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Expo 2026: Your Playbook to Logistics Success — Transcript

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0:00Welcome to industry insights with Route
0:01[music] Consultant, your front row seat
0:03to the fast-moving world of logistics
0:05and beyond. Each week, we bring you
0:08gamechanging insights, real world
0:10strategies, and fresh perspectives to
0:12fuel smarter investments and build
0:15stronger [music] businesses. Join us as
0:17we sit down with expert guests to
0:19explore emerging trends and pressing
0:21topics across a wide range of
0:23industries. This is Industry Insights.
0:32Hey everyone, we filmed this session
0:34back in August, but we wanted to
0:35re-release it as we get close to expo to
0:38make sure that you know everything
0:39that's going to be happening at the
0:41event and to know that although we have
0:43tons of people coming, we will make
0:44space for you if you have not registered
0:46yet. So, if you haven't, you can sign up
0:48now. If you know somebody at your
0:50terminal and you want to invite them, we
0:52will still make space for them as well.
0:53So, again, only one week out. Hopefully
0:56we will see you soon in January in
0:58Nashville. All right, welcome everyone.
1:00Today we are focused on the route
1:02consultant expo and to talk about it
1:04today we have Steven Ryan, one of our
1:06experts in the bread industry.
1:08>> Yes, thank you. Excited to be here.
1:10>> Yeah. And then we also have Butch
1:12Butler, one of our experts in the FedEx
1:14space.
1:14>> Thank you. Happy to be here.
1:16>> And so for anybody who doesn't know, who
1:18hasn't been to one before, the Ralph
1:19Consultant Expo is our biggest event of
1:21the year. This is a space where we
1:23really try to bring together contractors
1:25from across the country. Uh we have
1:27sessions over 30 hours of sessions,
1:29thousands of attendees and really this
1:32is our chance to come together to learn
1:35and really make sure that everyone's
1:36prepared for 2026. And so what we wanted
1:39to do today is to just spend some time
1:41and give a little bit of a quick sneak
1:43peek on what to expect for this upcoming
1:45expo. Now before we go too far, you
1:48know, I I said each of your names, I
1:49want to make sure people really know who
1:51you are. So Butch, can you just give a
1:52little background on yourself and kind
1:54of what you do here at Route Consultant?
1:57>> Yes, thank thank you. Um, I've been
1:58fortunate to be at Route Consultant
2:00since the very beginning. Um, in that
2:02time I've managed teams, but generally
2:04what I do is I manage a team of brokers.
2:06Um, and we work west of the Mississippi
2:08and I do a lot of the large line hall
2:10that we that we work with here at Route
2:12Consultants. So, it's been a great
2:13journey. I've helped hundreds of people
2:14into and out of the space and and I
2:17greatly appreciate the opportunity to do
2:18it. It's been really fun.
2:19>> Perfect. All right, Stephen, you're up
2:21next.
2:22>> Yeah. Yeah, excited to be here. Thank
2:23you, Josh. Um, I came on board with
2:25Route Consultant to help launch a lot of
2:27the bread content. Um, I've been in the
2:29contractor space for almost 20 years. I
2:31jumped onto a bread truck just right out
2:32of high school. So, um, I've seen the
2:34industry kind of from every angle. You
2:36know, I first started working for
2:38companies that didn't sell routes, uh,
2:40then became an owner operator and then
2:42eventually scaled to multi-truck. So,
2:44um, have really seen the industry from
2:46every angle. Excited to be here.
2:48>> Yeah. Perfect. And now you're helping
2:49others get into it, too.
2:50>> That's right. You know, there's a lot to
2:51learn in the grocery space. So, it's a
2:53really good business. Um, there's a lot
2:55of things about it that that you can
2:56really be advantaged by, um, if you
2:59understand.
2:59>> Yeah. Perfect. Well, I'm happy to have
3:01you here and happy to have you teach
3:02others about it.
