SWEET HOME OF OPPORTUNITIES
Promotions Aplenty In Alabama
When 28-year team member MATT SMITH was promoted from Birmingham Service Center Director to Region 3 Vice President of Sales in late May, that opened the door for more opportunities to Promote from Within. MARK MCCOMBS – who started in 1990 as a part-time dock associate – moved from Decatur to fill Matt’s former role. And BRANDON FOX – who came to Averitt as a part-time customer service associate – moved from his sales role in Bowling Green to take Mark’s place as our Decatur Service Center Director. ‘NEVER STOP LEARNING’ Matt says his growth can be attributed to soaking up as much knowledge and experience as possible. We like to say that opportunities abound at Averitt, and our Alabama teams have recently been a prime example of that.
“It’s out there for anybody who’s willing to put in the work and excel at what they do,” he says. “When you ask questions, you’re willing to learn, and take on more tasks and responsibilities, good things can happen. Every opportunity that I’ve gotten, I’ve taken it. Each one has been its own challenge, but it’s been a good journey.” THE GOLDEN RULE AT WORK Brandon’s journey to service center director has taken him many places. After starting in customer service in 2002, he held numerous roles at our National Call Center before moving to a systems design position with our Dedicated team, where he helped implement technology enhancements at Dedicated sites throughout our network. In 2015, he was promoted to driver services and technology leader for our Dedicated team. Four years later, Brandon moved into a sales role in Cincinnati. In 2022, he moved to Bowling Green for the same position, while also taking the opportunity to learn more about operations. In all his stops, Brandon says his keys to success have been listening to his mentors and leaders, a willingness to be flexible and relocate, and implementing the Golden Rule in all his interactions. “Treat others the way you want to be treated, put yourself in their position and show empathy,” Brandon says. “And have a strong work ethic. When someone asks you to go one mile, you go two." When Brandon came to Averitt, he didn’t realize he would one day be in the position he’s in today. “I had no vision of being a service center director,” Brandon says. “But the mentors and leaders I’ve had along the way, I saw how they treated people, and over time our culture fit me and who I am as a person. You look up from 2002, and 22 years later, through time and opportunity and being willing, here I am.” If you’re ready to grow in your Averitt career, we encourage you to check out our Opportunities page at InsideAveritt.com/Opportunities . There, you can find a list of open positions, information about our Leadership Development program, our Dock-To-Driver Training Program and how we Promote From Within. T m Matt Smith's promotion to Region 3 Vice President of Sales opened the door for MARK MCCOMBS (left) to fill Matt's former role as Birmingham Service Center Director. And from there, BRANDON FOX (right) was promoted to fill Mark's former position as Decatur Service Center Director.
“Never stop learning,” explains Matt, who came to Averitt as a frontline leader, moved into sales in 1999, and was also our Decatur Service Center Director from 2003 to 2015. “Always continue to learn and grow in your career. The only way you can do that is to ask questions and ask to be fed more knowledge.” Matt adds that throughout his Averitt career, he’s tried to make sure his associates are prepared for
MATT SMITH
their future opportunities. “I wanted to make sure they were trained well, and I wanted to help them grow,” Matt says. “If I’m helping my teammates grow, then I’ll have good people around me because they’re going to be the next leaders of the company.” ‘A GOOD JOURNEY’ Mark, meanwhile, spent 20 years as a frontline leader in Birmingham and was operations manager there from 2017 to 2022. During that time, he and his wife were raising their children, so promotion opportunities were not necessarily on his mind. But with some encouragement, he made the jump to Decatur Service Center Director, setting him up for his return to Birmingham. “I talked to my wife, prayed on it, and we pulled the trigger,” Mark recalls of his Decatur opportunity. “I have no regrets. I loved it up there. Coming back to Birmingham this soon really wasn’t on our radar. But it really worked out. It was a win-win, and it was much sooner than I expected. It caught me out of left field. I’m glad to be back in Birmingham, because Birmingham is home.” Mark says every Averitt associate has the opportunity to grow.
COMMUNITY CHALLENGE matters
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