"Together Talks" feature # 30: CS Recruiting presented by KLS, freight company
Some Background on CS Recruiting
For this edition of "Together Talks" campaign, KLS had the opportunity to interview Charlie Saffro, CEO (newly accepted!) of CS Recruiting. CS Recruiting is a Woman-Owned leading search firm that specializes in the Logistics, Transportation, and Supply Chain industry. They work on permanent roles of all levels and functions anywhere in North America and can support recruiting needs for almost any position that influences Supply Chain activity.
They partner with the following types of organizations: Non-Asset Providers (3PL) -Asset-Based Providers -Shippers (Manufacturers + Distributors) -Industry Partners
Hiring Road
CS has been in business for nearly 14 years, beginning in 2010. However we have to go back to 1999 to understand the full story of Charlie's career. Out of college, her husband was working as a freight broker. He created a load board concept around this same time. She was in advertising prior to having her first son. Her husband's company had grown to eight employees at the time, but almost instantly had an incredible growth spurt. They did however lack the infrastructure to hire and hire correctly.
Charlie saw the opportunity and entered into the mix. She began overseeing their hiring practices. She held the position for four years until the company ultimately sold to Internet Truckstop. When the company finally sold they had grown it to 108 employees! Pretty remarkable job for a "first-timer"!
Charlie told us when she was pregnant with her third son she deemed it her "quarter-life crisis". At the time she was on LinkedIn working independently as a transportation/logistics recruiter. She noticed she started taking on searches more and more frequently. Her eyes were opening that there was a need for this service and the demand was becoming clear. Her first hire was her husband.
2012 was a big step as she hired her first external hire. Remarkably that individual is still with the company, now holding the title of Vice President.
Challenges
Throughout our talk with Charlie we talked about various challenges she faced along with the company. Initially one of the most difficult was expanding. Not for the sake of hiring people but more the mentality. "I always thought I'd be independent, I was content with being a 1 person show. When my Husband sold his company we joked we'd never have a big company again." Fast forward to 2023, CS Recruiting has 42 members!
As the company grew and more hires were made they remarkably did it all by Word of Mouth until Q3 of 2022 when they made their first Business Development hire. Charlie told us that about 3 years ago she found more conviction in using her voice on LinkedIn and that content was driving inquiries for a long time. But with the growth and scalability of the company, she realized there was an opportunity to grow the company even further. After 13 years, the company recently started their FIRST paid marketing strategy!
In 2021, CS Recruiting went fully remote. Charlie told us this was done to improve the employees' quality of work and allowed the company to scale at a different rate. "We realized we were building something and our commitment to our employees and our process enables us to bring on the right people to continue to grow this company. Going fully remote gave us the ultimate amount of flexibility to put the right hires in the right openings."
Charlie also told us one of the biggest challenges for her is her role and the mental aspects. The duration of our chat made one thing very clear, she cares...about her company, her people, their work, the clients. With that amount of care and responsibility, she told us she has to find ways to balance all the different directions she is pulled in. "Going remote ended up being a big advantage for me personally. I'm still up making sandwiches for my kids, but my schedule has flexibility now." This was a big component for Charlie as she told us how it can be lonely at the top, every mindset of a CEO. Staying up at night thinking about the business, employees, growth, and as she told us "How can I make each employee happy, I know it isn't realistic, I can't control every outcome/aspect, but as the owner it is my responsibility to create the best environment for our employees to succeed. And when they do so does our company."
Interestingly enough a company that hires people for a living, will tell you that the glue to their company is their people. That is why CS Recruiting not only says, but lives its motto...
Partner with KLS
KLS offers LTL and FTL for both dry and reefer transportation.
Our nationwide coverage provides companies a reliable, consistent, and dependable logistics partner to handle your trucking needs.
For more information on how we can help call our office today 708-980-0920 or reach us via our email quote request here!
"We Give a Shit"
Charlie was kind enough to ask us "Do you mind swearing in this?" We said absolutely because it is authentic and genuine! Full video series here.
Their motto to them is what sets them apart from other recruiting firms. "We take a human approach, but also our industry knowledge is so unique. It allows us to be transparent because we can back up exactly what we are talking about. Then you factor in the relationships we have created and it allows us to deliver results at a very high level. And we are doing this with 85% of our team being female. That is a huge accomplishment that I am extremely proud of."
Again, CS Recruiting is able to apply its own practices when working with clients. As Charlie told us, "Keep employees happy and it will lead to productivity. The reason employees come to you is the reason they stay. Investing in people is the differentiator. With employee engagement, there is employee retention." The ability to employ this firsthand and then demonstrate it to their clients provides credibility and more importantly, earns trust.
