Companies use a wide variety of key performance indicators and procurement strategies to judge if they’ve selected the right partner when it comes to their supply chain. While evaluating quarterly results, customer reviews, and official accreditations are necessary; one sure-fire indicator of a company’s success is the passion of its leaders, something Green Worldwide Shipping has in spades.
Green Worldwide Shipping was established in 2008 as what Jorgensen describes as a “good old-fashioned freight forwarding company with a modern twist.” The business plan was to stay true to its values, remaining customer-centric and customer-focused, while empowering its freight experts with technology to provide “exceptional shipping experiences.”
“Every customer, every shipment, every time,” reinforces Thomas Jorgensen, President and CEO of Green Worldwide Shipping. “We hire people who are good at their craft and make full use of technology as a tool, which benefits our operations as well as creates value for our customers.”
Many companies talk about their business “philosophy,” but Green Worldwide Shipping’s thinking runs deeper than most.
Logistics is based on connections, and connections are based on relationships. Jorgensen knows that the best way to build those relationships is through honesty and proclaiming your own identity.
“A lot of people in our industry focus on the ‘whats’ and ‘hows’,” says Jorgensen. “When we go to market, we engage in the ‘whys’ to emphasize our values, mission, and vision.”
Green Worldwide Shipping is a private company, which allows them to make changes quickly and effectively. “We teach our operations staff the ‘Green Way’ and instil ownership at the desk level,” Jorgensen says. “It’s all about how we convey the service level that we provide.”
One of the ways Green Worldwide defines its culture is through 34 Fundamental principles that detail exactly how the company ensures a high level of service quality.
“Our fundamentals include ‘being passionate about quality’, ‘doing the right thing’, ‘finding a better way’,” says Jorgensen. “We have 34 fundamental ways of describing how we do business and stand out from others in our industry.”
As well as being grounded in a human-centred approach to logistics, from the start, Green Worldwide Shipping also took a long-term view, implementing environmental and business sustainability into its practices from day one.
GREEN WORLDWIDE SUSTAINABILITY
Their commitment to sustainability takes many forms, as Jorgensen points out, “We have the tools to map a supply chain’s greenhouse gas emissions, but we are going beyond that. We’re seeing U.S. Customs and regulatory controls increasing pressure around forced labour and human rights issues.”
“There is more to sustainability than the impact on the environment,” says Jorgensen. “It’s about creating healthy, high-quality business practices both internally and in service of the client. We need to walk the walk, not just talk the talk.”
And they really do walk the walk. The company expanded their commitment, hiring a Director of Sustainability to manage Green’s own internal sustainability program that includes reducing its carbon footprint through mitigation and carbon offsets, working on ISO 14001 certification, double materiality assessment, reviewing environmental, social and governance (ESG) international standards, rigorous human right due diligence review, and mandatory supplier codes of conduct, and a robust human rights and anti-trafficking policy. That is just what Green Worldwide Shipping is doing for itself.
For customers, Green has gone even further, partnering with the Uplift agency, a sustainability consulting firm, and creating their own ESG management technology to provide companies with a comprehensive solution to meet their supply chain goals.
“Sustainability has always been at the forefront of what we do. There’s a reason we chose our name, Green Worldwide,” Jorgensen says. “It is a subject that has always been dear to our hearts.”
LOGISTICS AS AN ART
While competitors are driven by stakeholder concerns like reducing operational costs and turning the industry into an assembly line, Green Worldwide Shipping treats logistics as a craft.
“We are true professionals and artisans. We are not just pushing data through a computer,” Jorgensen says. “We don’t believe in chopping up a shipment; our staff know the entire process from end to end. That is what creates a seamless experience.”
That differentiator is partly borne out of cultural differences, as Jorgensen grew up overseas in a very different logistics environment.
“I came from Denmark; I grew up around freight forwarding as a trade. In the States, it tends to be something you sort of land in,” Jorgensen reflects. “While there are universities with logistics and supply chain concentrations, there is a real lack of education and hands-on experience.”
To combat talent leaving the industry, Green Worldwide started the Green Academy, a two-year rotational program for recent graduates to get a feel for the industry.
“When our people start to get the hang of one role, we move them to the next rotation where they will see and do new things. It draws you in,” Jorgensen says. “Once you have been in this line of work for a while, it’s infectious.”
That is important to Jorgensen, as he does not see himself as competing only against other logistics companies.
“I’m competing against more glamorous industries, or at least that’s how it looks on the surface,” he says. “But freight forwarding is a living thing; constantly growing and evolving. It has a way of keeping you engaged.”
THE LOGISTICS AGE
“There has been a realization of how important logistics is,” Jorgensen explains. “Since the disruptions over the past few years, everyone now knows the terminology around the supply chain. It is on people’s radar.”
However, Jorgensen notes that understanding the importance of logistics does not necessarily translate to seeing it as an attractive sector for work. “It has always been about taking care of your people, giving them good benefits, a good work environment, and growth opportunities,” Jorgensen says. “There is no silver bullet out there. We have to be authentic, true to who we are.”
To stand out in a competitive market, Jorgensen believes it is essential for Green Worldwide Shipping to “tell its own story” and not just “talk the talk,” but also “walk the walk” in order to deliver on its promise of flexible, smart supply chain management.
“The sky’s the limit! That has always been a model of ours,” Jorgensen says. “I have been asked a million times for five-year plans, but this is a marathon, not a sprint, and very few people run back-to-back marathons. I am always hesitant to set a finish line when it’s a moving target, but we want to continue our expansion in North America, while internationally we will continue to work with local partners. We want to be close to our customers, and we are adding facilities to enhance their experience by expanding heavily into the warehousing side of logistics.”
In a process-driven world, Green Worldwide Shipping is demonstrating the values of craftsmanship & relationships.
