HG Logistics LLC and Hill and Griffith (our parent company) welcomes Sarah Dixon to our team. Sarah Dixon joined us in May 2012 as our Human Resource Manager. She will be replacing Shirley Mote who is retiring in June (future blog in the making).

Sarah is originally from the Cincinnati area, and attended the University of Cincinnati where she earned a BA in Psychology. She met her husband, Cory, several years after college, and they got married in 2007. They currently live in Anderson with their two daughters, Charlotte, who is 18 months and Chloe, who is 4 months.

She joined the Hill and Griffith/HG Logistics Team after nearly ten years with Millennium Hotels and Resorts, where she served as the Director of Human Resources and was responsible for overseeing 300 employees. While in this position, she returned to school and earned her Masters in Business Administration/Human Resource Management.

After becoming a mom, finding part time work in her field was a dream of hers–a job where she could use her experience and education, but also affords her more time and flexibility to be with her daughters.

As Sarah expressed, “My new position as HR Manager for Hill and Griffith and HG Logistics has been the answer to my prayers. And I will be working hard as I have big shoes to fill when Shirley retires.”

Outside of work (and when she is not changing diapers), Sarah enjoys gardening, music, and most of all, spending time with her family.

I am especially excited to have Sarah aboard for reasons beyond the fact that she makes sure I get paid. Her daughter is just a couple months younger than my granddaughter. With them both being so close in age and of the same sex, we have lots of stories to share. Sarah is the proud mom and I am the doting grandma, and we actually enjoy hearing what the other’s child is doing.

So to really give you insight into the life of Sarah Dixon, I am going to share one of her stories (with her permission) that topped all mine combined. It seems Sarah’s 18 month old developed a curiosity as to what lies in her diaper, and one Saturday morning her curiosity got the best of her, and she did some exploring on her own. I will spare you the details, but Sarah can attest that the evidence was every where. Needless to say, Sarah had some major cleaning up to do that day. I will admit this is one time I was glad this was her story and not mine.

Maybe this is too much information, but I think it gives you a realistic picture into a day in the life of Sarah Dixon, as well as to the rest of us moms and dads trying to balance work and home.

We are glad Sarah has chosen to be part of our family here at Hill and Griffith and HG Logistics LLC. And although we cannot promise that we will never create any messes for you, it is reassuring to us to know that you are so experienced in the cleanup department. Therefore, we welcome you Sarah with open arms, as well as with a container of Clorox Wipes and a can of Lysol.

In all seriousness….

 WE ARE GLAD YOU ARE HERE!

Even though it is only the beginning of May, we are experiencing summer-like temperatures here in Cincinnati, Ohio. Those warmer temperatures got me thinking about vacation. After all, it is about that time of year families start looking forward to getting away and relaxing for a week or two. For most of us, vacation means escaping our familiar home life and experiencing something different–a new location, new adventures, new surroundings. For a short-lived period of time, we leave behind all the responsibilities of home and our jobs and refresh ourselves with some fun and relaxation.

I think it is safe to say that the majority only considers it a true vacation if they travel somewhere even if it is only a few hours away. I think it is also safe to assume that the actual travel time spent in the car is least likely to be the highlight of the trip. It is usually what we dread the most. However, if we can keep our minds focused on our final destination and the fun that awaits, we can usually deal with the cramped quarters for few hours. We even manage to pass the time by playing silly games and joining in on the family sing-a-longs.

Visioning these road trips got me thinking about our truck drivers here at HG Logistics LLC, a transportation freight broker and third party logistics company in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are on the road every day, fighting through traffic while being confined to a driver seat and traveling day and night, all alone, along miles and miles of state highways. And unlike our vacation trips, they do not always have positive images of their destination spots to sustain them. Usually what await them at the end of their trip are long corridors of warehouse doors and several hours waiting to be unloaded. Even if their destination is a major tourist spot, it is unlikely they will have time to visit any main attractions. Plus, most of these places do not accommodate parking for semi tractor-trailers. If I ask our drivers, they would probably be able to say that they have been to many places, but I doubt they could say they truly “experienced” those places. More than likely, they were just passing through.

