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What are the best companies for logistics?

Veteran

Jeffrey Russell Clarksville, TN

I am interested in a career in logistics an and am trying to find out what companies are the best for a mentor in that field?

16 July 2015 29 replies Career Exploration

Answers

Advisor

Tom Sanderson Rye, NH

Jeffrey, there are so many good opportunities in logistics. You can work on the manufacturing/retailing side with excellent companies like P&G, Dell, Walmart, Amazon, and others. You can work for 3PLs such as CH Robinson, Transplace, XPO. You can work for asset-based carriers such as Hunt, Ryder, Swift. And then companies like UPS & FedEx that are both carriers and logistics services providers. I would be happy to discuss ideas with you over the phone or by e-mail.

30 July 2015 Helpful answer

Advisor

Kristi Lisbon New Kensington, PA

Hi, Jeffrey,
It really depends on what you are looking to do. There are really two career paths you can take - 1. hands on logistics role with an organization in industry (like UPS) 2. consulting role working with the DoD or other industry to advise on process or develop tools/products for streamlining (like Lockheed or BAH).
I hope this is helpful! Best wishes with your search.
Kristi

17 July 2015 Helpful answer

Advisor

John McCreavy Swedesboro, NJ

Hi Jeff
Thank you for your service first off! Above there are many good suggestions..I might like to recommend that you also look to the railroads for a career vocation.
Both Norfolk Southern and CSX Transportation are big supporters of veterans with aggressive recruiting programs. Being in the business for many years...the industry is in great shape and always looking for good men and women...Pls go to their web sites for more detail. If you would like more specific info...please give me a ring and we can chat!

All the best

JPM

5 August 2015 Helpful answer

Advisor

Kevin Spain Lafayette, LA

Jeffery, one of the other advisors mentioned Amazon, I've met several of their Military Recruiters and they are looking for someone with your skillsets.

4 August 2015 Helpful answer

Advisor

Rachel Guida Groveland, MA

Jeffrey, you may also want to consider working in logistics at a manufacturing organization. Most large manufacturing companies have an expansive logistics department where you would gain exposure to all logistics carriers, customs requirements, logistics software, etc. This might be a way to get your feet wet with Logistics, to test out the waters before you start your career in Logistics.

31 July 2015 Helpful answer

Advisor

Deb Miller Bardstown, KY

USPS has logistics jobs as well, and being federal has ways to capture your previous federal work hours and build them into your retirement with USPS. Marketing is a fabulous direction for logistics professionals. I shied away from it for too many years. It is a perfect fit for logistics professionals. We look for potential problems or analyze current problems in operations and discover solutions - same as logistics. Amazon is another awesome place whose logistics focus is one of the top in the country. They are constantly looking for new ways to cut pick/pack/delivery, marketing, and costs. 3PL: 3rd Party Logistics companies are popping up all over - they would be another awesome fit. Here is a URL for the inbound 3PL Top 100 Companies: http://www.inboundlogistics.com/cms/top-100-3pls/

19 July 2015 Helpful answer

Advisor

Carol Weber Englewood, CO

Hi Jeffrey. UPS - yes that amazing package delivery company truly is one of the best for logistics. My PhD is in Operations Research and UPS was often used for case studies. Not sure about their veteran's programs but given the size of the company it seems you could connect easier than with one of the airlines. Good luck and let me know if this idea doesn't work. Carol

17 July 2015 Helpful answer

Advisor

Dean DiSibio Marlton, NJ

A good company is call Bunzl. They are experts in logistics and are a little of the radar. They are a global company and have distribution centers in most states.

26 August 2015 Helpful answer

Advisor

Pamela Coric Oxford, AL

I believe any government contractor such as AECOM (that's who I work for!) that is required to work in accordance with Government standards would be a great place to start. Contractor's working for Department of Defense or Department of Energy Contracts. Companies Like Battelle, L3, Parsons, Fluor Daniels, Bechtel, Northrup Grumma, etc.

17 August 2015 Helpful answer

Advisor

Tim Feemster Dallas, TX

There are logistics companies in every major community in North America. Where would you want to live should be the first question. Then use the web to find companies. I can send you a listing of the largest retailers, 3PLs, trucking companies, Importers, exporters, etc. Connect with me via tim@feemsters.com with your contact information.

