People First, Pt. 1: Meet TA Services’ First Make.Ship.Happen. Award Winner, Kevin Drew

One of the founding values at TA Services is to put our people first. We take pride in our people and share a genuine belief that it is the human aspect of our culture that truly sets us apart as a creative solutions provider. Our team is made up of hard-working, devoted people who are passionate about their careers in the everchanging supply chain landscape.

Our teams are dedicated to providing the best possible service for any supply chain challenges. From warehousing to project management to multimodal freight brokerage, we believe TA is quickly becoming an industry leader through unparalleled care for customer requirements with a strong emphasis on building lasting relationships with shippers and carriers.

While we are proud of every member of the TA family, our leadership has created various awards to recognize some of our most outstanding performers. In this series, we’ll introduce you to our most recent award winners — starting with the first-ever winner of our Make.Ship.Happen.^® award, Kevin Drew.

The Make.Ship.Happen. award recognizes employees who have gone above and beyond to be exceptional teammates to those around them. They fully embody our mission, vision, and values that we embrace and encourage 24/7. They never back down from a challenge. They are innovative and forward-thinking; always looking for ways to push our organization toward greater success. They seek out opportunities, utilize their resources, and find a way to make the improbable possible. This is exactly how we would describe Kevin Drew.

Kevin, Senior Vice President of Business Development, was recognized with the Make.Ship.Happen. award for his determination in securing a large-scale project for TA Services in late 2022/early 2023. As an Army veteran, Kevin used his experience and expertise to win the opportunity to move cargo for the Department of Defense. Kevin’s work, from planning to executing and even traveling on-site to run port operations, was instrumental to the project’s success.

Kevin’s leadership and collaboration with other teammates enabled TA Services to successfully move 300 pieces of military cargo from strategic ports in the United States to Europe. The success of this project has compelled Kevin to develop a new Government Services team at TA which consists of our top operational personnel.

“Naming Kevin Drew as our inaugural Make.Ship.Happen. award recipient was an easy choice for TA’s executive leadership team. Kevin is an exemplary teammate who, on a daily basis, embodies TA’s 5 Core Values of people first, service, safety, results, and innovation. A true team player with a creative approach, he is never afraid to go the extra mile to meet and exceed shippers’ expectations. We at TA know we can always count on Kevin to Make.Ship.Happen.”

Brady Thames, VP os Sales and Marketing

We sat down with Kevin to learn more about him and the project that earned him this recognition.

Q: How did you feel to be recognized with the Make.Ship.Happen. award?
A: I was very surprised! I had no idea it was coming as it was the inaugural award. But it was so nice to be recognized for my team’s work. It was presented to me about a week before Christmas, so it felt like Santa came early. No coal this year.

Q: What does Make.Ship.Happen. mean to you?
A: It’s about being the solution. Don’t assume anything or take anything for granted. Don’t look at something and say, “we can’t do it.” We are the solution. Push forward with that mentality in mind and execute it. Take the hard right over the easy wrong.

Q: What were the biggest challenges you faced during this project?
A: There were a lot of moving pieces. From TWIC cards to manifests, we had a lot of paperwork and compliance to digest. We had to ensure we were accounting for all the freight moves and trucks at a commercial port that is used to shipping containers and cars. We had to inventory all that freight with documentation and ensure 100 percent accountability. Also, while putting our people on-site is something we’ve done with our other service offerings, it wasn’t something we had done from a brokerage standpoint before, but it added a lot of value.

We were also working with the local union who provided extraordinary labor. We met some of the hardest working stevedores ever. So much so that I told them we should start a freight brokers union to get that type of talent. The union port team figured out how to safely discharge the equipment off the ship and came up with great solutions to load inland cargo via ramp, forklift, and crane.

Q: And what are you most proud of with this project?
A: The fact that we were able to formulate a new Government Services team at TA, and since then earn multiple projects moving loads for the same customer. I’m also proud of the on-site piece of the project. A lot of times, logistics companies never see the trucks they are loading and everything that goes into it. We were able to do on-site training for the people who hadn’t done that before. The project was a great success because of the fantastic drivers we had.  Almost every trucker helped us shoulder the burden by showing up with the correct paperwork, self-loading, being patient and really getting ship done.

Q: How did you get started in the industry?
A: God and my Uncle Sam. My introduction to logistics came from the military, doing deployments and cargo movements. I like to surf, so I actually put transportation on my wish list because I hoped it would get me stationed near the water. God made waves; my Uncle Sam helped put me near them.

Q: What advice do you have for people just getting started in the industry?
A: Keep learning. You do not learn much when your mouth is moving, so be a good listener. Be open to collaboration. Recognize that it is a team effort. I don’t see the Make.Ship.Happen. award as an individual achievement — it belongs to everyone who helped. The Brokerage Operations team in Leeds, AL led by Josh Wideman is battle-tested. They are the ones who deserve this recognition.

People like Kevin continue to push TA Services forward and deliver extraordinary results while bringing a positive impact to jobs in the supply chain industry. Come back next week to meet our next award-winning employee.

Looking to start your career in logistics? Visit our Site to find out what moves you.

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