I know our drivers too long for vacations, but for some reason I find it difficult to believe they would want to take a road trip. Unlike most of us, I imagine some of them may even consider staying home a vacation–somewhere strangely familiar where they could eat a home cooked meal, take a long hot shower, sleep in a comfortable bed, spend time with family, and watch cable T.V. This is only my imagination running wild, but the next time one of our drivers stops in the office, I am going to make it a point to ask him what he considers an ideal vacation.

My wish for our drivers is that they can make that dream vacation a reality because our drivers deserve it. I truly respect the job they do because I know it is not easy. It is not something I could do and still keep my sanity.

I hope all you drivers out there will be able to enjoy some well deserve vacation time this summer. Whether it is spent lying on your living room couch or on the sunny beaches of Florida–JUST ENJOY IT!

And for the rest of us…well, we deserve time off too, so start mapping out your vacation routes now. Be Safe! Have Fun! And don’t let a little family road trip scare you. You will survive. After all, if our truck drivers can do it every day, you can endure it for a few hours.  

This past weekend I went to the Shrine Circus with my two daughters and my granddaughter. I forgot how exciting the circus is. At first, I was skeptical as to whether or not my 20 month old granddaughter would sit through the whole two hours, but there is so much going on at the circus, she was entertained by it all. We saw a lion tamer, a high wire act, trapeze artists, jugglers, acrobats on prancing horses, dancing elephants, and of course, clowns. We even saw “The Human Cannonball.”

The circus is alive and vibrant. No wonder it has attracted both young and old for years and years. I have often heard people say that they were going to run away and join the circus and I would ask myself,  ‘Why?’ But after thinking about it, I am convinced they want to do so in order to experience that exuberant life on a daily basis. I have also concluded that if we each truly examine our lives, many of us would realize we are already living the “Circus Life.”

I know here at HG Logistics LLC, a third party logistics company and transportation broker located in Cincinnati, Ohio, we have plenty of acts of our own. We walk the tight rope every day balancing the demands of our customers while at the same time keeping our drivers safe and operating within DOT regulations being careful not to stumble at either end. We are lion tamers throwing bait to truckers to get them to jump through hoops and run lanes that are less than desirable. We perform trapeze stunts swinging and flipping schedules from one end to the other to make sure everything is covered and nothing dropped. We are all jugglers juggling between phone calls, dispatching, covering loads, entering orders, scheduling, etc., etc. And let me add that we don’t just juggle with balls, but with fire as well. Although we often feel like we have the weight of the elephants on our shoulders, it is well worth it when we can get them to do their tricks. I can also report that between all those dare devil, nerve wracking performances, there is an occasional clown that appears and makes us all crack up laughing.

Let me warn you, though, that many of our acts will leave you clinching your teeth and gasping for air, but we guarantee that in the end, you will be awestruck and totally thrilled with the performance.

Yes, I confess. I have run away and joined the HG Logistics LLC Circus and let me say am proud to be part of ……

“The Greatest Show on Earth!”

For several years, I have been riding the bus to and from work. However, recently for a short-lived, two-week period, I had access to a car. Please understand, I have no problems riding the bus. As a matter of fact, I have friends on the bus that I look forward to seeing every day. It is also a time for me to just sit back and relax for 40 minutes before I start my work day or before I come home to a list of household chores and a mounting pile of laundry. But for two weeks, I enjoyed the luxury of a private vehicle where I could listen to my own music, enjoy spacious seating, breathe fresh air, and drive at my own pace without stopping every 100 feet. Most of all, I enjoyed the extra time I had in the morning and evening due to the fact that driving cut my commute time by 20 minutes.

