Smart Business Magazine, Dec 2012

December 2012 Smart Business St Louis 15 The Tokarczyk and Wagrodzki File NAMES Artur Wagrodzki Tomasz Tokarczyk TITLES president COMPANY Artur Express Inc Tomasz Tokarczyk Born Kamienna Góra Poland Artur Wagrodzki Born Zielona Góra Poland Wagrodzki on managing through the recession If we had to give customers little breaks on the business we did it We were able to convince our drivers that we will have the business and it will be steady We were lucky enough to make sure our business was diversified We were working with retail home goods and a lot of food companies Wagrodzki on word of mouth recruiting We were able to hire more independent contractors because the contractors that we had they talk a lot out on the road Word of mouth is a big deal for transportation The drivers drive and they talk and if you have good customers and you pay the drivers on time they cant ask for more They just want to join your team and haul your freight Wagrodzki on bonuses We have all different bonus programs set up for our employees and they are revenue driven bonuses Retention is a big factor in our business so we have customized bonus programs for dispatchers and for load planners and all different types of tiers in our operation Our employees feel that they own a piece of this company If the company succeeds were going to succeed as well Manage your relationships Artur Express relies on about 400 independent contractors to deliver freight for clients rather than its own employees They are our partners in this business Wagrodzki says Its a 50 50 responsibility If they dont make the delivery or if they dont deliver on time were not going to be able to use them again with this customer They know its a one time shot One of the things Wagrodzki looks at to determine whether the company is doing well or trending in the wrong direction is the fleet of independent contractors There are always guys who come and leave he says Thats normal But once you see that nobody has left for a month or two you can feel good that the company is doing well We are providing the service that our customers need You might have other times where something is not working and all of those independent contractors are leaving Now there is something you need to react to In an attempt to be proactive about relations with the contractors Artur Express has created a team of people who check in regularly to address questions and concerns before they become a big problem They are constantly on the phone with those contractors asking questions Wagrodzki says What are we doing wrong What can we do better for you Thats a key in this business We match up contractors and customers and we manage the process of them picking up the load on time and delivering it on time Once we have those two parties happy were happy The recession has provided a bit of a challenge in this area as Artur Express has worked hard to help both parties understand what the other is dealing with In some cases customers dont want to pay too much and drivers want a lot Wagrodzki says You have to talk to drivers Hey this is the industry right now this is the market And if the market goes up you have to go to customers and say We bid this business for the last two years but we need an increase now Most of the time they do understand because we move a lot of freight and we know from one customer to another theres not that big of a difference The key is approaching all relationships with a good attitude and not being afraid of a little conflict that is always going to come up from time to time We never look for a perfect project or for a bulletproof opportunity Tokarczyk says Were always looking to take some type of risk But weve learned over the years that you can sit on the sidelines and play it safe or you can play the game If you play it right you usually end up on the good side HOW TO REACH Artur Express Inc 800 487 4339 or www arturexpress com