12 August 2015 Helpful answer

Advisor

Paul Trejo Austin, TX

Hi Jeff, and thanks for your years of service. In today's marketplace one common term for logistics is, Supply Chain Management. One of the global leaders in this field is SAP Corporation. Would you be interested in learning SAP? To answer your question briefly, the companies that dearly value "logistics" or Supply Chain Management are typically very large. Manufacture is one great user -- although many American factories now reside in China. As others here have said, large Distribution, generally, is logistics-heavy. Best wishes for your continuing career. --Paul

6 August 2015 Helpful answer

Advisor

Po Wong Orlando, FL

Hi Jeff,
Many good suggestions from other advisers… There are multiple major Amazon distribution centers in TN that might be even close to you.

3 August 2015 Helpful answer

Advisor

Robert Hatfield Louisville, KY

There are many companies who fall under the logistics umbrella and then there are some who have an extensive portfolio in all aspects of logistics, to include shipping, freight forwarding, finance, OTR, domestic, international, etc. I retired from the USAF and Air National Guard 8 years ago and have been deployed all over the world. One of my AFSC's was in logistics, and after my first activity tour was complete I was hired by UPS. I have now worked for them for over 25 years and it was my military background that got me hired. UPS has an excellent veteran program and have committed to hiring 50,000 veterans by the end of 2017. UPS has always been a strong supporter of my military career and leveraged my training in logistics to their benefit. We have career fields open in many of the above areas of our company and, in some cases, will hire a person off the street straight into a management position, obviously based on your experience. I am also a mentor with ACP and have sponsored several local veterans with getting their foot in the door with UPS. If you follow UPS you will know we are constantly looking for a leg up on the competition and acquire more and more companies to enhance our portfolio, as was recently announced with the acquisition of Coyote Logistics. Additionally, UPS also has it's own airline, pilots, maintenance mechanics, etc. If you would like some additional information on what we have to offer, feel free to reach out to me through ACP. Good luck on your career search and I hope this info helped.

3 August 2015 Helpful answer

Advisor

Scott Heilig Midlothian, VA

I work for UPS freight and we have a veteran program. I started in this field 18 years ago and my training in the Marines got me in the door, everything else was up to me and been moving up ever since

2 August 2015 Helpful answer

Advisor

Emanuel Carpenter Alpharetta, GA

Jeffrey:

I spent five years working for Air Force logistics before I left the military in 1995. Initially, my goal was to continue to work in logistics. Ryder Transportation hired me based on my experience in the military. Today, they are known as one of the top veteran-hiring companies. Others include UPS and Total Quality Logistics.

Check out this article by Inbound Logistics that shares stories about how many veterans in logistics found their current jobs. Be sure to google phrases like "hiring heroes" too.
http://www.inboundlogistics.com/cms/article/hiring-heroes-a-good-deal-for-us-companies/ .

I highly suggest you start networking today on LinkedIn. Connect with recruiters and executives at logistics companies. Feel free to connect with me as well here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ercarpenter .

1 August 2015 Helpful answer

Advisor

Eric Ahlness Saint Paul, MN

Jeffrey, I would be remiss if I did not mention the company that I work - Cargill. Cargill is a world spanning and leading company in the movement of food with the mission of Nourishing the World. Our shipping business stops at 6,000 port annually. We are involved in getting crops from the farm gate all the way to the dinner plate. You may not have heard of Cargill as many of our lines of business are B2B (Business to Business), but you almost certainly eat Cargill food every day. As important as doing something you love (logistics in your case), it is vitally important that you join a company whose values align with your own. Cargill is a family-owned company whose guiding principles align closely with service values. After twenty-eight years in uniform, Cargill is a great fit for me.

31 July 2015 Helpful answer

Advisor

Sean Butler Keller, TX

Jeff,

Amy and Omar are really spot on. Amazon and Walmart really set the standard for logistics and supply chain management. Additionally, Amazon recognizes the strength hiring military logisticians and has a very strong veteran recruiting effort. I'd check in those two places for some great logistics mentors.

Sean Butler

30 July 2015 Helpful answer

Advisor

Omar Sultan Elk Grove, CA

One other unsung hero of logistics is Walmart.