Unfortunately, all these pluses were overshadowed by the price of gas. What I discovered during this two week period is that I CANNOT AFFORD TO DRIVE. I went from spending $17.50 per week in bus fare to $50.00 a week to fill my gas tank. Wow! I do not know how people are making ends meet these days.

Price of gas is not just affecting our commute to and from work. It is also affecting our businesses, especially in my industry. HG Logistics LLC is a third party logistics company and freight broker located in Cincinnati, Ohio, and we have been watching the fuel surcharge creep higher and higher each week.  HG Logistics realizes now more than ever the importance of fuel efficiency and that is why we worked hard to become a SmartWay Partner. SmartWay carriers are dedicated to saving fuel, using fuel more efficiently, and reducing gas emissions. These have become HG Logistics’ goals as well and therefore, we now survey all our carriers to see if they are a SmartWay Truck Carrier.

SmartWay has invested much time and effort into idle reduction and aerodynamic technology to improve fuel efficiency, but there are also other simple solutions trucks can use to save fuel:

• Cut top speed (1 mph increase = about 2% lower mpg)
• Cut unnecessary weight
• Reduce unnecessary idling
• Keep tires inflated
• Maintain a narrow tractor-trailer gap*

*(Above information taken from www.californiagreensolutions.com)

Whether we are driving our personal or business vehicle, we all need to contribute efforts to saving fuel, which in the long run, saves consumers and our companies money. I am going to do my part by going back to riding the bus where I can chit chat with my friends for 40 minutes and in the meantime, put  $32.50 per week back into my pocket.

Good Luck to Everyone in Trying to Save on Gas Consumption! Who knows? Maybe I will start seeing some of you on the bus.

In fall 2011, HG Logistics LLC made a decision to sponsor the Lockland Panthers Girl’s Basketball Team, and this resulted in one of our best investments. The team composed of 4th to 6th grade girls ended their season in high fashion, and I am not referring to their uniforms sporting our HG Logistics logo. What I am referring to is their season record of 13-1 and their tournament victory. They clenched the tournament coming from behind in the final minutes of the last game to win 20 to 17. This victory titled them Southwestern Ohio Girl’s League Champions.

I know we like to preach that winning is not everything, but you have to admit it feels pretty good. Their victory is a compliment to the girls’ hard work and dedication.

Congratulations Lockland Panthers!

I just recently got my first cell phone. Everyone in my family had one, but me. I just never felt the need. My children, however, felt differently. As teenagers, they just could not possibly survive without a cell phone, so I caved into the pressure and got them one. One of my concerns with cell phones is the short-cut terminology they use to communicate via text message. It did not take me long to realize that only those who participate in this crazy, push-button, phone-typing, truncated message delivery system know what is being communicated, and I was not one of those participants.

However, since getting my phone, I have attempted to text message, and after doing do, I fully understand why they would create abbreviations for everything, especially since it took me several minutes to type a one line message.

Okay, so I have come to accept this abbreviated, so-called language for texting. However, I am still concerned as to whether or not teenagers will be able to write and spell correctly when it comes to composing an English paper. I have seen my kids slip up and replace proper English for one of their text genre, probably out of habit. They get so use to this language that they have to force themselves to think in terms of spelling out complete words and using nouns and verbs to form a sentence.

I realize taking shortcuts is not a new phenomenon. In my days, we called it shorthand. Although shorthand has all but become extinct, many of us are guilty of trying to save time in some way or another. The trucking industry is no different. We too have are own lingo. People outside our business probably would not have a clue what I was saying if I spoke the following to them:

HG Logistics, a 3PL company in Cincinnati, Ohio, specializes in handling LTL’s and TL’s for all our customers. We pride ourselves in hiring only qualified  CDL’s to deliver our FOB to the assigned CNEE. Although many of our loads are FCFS, we take caution to get an ETA from all our drivers. All carriers are given appropriate information, including PO’s and P/U’s before attempting pick up, and after delivering, they must submit a signed BOL as POD.

