KiZE Concepts with Dillion Schooley feature #21 of Together Talks

"Together Talks" feature # 21: KiZE Concepts presented by KLS, freight company

Some Background on KiZE Concepts

This edition of "Together Talks" campaign KLS had the privilege of interviewing Dillion Schooley, Chief Sales Officer for KiZE Concepts, Inc. KiZE is a holistic health and wellness concept that produces clean, high-quality, and deliciously tasting food bars. KiZE is derived from the Japanese business philosophy Kaizen, meaning "change for the better" or "continuous improvement". They strive for constant improvement, growth, and to help others along the way. Their mission, passion, and purpose are to change lives for the better through food, service, and charity. They have a heart for serving others within the community and integrating second-chance employment within its work force to create a supporting, loving, and structured atmosphere and culture.

The Beginning

The company was started by Jeff Ragan almost 10 years ago in his kitchen. What started out as a passion project for family and friends blossomed into a full-fledged business a decade later. Jeff noticed that the biggest problem is people want to live a better life, but often find a reason, hurdle, or excuse to not to pursue that action. He saw an opportunity to provide workout and nutrition plans for those around him, but he also saw a glaring hole for a healthy, good tasting protein snack. He started playing around with a few different recipes and arrived at their current Peanut Butter flavor that is sold nationwide! Peanut butter, honey, gluten free oats, and whey protein.

The goal from the beginning was simple, a real food product with simple ingredients without sacrificing taste. The focus was on health and wellness. Before he knew it Jeff had quit his full-time job and was about to take a leap of faith pursuing KiZE.

He was prepared to start a business that had one sole purpose...

Love others and help them become their best self.

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!

KiZE Purpose

The company not only creates better products, but they are trying to do their part to create a better world as well. On our call, Dillon told us, "We feel as if we have been blessed and want to build a platform to be able to bless others."

Giving back is something that has been a core mission from the beginning, and not merely monetary donations. Dillon said, "we refer to it as our "Give First" initiative where we are proactively and authentically giving our time, energy, attention, and resources. The way we see it.. Resources + Relationships = Real Life Change!"

Let's run down the contributions that KiZE has made over the last handful of years.

From 2015 - 2020 KiZE would host annual mission trips to Haiti loving and serving Hope House Haiti, an orphanage led by Yvrose and Pierre, and the surrounding school system of 1,000 kids. One thing that stood out to Dillon during their annual visits..."Interacting with our friends in Haiti and seeing their positive attitude, gratefulness, and passion for life puts everything into perspective. It has really provided a mindset of thankfulness and appreciation for what we have and for the gift of life." Pictured below is Jeff and the KiZE team during one of their trips to Haiti.

Due to the pandemic and civil unrest within the Haitian community, they have focused their efforts in making a positive impact within their local community. After purchasing a building several years ago, Jeff Ragan strategically chose the location in which to build, which was right across the street from the Homeless Alliance. This is Oklahoma City's largest day shelter for the homeless.

On the 3rd Saturday of every month, KiZE hoss "Loving Your Neighbors" event where they feed, serve, and love the homeless community. This is an event open to the public and what Dillon refers it to as "...a mini block party where we cookout and even have members of our team that play music to create an uplifting and enjoyable atmosphere."

KiZE takes pride in being integrated within the change and seeing change take place in real time. Another example of this is through their 2nd chance employment efforts, supporting several KiZE team members that have overcome drug addiction, homelessness, imprisonment, etc. Giving them a place and purpose to belong, to be loved, and to grow personally, professionally, physically, spiritually, etc. Visit their site here to learn more about their positive impact, including this short video highlighting some of their "Give First" initiative.

KiZE Vision of Bigger impact

As we wrapped up our talk with Dillon we asked him about where the company is hoping to go in the future. "As a startup with limited funds, our continual focus is developing strategic retail partnerships and continuing to expand our online business." KiZE can be found in Whole Foods (Southwest Region), Sprouts (OK, MS, KS), The Fresh Market, Central Market, Bristol Farm's Baron's Market, and many other independent retailers. They recently launched in Sam's Club in the 12 Oklahoma locations and look to build their club channel in 2023.

Dillon and the KiZE team have faith and confidence that they will continue to grow, both their in-house KiZE brand along with their contract manufacturing and private label partnerships and capabilities. "The best part is, as we continue to grow our platform, we will have an even bigger impact in changing lives through numerous opportunities and partnerships." At their core, this is who KiZE is.

We asked Dillon if he could pinpoint a favorite moment in his KiZE journey, having joined in the infancy stage. His immediate response was the annual trips to Haiti, and the unique culture that KiZE has built internally. Another significant moment was their first truckload order being picked up. "From starting in an entrepreneurial shared kitchen hand-making 5lb batches, to having our own manufacturing facility without any outside investment, we have learned so much and it's nice to be able to take a step back and realize just how far we've come... but we've got a long way to go."

KiZE has been featured in a few articles as well!

Here in Men's Journal as Jordan Mazur, nutritionist for the San Francisco 49ers, listed their product as a top protein snack!

The OK Gazette wrote about their company and mission.

And their hiring practice of 2nd chance opportunities was highlighted by Journal Record.

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 is grateful to have talked with Dillon to present this week's "Together Talks" campaign of KiZE Concepts. You can buy off their Website.

Also use 'Welcome20' coupon for 20% off your first order from their website!!!! :)

You can also find KiZE on Amazon, Faire, and Mable.

Follow them as well to see the growth of the brand and the next way the company helps others. Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and LinkedIn.

Jeff Ragan, Founder/CEO, sells his company best via their website, "The KiZE difference is rooted in a love for you and others, and we hope you can enjoy our products, purpose, and be a part of our mission to make a real difference. It only continues because of awesome people like yourself!”

An inspirational story and a wonderful company to feature. Thank you KiZE for sharing with KLS for this week's "Together Talks" campaign.

Klimson Logistics Solutions - KiZE Concepts with Dillion Schooley feature # 21 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 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.