20 July 2015 Helpful answer

Advisor

Deb Yeagle Tampa, FL

Jeffrey-
Thanks for your service!
I have many clients who are DoD contractors that provide logistics support and consulting services. If you would like to connect with me on Linked In or message me privately, then I can make some specific suggestions to you for potential jobs in that field.
Best of luck!
Deb

Veteran

Stephen Chamberlin San Francisco, CA

I found Tesla Motors is an awesome place for a logistician. Many of their hiring managers are very eager to hire veterans. Some companies talk the talk when it comes to veteran hiring. Tesla is one that walks the walk. They have many vets on the team - so they know your value.

Advisor

Sarah Tomas Louisville, KY

No sure if you're still looking, but I am currently an operations manager for Amazon. While I am partial, Amazon is easily the best logistics company I have worked for in terms of raw power in the market and how we use and analyze data. I have also worked with the USPS and it's a very different environment which some really enjoy. I'm available off line if you want to talk.

Advisor

Kevin Spain Lafayette, LA

Try Amazon! They hire many logistics personnel from military backgrounds.

Advisor

Barbara Schweihs Carol Stream, IL

I work for UPS and we are always looking for logistics experts so please check out our website au www.upsjobs.com

Advisor

Robert Lamaster Olivia, MN

Like Pamela, I also work for AECOM, a nearly 100,000-person company that provides services to government and B2B, mainly in the energy, infrastructure, oil & gas, industrial construction, environmental, and federal services areas. We design, build, operate, finance, and decommission projects all over the world.

There are some great ideas on this thread, and they should give you a lot to consider. Many job seekers, however, fail to consider companies, such as AECOM, Raytheon, Boeing, Bechtel, etc. , that provide services, including logistics, to other companies. There are many other great companies that do this as well.

A quick search on our jobs site for "logistics" came back with 422 jobs (currently). http://aecom.jobs/jobs/?q=logistics

To get a good list of the many companies that provide these services, you can Google any of their names, and then click the link on the right for "People also search for". That's a good way to find related companies.

Advisor

Lucy Jensen Topanga, CA

Hi Jeff:

We work to connect military veterans and their families seeking civilian jobs with companies who have open career opportunities. If you or anyone in your network is looking for work either stateside or overseas, I encourage you to check out the job posts in the Careers Directory of my site http://www.military-civilian.com. All career postings are free to view, with no login required, and you can submit your resume directly there. You can also sign up for our Hot Jobs newsletter or RSS feeds to get all our job posts straight to your inbox, or join our Hot Jobs for Veterans and their Families group on LinkedIn at http://bit.ly/Military-Civilian. Thanks for the opportunity to share this--the more we spread the word, the more veterans we can help find jobs!

Advisor

Brage Garofalo, M.A. South San Francisco, CA

Jeffrey,
As you can see there are a number of companies that specialize in supply chain and logistics - probably more that weren't listed (i.e. FedEx, DHL, etc.). What I would recommend to you is to do a search, either on LinkedIn or with "The Google" (as my grandmother says) and target companies that offer and/or specialize in logistics. There any number of both large as well as small companies - all of which will give you a good idea of what they do, who their customers are, how they operate and what resonates with your goals and background.

Then I would suggest pulling some live job descriptions and compare the requirements with your background and perform a gap analysis; what do they require vs what skills are preferred; where does your skill set fall within those parameters? In addition to reaching out to the generous folks who have responded, I would also try to reach out to some of those on LinkedIn who are currently sitting in the position you would like to also have and ask for an informational interview. Find out as much as you can about the position, requirements (skill set and education), company culture, etc.

This will help give you good insight as to where you want to take your career.

Very best of luck!
Brage

Veteran

David CLAY Lake Stevens, WA

There is a company called ICI Services. They are good about jobs all over the nation. There is also DLA and NAVSUP on the government side of the house. UPS and FedEx has military programs and Serco is also a good one.

Veteran

Travis Streeter Sr., PLS, DML Richmond, TX

Jeffrey,

Thanks for the question. A thanks to the people that responded. As a logistician in transition, I took a lot from the responses.

Travis

Veteran

Amy King Fort Worth, TX

Check out Amazon too

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