I am confident that my fellow truckers know exactly what I just said, but most would interpret the above as just mumble-jumble. When I think about it, it is kind of neat having our own little secret code. In some ways, it makes you feel part of a unique alliance, a special union where only members know what is going on.

All in all, I have concluded that shortcuts are just a part of life, and if I want to be an effective communicator with the younger generation, I better get on board and learn the language. What is important is that the message is communicated whether is be by full text or by a coded, condensed version.

With this said, I leave the following message in honor of all those text gurus:

cll HG Logistics 4 fre quotes on ll yr transportation nEdz. lets B d travL agnt 4 yr fr8. (interpretation below)

 BFN

 Call HG Logistics for free quotes on all your transportation needs. Let us be the travel agent for your freight.

(Bye for Now)

Wow! I cannot believe we have already gone through the first month of the New Year. It seems like just yesterday the ball dropped on Time Square, and now I have checked off January 2012 and have turned the page on my calendar. Even though the time has flown by, I have managed to learn a few things at the start of this New Year. 

"Blue Monday"

First, I read that January holds claim to the most depressing day of the entire year. Yes, the third Monday of January has become known as “Blue Monday.”  Psychologist, Cliff Arnall, devised a formula that calculated this day to be the day people hit their lowest point. Some of the factors that contribute to this result are lousy, cold weather, let down from the Christmas high, failing to keep New Year’s resolutions, and accumulating debt. 

So what do you think? Is Cliff Arnall’s prediction accurate? Did you feel a little blue this January? I must confess January tends to be “blah” in my book. Nothing that sends me over the edge, but it does tend to put me in a state of mind in which I could use a little pick-me-upper. Thus brings me to the second thing I learned. 

"National Hugging Day"

Did you know January 21st has been deemed “National Hugging Day?” Could this be the perfect antidote to all the depression we may be experiencing the first month of the year? Debra Auerbach, a CareerBuilder writer, wrote about the “hug” in her article titled, “Hugs in the workplace: Acceptable or personal-space invasion?” She explains, “It’s a simple gesture that can make a happy situation happier or help someone overcome with sadness feel a little better.” She goes on to state: “Studies have shown that hugs can actually make a difference in one’s health; research out of the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill found that a hug can lower blood pressure and reduce the harmful physical effects of stress.” 

I think the majority of us would agree that we could all use a hug from time to time. A hug says someone cares; it’s assurance that everything will be okay; it’s a way of congratulating and celebrating. A hug coming from friends or family feels perfectly natural to us, but is a hug ever appropriate in the workplace? Debra Auerbach also reported in her article that surveys conducted show 7 in 10 executives are under the opinion that hugging co-workers in the business environment is inappropriate behavior. They worry that the hug could be misconstrued as something unintended. 

Personally, I would say an occasional hug is just fine as long as it is for the right reasons, done in an appropriate manner, and it is welcomed by the receiving party. A hug could definitely be a source of encouragement to many of us. Although I am quick to support the occasional office hug, I have to admit I felt a little awkward when my boss at HG Logistics, a third party logistics company and transportation broker in Cincinnati, Ohio, saw what this week’s blog was about and came over and gave me a big hug. The fact that he was acting goofy and did it in a silly, sarcastic manner may have been cause for the awkwardness. Nevertheless, I took the whole incident as a sign of his approval. 

Depression? Hugs? Could the lack of hugs cause depression or could depression be cured by a simple hug? Although I don’t think that a hug is the complete cure-all or the lack of a sole cause, but I am convinced hugs hold significance in all our lives. 

What do think? Share your thoughts. While I await your response, I think I will try to escape the lingering bouts of depression carried over from January by going and giving someone a hug.

The other day a co-worker asked me, “Do you keep a journal?” I immediately, without hesitation, answered, “No. I only write when I have to.” I confess. I write these blogs mostly due to the fact that I was assigned the task by my general manager. I guess you could say it is part of my job description. So yes, my answer was quick, to the point, and unfortunately, honest.

