Labor markets continue to be strained across all industries, and logistics is no exception. While the infamous driver shortage is typically the focus of labor discussions in the transportation space, companies have been struggling to fill a myriad of positions over the past several months due to the post-pandemic hiring blitz and low unemployment rates. Even with the more recent economic challenges and potential downturn tied to high inflation, Redwood sees a clear need to continue hiring for the rapidly emerging opportunities within FreightTech.
The nationwide unemployment rate remained at 3.6% in May, hovering around its historic low of 3.4% for the third month in a row. This has created a competitive labor market, forcing companies to compete with one another for available talent.
In order to stand out in a cutthroat market, employees have to bring something special to the table. That is exactly what Redwood Logistics is aiming to do while hiring its newest round of employees to work on the latest iteration of RedwoodConnect – the company’s next-gen integration and implementation solution that brings together supply chain technologies leveraged by shippers, carriers and third-party providers alike.
These types of positions – tech-heavy roles aimed at solving problems from the middle – are new to the Redwood team, as well as to the industry as a whole. That is unlikely to be the case for long, however, as the logistics industry is quickly becoming a lightning rod for tech professionals.
Instead of working to create one single solution to solve the myriad of problems plaguing the supply chain, Redwood is focused on bringing together a number of strong solutions that already exist. The open supply-chain ecosystem enabled by RedwoodConnect operates more like an app store than a single application, facilitating the ability to integrate a variety of solutions.
“There is no silver bullet for all organizations,” Redwood Chief Innovation Officer Eric Rempel said. “We are here to connect the right applications, trading partners, and carriers that enable the ideal supply-chain workflow automation for each unique business. We’ve been watching the need for composable solutions for 20 years, and RedwoodConnect makes that happen.”
The standout plug-and-play platform bridges the gap between different players within the supply chain, creating a “middle role” that did not exist. Integration and digitization are the future of the supply chain, and people working on these types of products are playing an active role in creating that future.
“This is an opportunity to change the industry. For a lot of folks, this is exactly what they have been looking for but never knew existed,” Rempel said. “The fun part for me is that folks get the chance to be a part of something really special, something that will impact every single person that connects to the network.”
Redwood has been able to attract quality candidates despite the strained labor market, according to Redwood VP of Human Resources Andrea Alaimo. She attributed this to the exciting nature of the solution itself, in addition to the company’s “work from anywhere” policy and strong culture of innovation and collaboration.
The company is looking to hire talent in customer success, product, sales enablement, programming and operations. They are particularly interested in tech-savvy high achievers with industry experience and proven records of success.
“We want to hire candidates that are all in. These employees will influence the next 100 or 1,000 roles,” Rempel said. “We are looking for folks who have been hyper successful in their previous roles and have the playbooks to get there. We are looking for really good talent who are really good humans and are good at their craft(s).”
With the supply chain making headline news on a daily basis and $50 billion invested in supply chain tech in the last two years, demand for these roles is only expected to grow, both at Redwood and elsewhere.
“When you get the right people at this level, it creates a culture of opportunity and growth because their passion leads to more of the same for the entire team, Alaimo said. “This is a fantastic place for those people.”
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