3:04>> So, uh, you know, Stephen, I think last
3:06year was your first time going to the
3:08Route Consulting Expo. So, tell me a
3:10little bit about kind of that experience
3:11for you, what it what it felt like, and
3:13if it matched what your expectations
3:15were.
3:16>> Yeah. Yeah. last year in Dallas was
3:17amazing. Um, hundreds and hundreds of
3:20people there. U, it was great to see,
3:22you know, an event like this for people
3:24in the contracting space. There's never
3:26been, you know, an opportunity to engage
3:29with other contractors, you know, meet
3:31vendors, people that you need in the
3:33industry to be successful. Um, and so
3:35having Ralph Consultant put this on, I
3:36felt was a great value ad to, you know,
3:38not only myself, but other people
3:40thinking about getting into the space.
3:42>> Yeah. And and for bread in particular, I
3:43think a lot of times there's just, you
3:45mentioned it, there's not really a good
3:46event for this. I find a lot of people
3:48just kind of operate with the
3:50contractors they know in their depot,
3:52but don't really have an event to come
3:54together and learn. So really, that was
3:56part of why we started to bring bread
3:58into the fold of this space.
3:59>> Yeah, that's exactly right. I remember
4:01um my mentor one one day telling me, if
4:04you want to do something well, find
4:05someone winning and just copy what they
4:07do.
4:08>> Um and the nature of contracting is is
4:10really fragmented. So if there's
4:12someone, you know, across the country
4:14doing something really well, oftent
4:15times you don't hear about them. So, uh,
4:18this is a great forum to to come
4:19together and learn.
4:20>> Yeah. Perfect. All right. So, that's
4:23your perspective. Now, Butch, I know
4:24that that last year was not your first
4:26time. I think you've been to every expo
4:28since [laughter] we started. So, tell me
4:29a little bit about what Expo started as
4:31versus kind of how we talk about it now.
4:33>> Well, yes, I I've been to every expo.
4:35Um, each one of them is a little bit
4:37different, but every one of them is
4:38fantastic. really I've I've had a great
4:40experience at everyone and we get great
4:41feedback from every expo. The first expo
4:44that I attended, we really were trying
4:45to create that sense of community among
4:48the contractors and at the time there
4:50really weren't the same type of vendor
4:51relationships and the awareness of of
4:53who you worked with in the space. So, we
4:55tried to bring people together and and
4:57we had no idea really how it was going
4:59to turn out. So much so that Spencer
5:00offered to pay everybody $300 who would
5:03show up. Um, and we did and Spencer and
5:05I went to the bank the Friday before and
5:07got $30,000 out and Spencer and Carly
5:10handed out $300 to everybody who came in
5:12and it was a tremendous success and we
5:14learned a lot that year. We made a lot
5:16of progress in terms of creating that
5:18sense of community and it was it was
5:19just the beginning of something great.
5:20>> Yeah. And it's just crazy to I mean I I
5:23I think it's probably the most cash that
5:25I can even imagine somebody just going
5:27to the bank for for completely valid
5:30reasons [laughter] to hand out. Uh, and
5:32this is the image of Spencer and you
5:33walking out of the bank with $30,000 is
5:35always just hilarious.
5:36>> Well, he took a leap of faith. It was my
5:38second day of work. [laughter] So, we
5:40were just getting started. He really
5:41didn't know me very well, but I was I
5:43was at the bank with him. So, that was
5:44perfect. Yeah. And we're no longer
5:47giving out $300 cash prizes for
5:49attending, but it is still completely
5:51free to attend, and we we are always
5:52committed to to making it an event like
5:54that. So, you know, it's evolved over
5:56the years, but when you think about it
5:58today, what are some of the things that
5:59kind of come to mind as the the best
6:01things and why why you think contractors
6:03keep coming back?
6:03>> I think the relationships that people
6:05create. I mean, I know personally the
6:07relationships I've been able to create
6:08with contractors and vendors at the
6:10expo, they go a long way towards what we
6:12do to help people throughout the year.
