As VP of employee services at Trailer Bridge, Kacy Swanson is responsible for leading the company's people strategy and ensuring workforce initiatives support both employee success and business objectives. She oversees all aspects of human resources, including talent acquisition, employee relations, leadership development, performance management, workforce planning, compensation and benefits, compliance, organizational development, and employee engagement.
On a day-to-day basis, Swanson serves as a strategic advisor to executive leadership, partnering closely with company leaders to address workforce challenges, organizational effectiveness, succession planning, talent retention, and change management initiatives.
She also provides guidance on complex employee relations matters, supports leadership decision-making, and leads initiatives designed to strengthen the employee experience.
Her work includes improving recruiting processes, developing leadership and manager training programs, supporting workforce planning efforts across multiple business units, evaluating emerging workplace technologies such as artificial intelligence, and creating resources that help leaders effectively manage and develop their teams.
Swanson joined Trailer Bridge in 2022 as director of employee services, bringing more than a decade of HR and recruiting experience, and was later promoted to her current role in 2023.
Previously, she served as talent acquisition partner with Astadia; HR generalist and recruiting manager at MoneySolver, and later as human resources director at Member Benefits, Inc., where she gained experience leading employee relations, performance management, talent development, compensation and benefits, workforce engagement, and organizational effectiveness initiatives.
Swanson was named a winner of this year’s Women in Supply Chain Forum™ award, presented by Food Logistics and Supply & Demand Chain Executive, in the Workforce Innovator category.
Marina Mayer, editor-in-chief of Food Logistics and Supply & Demand Chain Executive and co-founder of the Women in Supply Chain Forum™, sat down with Swanson to discuss what a successful "people strategy" looks like and why sometimes the biggest opportunity for young female leaders is a lateral move.
CLICK HERE to learn more about the winners from this year's Women in Supply Chain Forum™ Award.
CLICK HERE to register, sponsor and/or learn more about this year’s Women in Supply Chain Forum™, Nov. 17-19 in Charleston, S.C.
Food Logistics and Supply & Demand Chain Executive: Women in Supply Chain Forum™ Award
Kacy Swanson, VP, Employee Services, Trailer Bridge, Inc.
Category: Workforce Innovator
Food Logistics and Supply & Demand Chain Executive: Hello, my name is Marina Mayer, Editor-in-Chief of Food Logistics and Supply and Demand Chain Executive, and I am here with Kacy Swanson, Vice President of Employee Services for Trailer Bridge. Kacy is a recipient of this year's Women in Supply Chain Form Award in the Workforce Innovator category. Kacy, thank you so much for joining me today.
As vice president of employee services at Trailer Bridge, you are responsible for leading the company's people strategy and ensuring workforce initiatives support both employee success and business objectives. Walk us through what this means and what that entails.
Kacy Swanson: I really view our people strategy as part of our overall business strategy. My role, obviously, encompasses all the traditional HR functions. We have benefits, recruiting, payroll, employee relations.
But I think the bigger piece is kind of understanding where the business is going and making sure we have the people, systems, and everything we need to get there. And as you know, in transportation logistics, things are ever-changing, moving quickly, and so, just spending a lot of time thinking about what people need to be successful, and where we have gaps, and kind of, removing that friction for our employees.
Food Logistics and Supply & Demand Chain Executive: When it comes to recruiting, training, and workforce development, what are some of the main themes or trends you're seeing today that may not have been so prevalent even 5 years ago?
Swanson: I think AI is always a part of that, piece of the pie, but I think kind of the biggest change is the workforce is not really one size fits all. You know, what motivates one employee is really different from the person sitting next to them. It can be compensation for one person, it can be flexibility, career growth, recognition, benefits, and so companies just really need to know their people. And I think career development looks different today, too. It's not really that traditional ladder anymore. Sometimes the biggest opportunity is a lateral move.
And just so kind of exposing somebody to another part of the business, identifying a strength that could be valuable elsewhere, you know, are things that weren't maybe considered as much previously.
Food Logistics and Supply & Demand Chain Executive: You also focus on building the people, processes, systems, and leadership resources needed to support Trailer Bridge's long-term success. What does that entail?
