When veteran logistics specialist Carole Borden had to make a decision whether to go out on her own or work for a large company in 2005, she wound up choosing both. As founder and president of Chester Springs-based single source logistics management company CB Transportation, a small shop of telecommuters with some impressive capabilities, Borden works with some major players in the region, like home shopping giant QVC and drug store leader CVS.
Having posted triple-digit growth in the last three years, Borden was a logical selection as one of nine Ernst & Young Entrepreneurial Winning Women. As part of the program, she took part in E&Y’s Strategic Growth Forum in November in Palm Springs, CA.
“We had to prove ourselves, which we rapidly did,” says Borden. “In this day and age, everybody expects good service. It’s a baseline. We’ve always provided that extra dimension of follow-up and care.”
E&Y isn’t the only one praising Borden and CB. Testimonials from high-ranking officials from the aforementioned clients and companies like Trader Joe’s and AirGas praise the company’s strong network of carriers, ability to conquer short lead times and handling of special needs.
Success starts with the formation of an operations team around a specific account that manages the client’s needs and a long list of carriers. Getting certified as a women-owned business also helped Borden’s networking efforts.
Borden says her company has overcome rising fuel costs and the shaky economy’s impact on the transportation business by educating her customers on how prices are set based on the Department of Energy’s national averages. Working off remote servers at home offices allows CB have the freedom to be where they need to be to make sure customers are happy and moving their product efficiently. No bricks-and-mortar also means more competitive pricing.
The company has put a heavy emphasis and invested in information technology, an initiative led by Borden’s husband Michael that will continue well into 2010.
“We offer value, technology and relationships, and controlling these critical parts of our business is paramount to our success.
Borden also says she will be hiring up to two operations employees in the next few months and preparing a global business plan that will coincide with its development of a larger account base in the next year.
Source: Carole Borden, CB Transportation
Writer: Joe Petrucci