However, as the day went on, my mind kept wandering back to her question, and I became quite disturbed by my response. I began to question myself. Why do I have a negative prospective towards writing? Why do I look at it as a chore instead of fun? Why do I want to close my mind to the idea of writing instead of welcoming it as an open canvas to create whatever I desire?

My mind then shifted to the thought of the power of words. Words are used to state a fact, share an idea, form an opinion, and express creativity and imagination. They are used to paint a picture, make music, and arouse suspense and interest. Words are the backbone, the voice of all communication. Words are Powerful! So why in the world would I not want to grasp hold of those words and use them as an expression of myself, especially when I have the freedom to do so? By this point my head was spinning. I can’t believe that one simple question could prompt such a sea of thoughts rushing through my mind.

So why don’t I want to write? So why do so many of us avoid the art of the written word? Perhaps some of us fear revealing a part of ourselves and risk being criticized or judged. Perhaps it is because the written word is so forever, there is permanence about it. It is out there for everyone to quote, Google, copy, and paste. At least with the spoken word, we can hope that things we should have left unsaid will be erased from people’s memory banks or at least buried deep within their subconscious mind. However, the written word can be pulled out and read over and over again in remembrance of what we said. These may all be valid reasons why people don’t want to write, but I think more often then not, people don’t write because they don’t want to give the time and effort that it takes to put their thoughts on paper. I know I am guilty of this.

However, one thing I have discovered from writing these blogs is that if you write about what you are familiar with or what comes from your heart, the words flow much easier and more fluently, almost effortlessly. That is why when you read my blogs that I write for HG Logistics LLC, a transportation broker and third party logistics company located in Cincinnati, Ohio, you get what you get, instead of blogs about the mechanics of maneuvering an 18-wheel, semi truck across the U.S. highways. I am not saying this subject is not worthy of blogging about. It is just that I am leaving that topic to be written by our expert panel of drivers.

What I really found interesting is that a few days before my co-worker posed that thought provoking question to me, I had read an article in The Cincinnati Enquirer titled “Young, passionate and unusually talented.” This article that appeared in the Sunday, January 15, 2012 edition discussed a writing contest that was hosted by Enquirer columnist Krista Ramsey and the Chair of Mount Saint Joseph’s English and Modern Language Department, Elizabeth Bookser Barkley. The competition was for students ages 6 to 16. Teachers were urged to announce the contest but not to make it an assignment. They wanted those competing to do so on their own free will. Both Ramsey and Barkley were encouraged by the entries they received, and they each picked one favorite. Krista Ramsey chose Zoe Cheng’s essay, “When I Write.” Below I have included Cheng’s essay because I was so wowed by how she expressed herself, and she gave me the one answer as to why and how I should write–PASSION!

When I Write, by Zoe Cheng
Writing – it’s my life. It’s my home, my recluse, the lover of my dreams. When I write I lose myself in the arms of a dangerous thing – the red-rimmed eyes of time leave my head in wisps of smoke. This is what I feel when I write – an edginess inside of my heart that seems to glow and sparkle in a rapid build of emotion, I can feel the words and what they mean to me seizing my soul and painting brilliant, vivid shades of gold behind my eyes and I can taste that exquisite inspiration on the flesh of my tongue and my fingers tremble with the utmost anticipation and resolve and my smile is uncontrollable, random bundles of solid imagination bursting in my mind in a spontaneous array of fireworks as I set pen to paper and abstract thought to concreteness and I cannot describe to you how beautiful and poignant it is to see my words – my words – on paper and the notion that other people are actually understanding me and reading what I have to say and seeing it – seeing it. To me, writing is the one time I can speak my mind and not be afraid – when I write, I am bold and fearless and passionate and all these shades of red and I love it, I absolutely love it. My words are my wings and I use them to dream me away to fairy-dust clouds and glimmering woodlands, my words are my legs and I run run run to places only I can go – my words defy the boundaries of conformist society and the hurt and pain in my heart, because when I write, all of that – absolutely all of it – vanishes and I am flying, flying and it feels so good to soar.

