Trailer Bridge Named One of Jacksonville’s Fastest-Growing Companies in 2024
For the third consecutive year, Trailer Bridge has made the Jacksonville Business Journal’s Fast 50 list, which recognizes the fastest-growing private companies in Northeast Florida. This year, the company ranked number 45 with an average growth rate of 15.58 percent over the past three years.
Despite a tough freight market and strong headwinds in international shipping, the company has continued to grow recently announcing its expansion into the European market with the opening of Trailer Bridge Europe.
The publication had this to say about this year’s honorees: “This list has tracked companies that boomed during the good times, that grew even when the economy shrank, that stand as an example of what ingenuity, hard work and creativity can lead to.”
In an interview with the Jacksonville Business Journal, Trailer Bridge CEO, Mitch Luciano, provides insight into the company’s success:
What motivates you as you lead your team?
I love learning about our people – where they’re from, what’s the thing that happened in their life that shaped who they are, about their kids and parents. It’s their unique stories and watching them grow and succeed that fills me up and makes me excited to come to work every day.
What has been the biggest challenge you’ve faced as your company has grown?
In the more recent past, the biggest challenge has been related to the outside circumstances impacting our employees; COVID, economic recession, etc. It’s hard for individuals to be focused on growth and their job when they’re worried about the health of their family, or how to manage balancing work and remote learning for their children. Right now, we are all facing higher prices at the grocery store or with the services we need to live and care for our family – those stresses don’t stay in the car when we come to work. So, for us its about being understanding of what our teams are facing and helping them navigate those things as best we can.
What’s been the ‘secret sauce’ that has helped propel your growth?
The ‘secret sauce’ is and always will be love. It’s a word not used in the workplace too often, but it’s certainly a differentiator. Love in the workplace looks like respect, kindness, care and appreciation. When you care for your employees, they will in turn care for your customers and partners – and your business grows.
What have you done to keep your company culture strong as you grow?
Since I took over in 2014, we have added more than 200 people to our team at locations around the world – not including attrition throughout those years. This type of growth can disrupt culture if you are not intentional about maintaining it. Our focus has been on infusing the culture into new employees from their very first day at Trailer Bridge. We take steps – big and small – to make sure they understand our values, get connected to colleagues throughout the organization, and have a direct line of communication to our leadership team.
What advice would you have for those who are looking to lead a fast-growing company?
If you want to find success in business, start by caring for your employees. You must consistently provide learning and coaching opportunities, communicate with them about what’s happening in the organization – good and bad – and never forget there is room to have fun together. Doing these types of things creates an environment where they can thrive, giving them the confidence and space to take care of your customers and ultimately grow the business.
What challenges or opportunities do you see on the horizon and how are you preparing for them?
We’re in a tough freight market right now and anticipate the recovery to lean into early 2025. We’ve seen signs that trucking rates and capacity domestically are improving and we are optimistic the presidential election this fall will push the rebound ahead of the new year. From an international perspective, the continued unrest around the Red Sea is causing major disruptions in shipping trade routes resulting in capacity constraints and increased rates.
Our preparations are focused on educating and investing in our employees, so they are equipped to proactively respond to support the needs of our customers. In addition, we’ve taken a close look at all our business operations to ensure we are making wise decisions focused on the future – continued investment in technology, improved processes, and new expansion projects.