Charlie was also very proud of the company's commitment to making a difference. She told us it is one of the values that they "Shout from the rooftops internally and externally". CS Recruiting has previously volunteered at a local food bank. Last year there were two choices, plant vegetables for those in need or visit a women's shelter. Charlie told us the company encourages the team to take PTO to volunteer. It creates a connection for the team, as she explained, "When they have their big volunteer days throughout the year it isn't about profit for today, it is the feeling of doing, giving, and receiving."
Bucket List
In our chat with Charlie one interesting topic came up, "Bucket List". She told us that about 5 years ago she had a goal for the company to be a top workplace. She believed they had the foundation built and the culture to support it. In 2022, her goal was achieved. Out of 1000's of applications, CS Recruiting was chosen as a Top Workplace from 200 finalists by Inc, article here. When we asked Charlie what that acknowledgment meant, "This company wasn't just about building a service and generating revenue but changing lives. For our employees, for the employees we place, and for the companies we help grow. But to have our company and culture recognized was so rewarding." A long way coming from that "1 woman show" mindset a decade prior!
We asked Charlie to go more in-depth about the culture, "Connection and Purpose. That is the glue that keeps our team together. Every quarter we get together to bond and connect. Once a year we take a trip to Mexico for 4 days to just unwind and enjoy each other. We prioritize our employee recognition program. Last year we launched a learning and development program. We have a huge focus on personal development. Human leadership is our goal. We have a rule that no 1-1 can be canceled. We believe all of this investment in each other as people first creates our culture."
And that culture has given Charlie and immense sense of pride. From winning the award on her bucket list, to getting to reflect on all of the accomplishments throughout our chat. She told us how she loves chasing opportunity and the growth the team has shown has showed her one big development, "anything is trainable if done with the right message and structure." That is why she beams with joy when telling us how she feels to be the lucky one because she not only gets to help build this but to lead such an incredible team.
Interested in being featured with "Together Talks"?
KLS is booking our upcoming schedule now!
Contact us as we would love to learn your story and share it amongst our audience.
Weekly we provide 2 companies our platform to expand their reach courtesy of our campaign. Let's collaborate!!!
In Closing
KLS wants to thank Charlie Saffro for allowing us to present this week's "Together Talks" highlighting CS Recruiting. You can visit their website here and the company has a quarterly newsletter that is sent out with insights if you're interested. Also if you're on LinkedIn check out the company and Charlie's as well, worth your time! Also Charlie has contributed or been featured in the following publications below, give them a view!
Klimson Logistics Solutions - CS Recruiting with Charlie Saffro feature #30 of Together Talks
*Klimson Logistics Solutions is an Industry Leading Customer Service 3PL. Our focus and commitment to our clients has us striving to be the BEST customer service 3PL for LTL, FTL, Reefer, and Drayage in the country. KLS, freight company, is a 3PL providing nationwide logistics solutions. KLS shipping services include: LTL freight, FTL freight, Reefer LTL freight, Reefer FTL freight, and Drayage. Klimson Logistics Solutions thanks you for viewing our marketing campaign "Together Talks" if you have any interest in being featured or questions regarding your freight operations please contact us today!
Why KLS?
Our precise and reliable effort.
We handle every shipment with the exact same process. It does not matter if you move one shipment a year or ten per day, you will receive the same level of customer service from us. When we started this company, we had one goal in mind, treat every shipment like it was our own. With our vast knowledge of the industry, we understood what a customer would want from a communication standpoint. We applied that process to be the standard here at KLS. Our reliability and being able to depend on our consistency is why we have such long-standing relationships with our clients.
Our Process?
Every shipment in our industry starts with a quote. We are firm believers that time is money, thus we strive to have quotes back in a 5-10 minute reply time for LTL and FTL, any FCL quotes are at the mercy of the carriers getting back to us. For LTL we have the flexibility to quote both off of NMFC and also Density depending on the carrier. Utilizing our services, you’re allowing us to use our expertise to class your freight accordingly to ensure we are providing the best rate we possibly can.
Once a quote has been submitted and a client chooses to proceed with KLS handling the arrangement of the shipment our full process begins. We create the BOL that will be used for the shipment. If it is a new location for our system, we will obtain all the important/special details (reference numbers, contact details, shipping hours, closed for lunch, dock/doors, etc.). We meticulously build every detail into our software for all future shipments involving that location. After we have both locations built and necessary reference numbers have been applied we will tender the shipment to the carrier. We use this method because it provides us a real time pickup number from the carrier to obtain updates prior to pickup. Our staff will either email the BOL directly to you or to the shipper (at your request) the minute after the tender has been accepted by the carrier. LTL carriers require a 2 hour window prior to close time in order to schedule it for a same-day pickup attempt.
