The following post is a repost from CITT
In any line of work, culture plays a big role in how things get done. And while it might seem that culture primarily benefits a company’s employees, it also plays a part in how clients and customers are treated. This is certainly the case at Mactrans, a 3PL transportation management company based in Vaughan, Ontario, with offices across Canada.
Many readers who follow CITT should be familiar with Mactrans. A longtime supporter of CITT, Mactrans was the first freight broker to be recognized as a CITT-Endorsed Logistics Employer – as well as the first Endorsed Business Partner.
Mactrans also has representation on CITT’s Board of Directors and in local area councils across the country.
To learn more about this growing enterprise, CITT recently caught up with several team members to hear about the company’s origins, culture and plans for the future.
A family-like feel
According to Lindsey Prowse, CCLP, the company’s Western Region, Operations Manager, the company has a family-like feel and entrepreneurial spirit that goes back to its founding as a three-person shop. “I couldn’t have asked for a better company to work with,” she said. “Just knowing their history and modest beginnings was really enticing to me when I was looking for new opportunities.”
Lindsey explains that the same attitude is what led the company to taking a chance on her in the first place. “I didn’t have any experience in logistics, but I’d always worked retail and in food service and was good with customers. They took a chance on me and really gave me that opportunity to prove myself. I felt really lucky to join such a growing company.”
Flexibility that goes the distance
National Account Manager, Denise Ponte, CCLP summed up the company’s overall approach to hiring and retaining staff in a single word: flexibility.
“We’re a very creative group”, she said. “We don’t necessarily work inside a very rigid box. We’re flexible, and open to ideas. We understand, for example, that every team member has something they can teach to the rest of the group and Mactrans encourages us to collaborate, we have very open lines of communication.”
The notion of flexibility was echoed by Valerie McSween, CCLP, VP of the company’s Montreal operations.
“I think we have something unique to offer as a company,” she said. “Some people are better in operations, some people are better in business development, and some people like to do both. In those cases, we can offer a sort of hybrid role that gives our internal people exposure to different sides of the business.”
Collaboration and community
Flexibility in hiring, and in the roles offered, also helps the company foster a cohesive sense of collaboration and community—even with offices spread out across the country. National Account Executive Daniel Babineau, CCLP illustrated this notion by pointing to a recent team event involving all the company’s locations, nationwide.
“Our culture is really different. Today for example, we’re having a tailgate party across Canada. All the offices will be ordering lunch, jumping on zoom calls and just calling to chitchat. It’s the little things like that, that can make a big difference. What that does for us as a company, is that we’ve developed a culture where down the road you can just pick up the phone and call anybody, and they’re right there to help you.”
“Mactrans also gives back to charities and the community. As part of our 15th anniversary, we started our “Ship & Share Project” where we donate $1.00 for every shipment we manage. We plan on donating close to $50,000 this year.”
It all comes down to the right fit
If that all sounds like a supportive place to call home, you’d be right. According to Babineau, what makes the company work so cohesively, is the importance placed on “fit”, when evaluating new hires.
“Certainly, we want to grow,” he said. “But we also want to make sure we keep the culture, that’s number one. It’s what sets us apart from other companies out there, and we want to keep that. So, that’s always a conscious decision when we hire new people—we want to make sure that they fit with the team, and the culture.”
A great place to grow
As the result, across the board, everyone we spoke to made it clear that it’s this close-knit, get-it-done culture that makes the company such a supportive place to work and grow—a feeling that extends to the company’s expansion plans.
According to Valerie McSween, CCLP, “For anyone that really wants to grow their book of business or wants to come on board to help open new offices across Canada or in the US, the sky’s the limit. We’re always very, very thirsty to grow our footprint across the country, and across North America in general. If you’re looking to help find solutions for our customers, we’re looking for you.”
Customers always come first
It also follows, that the aspects that make the company’s culture so unique, are also responsible for Mactrans’ proactive approach to their customers. In the same way that team members know they can count on one another to help problem solve, customers also know the Mactrans team is always ready with a solution.
“All of us are really hands on,” said Lindsey Prowse, CCLP. “We really take a customer service driven approach to logistics and are very responsive in terms of keeping things going.”
According to Denise Ponte, CCLP, flexibility also plays a big role in how the company keeps customers coming back by deepening relationships beyond the basics.
“We’ve got a lot of flexibility in how we manage our customer relationships. When needed, we hunker down and align with our customers as best as we can.”
The future is looking bright
With such a positive outlook and friendly approach to customer service, it’s clear why Mactrans continues to grow.
“We’re growing like crazy”, concluded McSween. “I may not have an elevator pitch about our plans for the future, but we definitely want to continue growing and helping our customers. We want to make sure that everyone, from clients to carriers and our own team, is comfortable and feeling supported as we move forward.”
From what we have seen and heard, we’d say the company is certainly on the right track.
