[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1592332285767{margin-bottom: 0px !important;}”]Following a five-year stint away, Jeff DeVonde is excited to be coming home. Jeff will rejoin AMX, one of today’s fastest growing logistics companies, as the new Vice President of Sales—where he will lean on nearly 30 years of proven experience in the trucking and logistics industry to help continue to grow the AMX brand. Jeff previously spent nearly seven years with the company between 2008 and 2015. As he settles into his second stretch with AMX, Jeff sat down with us to share why he decided to come back and where he sees AMX going next.
1. In the time that you have been away, what did you see happening at AMX that made you feel like now was the right time to come back?
To be honest, I always hoped I would have an opportunity to come back here someday. I see the people at AMX as my family. When I first started at AMX 12 years ago, nobody knew who we were. When I left five years ago, we had made some big strides—and I look back at what we accomplished when I was here with a lot of pride. Now, I see the company is one of the fastest growing logistics companies. It has experienced tremendous 3PL and trucking growth in the last few years and even more growth potential. I think some of the experiences I can bring to the table can help us take another step forward.
2. What will your new role look like at AMX?
AMX has evolved substantially in the time that I have been gone, and I’ve enjoyed watching that growth from afar over the last few years. As I come in, my role will be to continue the tremendous growth that we are experiencing. As the Vice President of Sales, I’ll be focused on selling it all—the 3PL and the dry van/refrigerated trucking assets—as well as helping mentor our sales staff to create new buzz and new opportunities to grow and expand the AMX brand.
3. You’ve been in this industry a long time, are there any lessons you have learned over the years that have influenced your approach to customer service?
I’m a strong believer in building relationships. At the end of the day, that is the most important factor. In logistics, we sell the intangible. There is no physical product to offer, so customers need to know they can trust AMX to get the job done. It doesn’t come easy, but in my experience if you build relationships, if you are honest with people, if you are candid, it will go a long way in this business.
4. What do you believe are the most significant challenges customers face in the trucking industry today?
There is no avoiding it, right now COVID-19 is one of the biggest challenges the industry has ever faced, and it is creating a whole host of transportation issues. But when these challenges subside, the same challenges that we have always faced will be the same ones we face again:
- Overcapacity
- Driver shortages
- Equipment costs
These issues have always been here, and I think AMX approaches these challenges the right way. We treat our drivers like family here, and we are honest and transparent with our customers about the capacity and rates that we can offer them. All of that leads to AMX being one of the fastest growing logistics companies in today’s marketplace.
5. How do you envision AMX can continue to build even better experiences for customers in the future?
We are always advancing our technology and equipment. Those are two of the biggest changes occurring in the industry right now. Our continuous investment in cutting edge technologies allows us to make fast, informed decisions. It also allows our customers to gain shipment visibility, access to deep capacity resources and feel confident about our recommendations—that we are doing everything in our power to set them up with the perfect strategy for their shipping needs.
6. As you settle in, what are a few opportunities you see that will become early priorities for you in this new role?
We have evolved quite a bit on the 3PL side, and logistics is central to everything that we do. With the way we are set up now, the potential for growth there is endless. At first, it will take some time to transition everything; it will be less about immediately reaching account and sales quotas and much more about planting the right seeds with the right customer partners. Doing these things the right way can take some time, but that’s our philosophy at AMX. We want to make sure we do right by each one of our customers every time we sign a contract.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]
