It’s 2018 and as a human race, we have advanced beyond the wildest dreams of our ancestors. Self-driving cars, computers that can reason with an intelligence that we manufactured, and even conquering the countless diseases that would take someone’s life just decades ago are just a few of the accomplishments that prove to show that we are living in the future. Although we have many victories to be proud of, we would be foolish not to acknowledge the shoulders of the giants we have stood on. Neither can we ignore those amongst us that are growing into giants themselves.
In this month of celebration of women, we must especially recognize the giants in our history that have shaped logistics and transportation as we know it. The women that we have picked for our condensed list have lead efforts to promote transportation and how we think about logistics and supply chain management, and women who are on the rise now.
Harriet Tubman – The Underground Railroad
While the circumstances surrounding the need for this genius to emerge in history are despicable, Harriet knew there was a job that needed to be done and she did not shy away from it. Transporting escaped slaves to freedom in this terrible time in the United States was an impossible task, not to mention a death wish. However, with her analytical mind and ambition, she used logistics to lead 300 people to freedom during her ten-year span and she never lost a single passenger. How many of our greatest logistics and transportation companies today can boast a 100% success rate?
“Rosies” – The Women Who Saved America
Although Rosie the Rivetter is just a cultural icon, the women that gave this image a story are countless. During WWI and WWII millions of women took on roles that they had never done before to keep the American economy afloat and to continue to aid the war effort while nearly half of the United States population was at war. These great women of industry not only did the job but also excelled in their new roles leading the way for infrastructural improvements and industry success. These machinists, dock workers, drivers, and other women workers held the country together with the pure grit and determination that it takes to fill out the supply chain.
Hedy Lemarr – Technological Innovator & Grandmother to Telephones and Wifi
Best known for her extensive acting career, Hedy was a natural innovator and Jack of all Trades (or should we say Jill). After moving to the United States in the late 1930’s, she began to work with a colleague on a “Secret Communications System” that would help win the second world war. This creation method that she co-developed would lead to the digital communication boom in the half-century that followed. Dispatchers, IT associates, and even the salespeople brokering loads as we speak can thank Hedy for the communications devices that they are using.
Transportation for Tomorrow
We at Easley are extremely blessed to say that we work with women leaders with the same spirit of a giant. For example, Jamika Grant, Memphis Intermodal & Drayage expert solves truck, rail, and air problems on a daily basis with the same hard work, problem-solving skills, and analytical prowess that her above spiritual ancestors utilized. In the same way, just like the passionate and ambitious women mentioned, you will never find a more capable driver than Ronda Medlin. Ronda provides Memphis Dedicated service to many local companies with grit and intensity that the Rosie’s of yesterday would look up to.
These powerful women are not only the future of Easley, but the giants whose shoulders that future generations will be standing on.