6:13So, I think contractors benefit from
6:15talking with other contractors. They
6:17enjoy getting together in a format and a
6:18forum that they don't have access to
6:20anywhere else. So, I really think it's
6:22just that sense of sharing ideas,
6:24getting to know each other, um, and
6:26creating a sense of community that that
6:28drives the expo.
6:29>> Yeah. Yeah. And, and, you know, we
6:30mentioned it for Brad, but it's the same
6:32for almost any of these logistics
6:33industries where there's a it's really
6:35hard to find one place where you can go
6:38and [snorts] get, you know, real truth
6:39or hear really learn things. Facebook's
6:41a forum, but it doesn't always work in
6:43the ways you want it to to really find
6:45actionable ways to be successful. And
6:47this is an event where you meet so many
6:49people. You come together and you have a
6:50great time and learn from those who are
6:52doing it well and learn from people
6:54who've struggled and find the best ways
6:55to be successful in whatever market and
6:57economy we find ourselves in. So I think
7:00that will always hold true. Uh and I
7:02know part of it is is the the learnings,
7:05the meeting with other contractors and
7:07other vendors and part of it are some of
7:09the educational sessions that we put on.
7:11So I want to touch on those a little
7:13bit. So we'll we'll come to FedEx first.
7:16So Butch, one thing that I know we we
7:18talk about FedEx as kind of this one
7:22industry, but realistically pick up and
7:24delivery and line are two very different
7:27sides of the coin with very different
7:29challenges. And so we do really make
7:31sure to have sessions and tracks for
7:33each separately. But let's talk B&D
7:35first. Uh, so I know that, you know, if
7:38you were just to kind of think about
7:40some of the biggest things people are
7:41talking about and and whether it's
7:44struggling with or trying to find
7:46success with what what's kind of top of
7:47mind for contractors when you're talking
7:48to them today?
7:49>> Really navigating 2.0. Um, and as you
7:52know, it's it's different across the
7:54country. They're at different phases of
7:55it. So the uncertainty that that brings
7:57to the outlook of the business, the
7:59changes that may come to the CSA because
8:01of 2.0, You know, all of that right now
8:03is is just top of mind for contractors
8:05and it's something that we've covered
8:07personally already. We'll cover again at
8:09the expo. Education has always been the
8:11backbone of Route Consultant and and
8:13that's really what drives our expo, too.
8:15So, um I I know we're going to cover it,
8:17but 2.0 is definitely top of mind for
8:19contractors.
8:20>> Yeah. And I mean, it's it's again the
8:22fragmented nature of things. There can
8:24be things happening in one pocket of the
8:26country that may very closely mirror
8:29what you'll experience in you know the
8:31other side of the country but you just
8:32don't know. There's no one to ask. You
8:33don't know to find the right people. So
8:35what we're trying to do is we'll have
8:36several sessions really focused on what
8:38are the operational realities both of
8:41what it's like before 2.0 comes when you
8:44know what are the signs to to see that
8:46it's coming imminently to your terminal
8:49also what is it like in that transition
8:51period? what are the different things
8:52we've seen from a a contract standpoint?
8:54How can you negotiate around certain key
8:56variables if your CSA is changing and
8:59and how do you really stay on top of
9:00that and still find ways to be
9:01financially profitable? And and then
9:03most importantly, I think what a lot of
9:05people really have the questions of,
9:06okay, once 2.0 happens, what happens to
9:09me? How do I still make money? Is it,
9:12you know, the end of the world? Is it
9:14something that's so different that I'll
9:15have to completely relearn all of the
9:17processes and all of the the playbooks
9:19that I've created? And I think the
9:21answer is not that it's a complete
9:23rewriting, but it is different and there
9:25are some things you need to learn and
9:26some ways to be successful. So, we'll
9:28have contractors who've done it for a
9:30long time, some contractors who are
9:31fresh in that model and really help find
9:34ways to be successful to talk through
9:37some of those challenges and find the
9:38right ways to to find a path forward.