The following morning you’ll receive an email from us. It will either provide the reason the pickup was missed (driver’s trailer filled up, driver missed the close time, truck broke down, shipper said no freight, etc.) or if the pickup was successful you will receive the PRO (tracking) number from us, along with the eta for delivery. Our staff will track it throughout the duration of transit and advise if anything happens that will alter the estimated delivery date. The day the shipment delivers we will email you with confirmation and the POD (Proof of Delivery), should you require it.
Your shipment has been quoted, scheduled, picked up, and delivered. The next step is waiting for the carrier to invoice us and make sure the rate matches up. If it does, we close out the invoice from the carrier in our system and automatically your invoice is created and sent to the requested party at your company. In the event the carrier has an additional charge on their invoice “Variance”, we will never send you an invoice with an additional charge without first identifying you of the charge.
Let us repeat, NEVER WILL WE JUST BILL OUT AN EXTRA CHARGE WITHOUT YOU BEING NOTIFIED.
You are our customer, we represent you. Should the carrier provide an extra charge on an invoice, “Lift gate, additional weight, reclass, detention, etc.) We notify you of the charge via email first. Second, within that email we identify what is required should you choose to dispute the charge. Again our goal is to honor your request, if you want to dispute, we will dispute. During a dispute we will provide you updates every step along the way. Once a dispute is closed out, whether it is approved or rejected, then we will invoice you as the invoice has been resolved.
For reference, our company only had 6.2% of all shipments go to dispute in 2022 and we successfully won 91% of those disputes on behalf of our customers.
This is our process for every single shipment you move with us. We don’t cut corners, we don’t hide from difficult situations. We believe in being available, honest, and transparent. We don’t ever want to tell you that a shipment is lost, damaged, misrouted, but it is our duty to notify you the second we find out something has gone wrong. We hate to present bad news, but it is part of the job. What you can guarantee is that we will work a shipment all the way through and turn over every stone until we get a resolution for our clients.
Services offered?
Our core business is LTL and FTL. Within these options we have options for both dry and refrigerated/frozen. We also offer FCL/Drayage options. Our company as a 3PL has nationwide options and services clients across the US.
Let’s breakdown our services more in-depth
LTL:
Standard and Guaranteed
CFS (Imports & Exports)
Tradeshows
Hazmat
Anything that is on a pallet can be moved LTL. Typically LTL is up to 10 pallets, but the sweet spot for a carrier is 6-8 pallets at most for an individual shipment. LTL quotes are good between 5-30 days depending on the carrier. LTL can be quoted either via NMFC or density to determine the class (we do this for you).
Volume:
Anything over 10-12’ of space in the truck is the technical rule for a volume shipment. When we run a quote for you we will determine if it qualifies for volume and provide you a rate if available. Volume moves allow you to get a reduced rate for larger shipments. The caveat to volume shipments it the quotes are only valid for 3-7 days and they move on capacity between terminals. If a terminal is backed up they will move their LTL freight first before the volume freight, which can lead to longer transit times for volume moves.
FTL/Dedicated/Expedited: 53’ Dry and Reefer 26’ Box trucks with lift gate Sprinter Van The main difference for FTL vs LTL is space and transit time. For standard pallets you can fit either 26 or 30 pallets in a 53’ dry van. The other main difference is transit time, for FTL each day counts in the transit time, whereas LTL does not count the day of pickup, weekends, or holidays in their transit time.
Reefer/Frozen:
LTL and FTL
We specialize working in the CPG space with food manufacturers. We regularly deliver to
the following locations:
Kehe
UNFI
Core Mark
DPI
Wegmans
Cugini
H.T. Hackney
Netrition
HEB
ALDI
Chambers and Owens
EBY Brown
Nassau Candy
Harris Teeter
Wakefern
NU INC
Long Distribution
What makes KLS different?
There are thousands for freight brokers and 3PL in our industry. Barrier to entry is rather easy and agents or owners will often hire sales people without any intention of properly training them. It results in high turnover for many freight companies and a forgettable experience for the client. We choose to operate differently through our consistency. We truly care about doing right by our clients and prospects too. While we would love to help provide our services to every company we speak with, that just isn’t realistic. We won’t always be the right fit for every company that moves freight and that is ok. Our authenticity as a shipping company sets us apart from the competition and that is backed up by our testimonials. We also run a marketing campaign bi-weekly called “Together Talks”. We interview, highlight, and promote two businesses every week. Our goal is to grow our network, make new connections, and learn something new with each collaboration. Check it out on our website and if you’re interested in being featured reach out.
Our company also runs a year long charity promotion. Book your first shipment through KLS and we donate to the charity of your choice in your name. Our way of thanking you for giving us an opportunity to show you the KLS way and what makes us one of a kind. This entire package is what we offer to every prospect and every client. Our goal is to help provide answers that customers may have when it comes to shipping. We want to always be available as a resource and will always offer a lending hand whenever we can.
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