Leadership Spotlight: Juan Johnson

Juan Johnson, Regional Vice-President of Sales Western Region, has a diverse skillset in sales and operations he developed throughout his time working in the transportation industry and serving in the military. During his past 10 years with Roadrunner Freight, he had the opportunity to utilize this knowledge to build and develop his team.

Juan made his way to the transportation industry during his transition into the civilian workforce after his time as an officer in the United States Army. It was by chance that his resume stuck out to a recruiter who helped him transition into the transportation industry. Little did Juan know this would be the beginning of a very successful career.

Transportation industry background

Before joining the Roadrunner Freight team, Juan worked for two transportation industry leaders. Directly out of the military, Juan began his career with Consolidated Freightways where he began as a dock office supervisor. Throughout his 11 years with Consolidated Freightways, he worked in multiple administrative and operations positions, ultimately bypassing a promotion to operations manager electing the career path of sales.

He transitioned from the LTL sector into roles as customer operations manager, general manager, and vice-president with privately held third-party logistics and distributions companies. In those roles, he was instrumental in improving customer engagements, sales growth, and ultimately improving overall profit positions. After these positions, he made his way to Old Dominion Freight Line. He was with ODFL for four years as an account executive, of which he led the Western Region in sales for two consecutive years. He finally made his way to Roadrunner Freight 10 years ago and joined the leadership team after five years.

ACcomplishments

Juan sees Roadrunner Freight as an “entrepreneurial company with a familial culture” and it is this aspect that sets our company apart from the other organizations Juan has been a part of. He is most proud of his sales and customer support teams that lead the company in revenue every year in his current role. He molded his leadership style to fit the culture by being a resource for his team and empowering them to make the hard decisions and take chances. As a leader, he pushes his team to realize that they have the ability to accomplish more than they could ever realize and stands by their side to help and motivate them along the way.

His advice to those just beginning a career in the LTL industry is to understand that it represents only a segment of a very large transportation sector. He encourages newcomers to develop a strong understanding of the supply chain and how everyone’s life is impacted by it. He also mentioned that if you’re looking to make your mark, Roadrunner Freight is an excellent place to do so.

Juan stated that, “Once you jump into freight, it’s hard to leave because it’s very rewarding.” We are proud that Juan has grown with Roadrunner Freight and are excited to see what else he will accomplish.