ON THE MOVE: Transportation Sales & Marketing Success Stories

Designing the Future Workforce with Lindsey Trent

Jen sits down with Lindsey Trent, Co-Founder and President of Next Generation in Trucking, to talk about building the future workforce of the supply chain. Lindsey shares her own path into the industry, the mission behind Next Gen, and why creating clear entry points for students and early-career professionals is more important than ever.The conversation also highlights the growing partnership between TMSA and Next Generation in Trucking through the Future Forward Volunteer Program at TMSA ELEVATE, an initiative designed to bring supply chain students into the conference experience through hands-on involvement, networking, and exposure to the industry. With applications currently open, this episode gives listeners a behind-the-scenes look at why the program exists, who it’s for, and the impact it can have on both volunteers and companies investing in the next generation of talent.Check out the Transportation Sales and Marketing Association (TMSA) website or engage with us on LinkedIn.

Community, Career, and Showing Up Where It Matters with Briana Irwin

Jen sits down with Briana Irwin, Marketing Manager at TCW, to talk about building a career in logistics while staying grounded in community. From her day-to-day role in transportation marketing to her involvement with TMSA’s CSR subcommittee, Briana shares how getting involved early has shaped her growth. She also reflects on her 11-year commitment to delivering Christmas gifts to children in remote villages in Guatemala, and how both her personal experiences and TCW’s culture of giving back influence the way she shows up professionally. It’s a conversation about growth, involvement, and finding purpose alongside your profession.Register for the 2026 TMSA ELEVATE Conference at events.tmsatoday.orgCheck out the Transportation Sales and Marketing Association (TMSA) website or engage with us on LinkedIn.

People Still Matter: Leadership, Talent, and Retention in a Tough Economy with Coleman Ruffin

Coleman Ruffin is back on On the Move as he re-engages with the TMSA community in a visible way this year as MC.In this episode, we spend time on the people side of leadership, what it looks like to hire, retain, and support teams when the market remains unpredictable and the expectations on leaders haven’t eased. Coleman shares what he’s hearing in real conversations with company leaders right now, including where tension is showing up inside organizations and where assumptions about employees may be outdated.We also touch on how growth, learning, and development quietly influence engagement and loyalty, not as formal programs, but as signals leaders send about whether people have a future where they are.This conversation isn’t about quick fixes. It’s about how leaders think, listen, and lead when conditions are tough, and why that mindset matters more than ever.Register for TMSA ELEVATE at events.tmsatoday.orgCheck out the Transportation Sales and Marketing Association (TMSA) website or engage with us on LinkedIn.

Launching Something New: Brand, Community, and Momentum at Manifest with Whitney Cowell

Seven thousand people, endless noise, and a brand reveal...without the press release. We sit down with Whitney Cowell, Revenue Marketing Manager at Knight-Swift Supply Chain, to unpack how a soft launch at Manifest turned a crowded floor into a focused pipeline moment. Instead of chasing flash, Whitney shares how her team shifted the story from warehousing to end-to-end supply chain, refreshed the visual identity with intent, and set up simple systems to make every conversation count.We dig into the mechanics that matter: aligning with seasoned sales pros, treating the booth as a routing hub, and using clear criteria to move high-intent leads straight to reps while nurturing the rest with message-consistent follow-up. Whitney explains why narrowing your audience expands your impact, how a single color change can signal strategic direction, and when to keep legacy elements so customers aren’t left behind. The theme is discipline over spectacle, measure what moves revenue, then build brand equity around those wins.Beyond tactics, we explore community as strategy. Whitney helped launch TMSA’s GiveBack program, turning service projects into low-pressure networking that actually connects people. She makes the case that purpose-driven culture attracts talent, strengthens partnerships, and drives the kind of word-of-mouth money can’t buy. We close with practical advice for first-time launch leaders: master budgets in context, know when to pivot, say no with grace, and avoid imposing a marketer’s checklist. Not everyone needs a new website or a TikTok, but the right move, at the right time, changes everything.If this conversation sparks ideas for your next launch, share it with a teammate, leave a quick review, and hit follow so you never miss what’s next.Check out the Transportation Sales and Marketing Association (TMSA) website or engage with us on LinkedIn.

Designing Role-Based Learning For Transportation Sales And Marketing with Don Friddell

Want professional growth that actually sticks? We walk through how TMSA is replacing generic programming with focused tracks for company leaders, sales leaders, marketing leaders, sales practitioners, and marketing practitioners, so every session maps to real work and real outcomes. Don Friddell, TMSA’s president-elect, joins Jennifer Karpus-Romain to unpack why agility beats tradition in a market shaped by AI, rate swings, nearshoring, and lean teams.You’ll hear how we’re turning long, hard-to-rewatch recordings into crisp, role-specific takeaways with optional full sessions, plus how cohort-based conference paths make it easier to meet peers who solve the same problems you do. We dig into practical examples, like turning freight fraud from a headline into sales conversations, marketing content, and differentiation. We also address search fatigue head-on with curated learning paths, so a junior marketer can see the steps to director, and a sales VP can zero in on enablement, forecasting, and social selling that moves the number.Cross-functional networking remains a core strength. Tracks give you a home base, while mainstage content and open mixers keep the sales-marketing feedback loop strong. Volunteering takes it further, offering hands-on leadership experience you can’t always get in a one-person team. Expect more measurable value, clearer outcomes, and smart use of AI and digital tools to make TMSA a daily habit—not just a conference you forget by Monday.Ready to see the new tracks in action and plan your next career step? Subscribe, share this episode with your team, and register for ELEVATE in Denver at events.tmsatoday.org. Check out the Transportation Sales and Marketing Association (TMSA) website or engage with us on LinkedIn.