ENERGY’s Meet the Team Series is meant to showcase some of the exceptional talent we have at the company. It’s also an excellent medium for you, our audience, to get to know us a little better and hear straight from ENERGY team members’ own words about what they do and why it matters.

Ben Walker is the newest member of ENERGY’s executive board and holds the title of VP of Sales. His 22-year career in logistics provides him with a wealth of experience, and we sat down with Ben to discuss his role and his unique industry insights.

Tell us a little about yourself — how did you get your start in logistics?

I grew up in the world of transportation because my father worked for a car-hauling company in Detroit. He worked there his whole life, and it was the only company that ever cut him a paycheck. He started mowing lawns and washing cars when he was 12 years old, eventually working his way up to become the terminal manager and finally retiring as the COO.

I got my first start in transport during high school when I worked in dispatch at the same terminal where my father worked. I would pick up drivers when trucks broke down or do other odd jobs.

After college, like many people, I didn’t know what I wanted to do. But I was dating my wife-to-be, and she was hellbent on moving to Chicago. I knew that if that’s where she was going, that’s where I wanted to be.

So, I packed up things, moved from Detroit to Chicago, and got a job at C.H. Robinson. I loved working in logistics, and it’s been my career ever since.

What attracted you to ENERGY?

What jumped out at me from the beginning was the dynamic of the executive team and how they communicated. It was direct, honest, and very collaborative.

If you had asked me eight years ago if workplace culture mattered, it wasn’t a priority. My previous company changed all that for me, and I wanted to find a new opportunity where workplace culture was a priority.

And after taking a tour of the Montreal HQ, I knew I had made the right choice. Everyone I met was friendly, and if I gave someone a smile or a head nod, it was always reciprocated.

ENERGY had a warm and welcoming office culture from top to bottom. I could tell ENERGY wasn’t a pitstop — it felt like home.

What would you say is your top priority coming into the new role as VP of Sales?

Early on, my main priority is to strengthen and improve the structure and processes of the sales department.

I’m a person who is big on goals and sharing those goals with people. I also like to give professional goals a theme; for me, 2023 is the Year of The Process.

Are we headed into a freight recession?

A recession seems a bit aggressive, but I anticipate a slowdown.

Shippers are going to have a little more control and a little more power from a pricing standpoint compared to the pandemic. If I were to take a guess, this would be the trend for the next 15-18 months.

That said, the challenges our clients face securing capacity for drop trailers, cross-border, and warehousing constraints aren’t going away overnight.

How would you pitch ENERGY’s unique competitive advantage?

We make the hard stuff look simple.

We don’t move easy freight. A lot of the types of shipments and client requests we get would be conversation-enders for other freight companies. The amount of cross-border and drop trailer programs we offer is really impressive.