Zoe Cheng is only 14 years old, but she definitely has a gift for words. I hope by sharing her essay in my blog, it will inspire some of you to pen a few words of your own.

Well, as I near the close of this blog, I once again find my mind wandering back to the question posed by my co-worker, and I could not help but think what Zoe Cheng would have answered if she was asked the same question. I am not a betting type of person, but I would lay odds that she keeps a journal and faithfully, with passion and joy, writes in it daily.

Living Hope Transitional Home

The Holidays are a time when many of us reflect on how blessed we are, but it is also a time of the year when struggles and losses become more evident. As a result, some of us stand counting our blessings, while others contemplate their misfortunes. Yet, what is exceptional about the Holidays is that it speaks to people’s hearts and moves those more fortunate to help those who find themselves on the other end of the spectrum. What I have experienced, and probably many of you as well, is that this can flip-flop from year to year–sometimes we find ourselves the recipients of people’s kindness and other years we are doing the giving.

Well, here at HG Logistics LLC, a third party logistics company and transportation broker located in Cincinnati, Ohio, we have felt tremendously blessed the past few years. Although we are a fairly new company (in existence since September 2006), we have experienced growth and success with each year. Therefore, the past few Christmas Seasons we have sought to share our blessings with our surrounding community.

In our search for people in need, we discovered a home that is in the ministry of restoring hope in the lives of young mothers. Living Hope Transitional Home helps women who have found themselves for whatever reason or for whatever circumstances, trying to raise children often without a high school education, without employment, without support and without a home. Living Hope mentors these women who are committed to change. They provided a safe environment for these women and their children so that these mothers can concentrate on getting their education, searching for a job, and developing life skills and marketable qualifications. For these women, Living Hope is a stepping stone for them to get their life on track so that they can raise their children in a safe, desirable, and encouraging environment.

As an adult looking back on my own childhood, I realize how blessed I was. Not one day of my childhood did I ever worry about whether or not I would have food to eat, a roof over my head, or clothes on my back. I always felt safe and secure. I now realize that not everyone can say they had that same experience. But it is encouraging to know that there are places like Living Hope Transitional Home that are helping young mothers so that they too can give their children a worry-free life, a life where they can enjoy just being kids.

Inspired by what Living Hope is accomplishing, HG Logistics LLC decided Christmas 2011 to assist Living Hope by providing gifts for the children living there. Although our gifts are minimal compared to what it takes to support these families throughout the year, our thought was to give them a blessed Christmas, a Christmas filled with a childlike faith that believes “good things can happen.”

HG Logistics LLC wishes these women the best, and we hope that they do not look at our gifts as just a charitable contribution, but as a message that we totally support their efforts to build a better life for themselves and their children.

HG Logistics LLC has embarked upon a new venture, but I have to admit we may be out of our league with this one. Well, maybe I should not say we are out of our league, but what we have done is join a league–the Junior-Pro Southwest Ohio Sports League.

Yes! We have joined the sisterhood of 4th – 6th grade girls who are teaming up to hopefully dribble, pass, and shoot their way to victory this 2011 – 2012 basketball season. We are sure the girls will be thrilled if they win, but we all know the true victory will be if they become smarter, better skilled, and more disciplined players.

Let me clarify one thing though– HG Logistics LLC will not be there personally to coach the team. We are leaving that up to those more knowledgeable of the game. But we were happy to boost the team’s spirit by providing them with uniforms. As you can see from the pictures, they wear them proudly.

HG Logistics is glad to be helping the team, and even though their season is just beginning, the girls have already scored a big one with us.

Go

Lockland

Panthers!