Swanson: I think a lot of it is scalability and consistency. Ss companies grow and change, those weak processes will catch up to you, and so we've tried to spend time building that infrastructure and making it easier for our employees and managers to be successful. So that's, including or improving and implementing new HR technologies, creating more consistent onboarding performance processes, focusing on training and development, and just kind of finding better ways to listen to our employees while they're here. And, managers are key in that, too. I think HR can roll out programs and initiatives all day, but managers are the ones that are really interacting with people every single day and knowing those strengths and weaknesses. And so, you can't just tell managers, communicate better, and develop your people and recognize your team. You really have to give them the tools and training and support tTo kind of help them in that.
Food Logistics and Supply & Demand Chain Executive: Share a difficult supply chain disruption that you managed, and how you turned that challenge into an opportunity.
Swanson: The first thing that comes to mind for me is not really a traditional freight disruption, but it came through a major organizational change for us. Last year, we had a big business sale, business transaction, of part of our business, and so with that, from the employee services side, there was a lot of moving parts, you know, payroll, benefits, employee data, communications, transition planning, and at the same time, you're dealing with the human side of a major change. You know, people naturally have questions about what's going to happen to them, and are feeling certain ways, and so there can be limitations on what you can really share during different stages of that time, and so the focus was really being as prepared and transparent and organized as we could at each stage of that.
I think a big part of that was you can't really wait on a disruption to build those good systems or trusted relationships. You really need that in place prior to in order for it to support and be effective during that crisis. And, thankfully, I feel like we were successful in that.
Food Logistics and Supply & Demand Chain Executive: What supply chain trend do you think will have the biggest impact over the next five years?
Swanson: Not to beat a dead horse, but I think it's AI and technology, but I think the bigger piece is kind of how that tech is going to intersect with the workforce and their capabilities. There’s going to be incredible tools that are available to us, and I think it's going to be bigger than whoever just bought the best and biggest technology. I think the harder part and the bigger piece is getting people to buy into it, and getting comfortable with it, and understanding and trusting it, and being open to changing the way that they've worked for years.
I think we're going to see jobs evolve faster than the traditional job descriptions and training programs can keep up with, and so I think the organizations, that are adjusting that hiring, for that adaptability and thinking ahead to those pieces, are going to be a big part of it, and not just looking for somebody who's done that exact job before, but kind of the opportunity.
Food Logistics and Supply & Demand Chain Executive: What can organizations do to attract, retain, and develop women in supply chain roles?
Swanson: I feel like that looks like exposure, like meaningful exposure to the business. It's not enough to just recruit women into the organization. I think you have to make sure they're being exposed to operations and strategy and customer conversations, financial pieces, so they're being prepared for the bigger roles, asking what they want, understanding where they want to go. I don't think it should be just giving them a seat at the table, it's kind of giving them the experiences and exposure that will help them contribute at the table.
Food Logistics and Supply & Demand Chain Executive: If you could go back in time and talk to your younger self, what would you say to her?
Swanson: I've thought of so many things for this one, but I feel like I would tell her to stop waiting until you're completely ready. And, that can be hard for a lot of us. I think we want to make sure we're completely prepared, and I think as you go on in your career, you kind of realize you had previously assumed people in these senior roles had all the answers, and then you kind of realize that we're all figuring it out to a certain extent. They don't have all the answers, and so, removing some of that intimidation and just kind of saying yes. I think some of my biggest opportunities have come from saying yes before I felt 100% prepared, and just asking those questions and trusting that I could figure it out along the way.
Food Logistics and Supply & Demand Chain Executive: If you could leave the audience with one piece of advice about being a woman in the supply chain, what would it be?
Swanson: I think, learn the business, not just your function, because the more you know about the business, wherever you sit in the business. I think, understanding how the freight moves, the customers, understanding how the company makes money, understanding what creates the problems operationally, and kind of what keeps leaders up at night, because the more you understand the business, the more valuable that perspective becomes, and then I think that knowledge gives you the confidence to really speak up more, and ask better questions, and, learn your craft, but don't stay in your lane.
Food Logistics and Supply & Demand Chain Executive: To learn more about Kacy and our other Women in Supply Chain Forum award winners, CLICK HERE.
Register for this year's Women in Supply Chain Forum™ at http://www.womeninsupplychainforum.com.