9:40And that's ultimately what this is all
9:42about is as these changes happen, how do
9:45we find ways to be successful? So, I
9:48know that's top of mind for PND and and
9:49it's it it sounds like one topic, but
9:51really it's a wide variety of content
9:54and and I think basically everything
9:56that's related to P&D that we'll be
9:57talking about at the event is going to
9:59be colored by 2.0. It is the the new
10:02normal for FedEx, it's where they're
10:04putting all of their energy, all of
10:05their money. So, even if we're talking
10:07about hiring or if we're talking about
10:09safety, it's going to be what does that
10:11look like? How do you be successful at
10:13it? And how do you do that in this new
10:142.0 model? Does it change? and how do we
10:17continue to make sure that we're
10:18successful? And so that will color
10:20almost all conversation with P&D and it
10:23should rightfully should. And as an
10:25investor, you know, I think there's a
10:26lot of those same questions. I'm sure
10:28you're you're seeing those from buyers
10:29as well.
10:30>> That's absolutely right. I mean, we talk
10:31about the operational impacts of 2.0,
10:33but really as a contractor and a
10:35business owner, it it impacts how and
10:37when you can sell your business as well,
10:39too. And as an investor, you need to
10:41consider what the the ultimate impact of
10:442.0 0 is going to be to a CSA that you
10:46may be buying. So when we think about it
10:48from the bro broker role and and helping
10:50people create liquidity and get into the
10:52space, 2.0 is a massive factor on timing
10:55and when and what you can actually sell
10:57right now. So or buy for that matter.
10:59And so if FedEx's 2.0 is not only an
11:01operational challenge, but it is
11:03affecting how people transact these
11:05businesses as well.
11:06>> Yeah. Yeah, if you had an exit plan, it
11:08may be changing dramatically in real
11:10time as you're trying to to figure out
11:12if FedEx will even let you sell or if
11:14they'll say you have to wait two months
11:15or if they'll say sell right now or
11:18you're waiting 6 months and we'll try to
11:19help you through all of those different
11:20timelines. And we've obviously seen a
11:22bunch of it. So, if you're if you're
11:24going through it, we can help you, but
11:26uh we're going to try to help paint that
11:28picture as clearly as we can.
11:29>> Well, and the challenge is a lot of
11:30these terminal managers really don't
11:32know when or what is going to happen. So
11:35that's your source of contact along with
11:37SPS and they don't necessarily have the
11:39information they need to give you the
11:40answer and it's frustrating at times for
11:42people because like you said they may
11:43have an exit strategy, a timeline
11:45they're working on. Investors want to
11:46get into this space under under a
11:48timeline as well. So identifying those
11:50challenges on the front end of a
11:52transaction and what's going to happen
11:53with the CSA is really meaningful.
11:56>> Yeah. Yeah. And and I think that's a
11:57great point. You know, sometimes as a as
11:59a contractor, you feel really frustrated
12:01with your terminal manager not knowing
12:03everything, but you know, they're
12:04subject to a giant behemoth of a company
12:06where information passes down as needed.
12:09Uh, and so sometimes going to an event
12:11like this, you may learn information and
12:13strategies and timelines faster than
12:14your terminal manager just because
12:16you're hearing about it from people
12:17across the network and seeing what works
12:18and what doesn't. And it it's a it's a
12:21unique thing, but because of the
12:22information fragmentation within FedEx
12:24itself, this might actually be your best
12:26way and your best source of truth.
12:28>> Absolutely. Route Consultant is uniquely
12:30positioned to see these transactions in
12:32real time across different regions and
12:34to get the feedback that we're getting
12:36in real time. So, we probably have the
12:37best insight into across the country.
12:40Where is 2.0 and how is it impacting
12:41contractors currently?
12:42>> Yeah. So, we'll talk all about that. Uh
12:45so, so let's pivot a little bit from
12:47P&D. I know Lionh Hall is kind of your
12:49world. So, what are some of the big
12:51things, big questions happening in that
12:52space right now? Well,
12:53>> I'd say in the last few years, I've seen
12:55a lot of what I'll call institutional
12:57capital flowing into the linehaul space.
