King Solutions announced last year its certification as a Women’s Business Enterprise by the Women’s Business Development Center (WBDC). This major milestone in King’s history happens at a time when the industry is still recovering from the global pandemic. At the same time, supply chain disruptions are occurring in many major industry sectors, forcing businesses to alter their strategies to keep the flow of products moving quickly and safely.

Julie Andrich, CEO of King Solutions, was excited to announce this new certification and talk about what it means for King and its clients. As the supply chains and businesses all over the world evolve, she comments on where the industry is heading and how King is helping its clients prepare for the future.

Q&A with Julie Andrich, CEO of King Solutions

What does it mean for King to become nationally certified as a Women’s Business Enterprise by the (WBDC)?

Having our WBE gives us visibility into organizations looking to enhance their supplier diversity. The WBENC provides a vast network of support and resources to grow our organization along with our clients. Obtaining our WBE was also an important part of increased visibility in an industry that doesn’t have a lot of female leadership.

How does this certification fit into King’s vision, mission, and goals?

The WBENC certification really hits home when it comes to the values King was founded on and continues to operate by. King was founded on family and community, and now we have become a part of the WBENC “family,” which is a large network of like-minded organizations. Being a Woman Owned Business extends our outreach with a focus on the communities we serve. We have surrounded ourselves with partners and resources who share the same values as King.

How do you see the logistics industry changing over the next five years?

I envision there will be continued focus on efficiency and service in the logistics space, similar to where the industry has shifted in the most recent years. Service providers and shippers who maintain a high level of service will continue to be the ones who win. The industry will continue to be more focused on relationships, and less about transactions.

How does that shape your vision for King Solutions over the next five years?

King has always been focused on relationships and maintaining a high level of service. We continue to be strategic about the partnerships we build, and it’s critical that King continues to grow and evolve with our clients as their needs shift. We put a big emphasis on our ability to respond quickly to what happens in the marketplace, providing customized solutions for our clients as their needs change.

How has King helped its clients mitigate the risks and supply chain interruptions caused by COVID-19 over the last two years?

When Covid-19 first hit, our operations and warehouse teams didn’t flinch. Their performance continued to be top notch while making sure we kept our team safe and healthy. This was a time that tested the mettle of supply chain workers. As businesses shut down across the country, the trucking and logistics industry stayed open. The men and women in this industry continued to ship essential goods across the country to people who needed them. Trucks stayed on the road, warehouses never closed, nothing ever completely shut down. We are so proud of our workers and the carriers we partner with. They really weathered this storm and kept the nation’s supply chain moving.

As we continue to recover from the pandemic, we have learned that the key to helping our clients through these uncharted times has been defining expectations and achieving tighter communication. Our goal of providing the best service possible has stayed the same. However, how we achieve that goal has shifted.

As supply chain challenges continue to persist, how is King helping its clients prepare for possible future disruptions?

We want to make sure that we are staying ahead of the curve for potential future disruptions. King continues to invest in its people. Our team is what has kept King successful throughout all these challenges, and making sure they are cared for and safe is a huge priority for King. We have also been reinvesting in IT infrastructure, maintaining our equipment and assets, and purchasing new equipment that allows us to better serve our clients.

With an expansive carrier network and warehousing locations in Minneapolis and Chicago, how does King help its clients reach markets in every corner of the country?

With multiple locations in Minnesota and Chicago, we utilize our infrastructure to enhance our consolidation efforts. With the facilities we have, we build our consolidation schedules off of time-definite freight. While we have continued to see LTL transit times increase, we have been able to transition time sensitive freight to our PTL program to make sure we are meeting delivery deadlines. King moves consolidated truckloads and LTL freight each week hitting every major city, so there aren’t many places we can’t go!

How does King Solutions set itself apart from its competitors?

King Solutions takes a client-centric approach, building customized logistics programs for our clients. Each of our clients is unique, and we don’t have a box that everyone can fit in, so we focus on building the box with our clients to make sure we agree on mutual conditions of satisfaction.

Our six-step “King Way” is exclusive to us, but it’s entirely inclusive of our clients and their unique needs. We design, develop, and fully test custom logistics plans that are designed to help our customers solve the specific issues they are facing. We develop the plan, provide training and support to teams, and handle everything from start to finish. On top of that, customers gain access to our warehousing spaces, vast carrier network, and all the other benefits of working with an asset-based 3PL like King.