I’m so thankful for all of the opportunities EASE has given me over the years. EASE feels like a second family of sorts and there’s genuine camaraderie between our employees inside and outside of our office that I’ve never experienced anywhere else. My coworkers and the people surrounding me inspire and motivate me to grow every day. While it’s definitely a process, I’m becoming a more effective manager, a better leader, and a better man overall. And while I’m at it, I have to thank my incredible wife, Liz, for her endless patience and support through the late nights and stressful moments. She too has pushed me to new heights I never dreamt possible.
Looking Toward the Future
In the next seven years, my vision is to build out our organizational structure and move EASE into new cities. This means creating more positions and opportunities for our employees and delivering even greater service to our customers. I absolutely can’t wait to see where this goes and I’m looking forward to being a part of the ride!