12:59Um, there is just more interest in
13:02owning linehaul from an institutional
13:05perspective than I've ever seen. So,
13:06that's one thing that is really driving
13:08the market, driving valuations. Um, but
13:11the operational aspect of it is, you
13:13know, FedEx is always doing things to
13:14improve their network. Um, and 2.0 0 is
13:17a big driver of that on the P&D and the
13:19line hall side. Um recently we've heard
13:21that they're going to be moving some of
13:22the teamr run freight to rail and the
13:25opportunities that that creates I think
13:27locally around these rail yards is yes
13:29some of these teams are going to be
13:30affected and they're going to be moving
13:31that freight instead of across the
13:33country they will be moving freight back
13:35and forth over and over again all day to
13:37these rail yards. So if you think
13:39strategically about the opportunities
13:41that this move may create, I see a lot
13:43of solo activity being created in
13:44certain markets around rail where
13:46they're going to be removing these
13:47teams. So it's it's not a just a
13:50negative that the rail is happening.
13:52It's just going to change and impact the
13:53network and you've got to look for the
13:55opportunities because you know they're
13:56going to come.
13:57>> Yeah, that's right. Yeah, the
13:58composition of Linhole could and there's
14:00always the opportunity for it to change.
14:02You know, that's just how FedEx is going
14:03to continually restructure and reinvent
14:06their network as needed. But yes, if
14:08team runs go away, you know, the rail is
14:11going to travel some distance, but rail
14:13can't go to every terminal. There's
14:14going to have to be a significant amount
14:16of solo and spot work to get that rail
14:19volume to the distributed network. So
14:21there's going to be changes, but like
14:23you said, part of what we'll be talking
14:25about is as these things happen, as
14:27these changes in the network happen, how
14:29do you best position yourself for
14:31growth? How do you build a plan around
14:33that? And and it's always going to be
14:34one of those things where here's what
14:36has worked for some, here's what's
14:38worked for others. If you're all team
14:41runs, how do you think about
14:42transitioning into any solos or spots?
14:45you know, if you've never done those
14:46types of runs, who do you go to learn
14:48from to figure out how to do those most
14:50effectively? I think this is a a time
14:52for that where any of those types of
14:55changes, you shouldn't be locking
14:57yourself into just teams or just solos
15:00as there's a lot of, you know,
15:02fluctuation and flexibility in the
15:03network. You're going to find the most
15:05growth, the most growth, and the most
15:07opportunity if you're open to different
15:09opportunities if as long as you're not
15:10locking yourself in.
15:11>> And it's it's not really new. We saw
15:13FedEx do a lot with capacity on the line
15:15hall side during and through COVID and
15:17then afterwards take some of that
15:18capacity out. It is necessary and right
15:21for them to do the things they need to
15:22do to optimize the network. Um there
15:24will be growth opportunities that come
15:26out of it though. It's just a matter of
15:28finding where you're going to get this
15:29growth in spot and solo work and
15:31positioning yourself to be able to take
15:32advantage of it.
15:33>> Yeah, 100%. And and I think there's also
15:36a whole conversation we'll be having
15:38around, you know, many line hall
15:39contractors that might be in in kind of
15:41the smaller business side and around
15:43three to five runs. How do you start to
15:45take the step to a larger business? You
15:47know, whether it's focusing internally
15:49on how you build it and find
15:50opportunities or partnering with, you
15:52know, outside capital or another
15:53contractor. We're going to have a few
15:54different sessions around how do you
15:56really grow and continue to build on the
15:58line hall side, which is a different,
16:00you know, series of steps than P&D. It
16:02does look different. and it does feel
16:03different. So,
16:04>> it's even different than it was a year
16:06ago because of the scale changes, right?
16:07So, FedEx is encouraging that larger
16:10contractor and offering people the
16:11opportunities to be larger than they
16:13used to offer them. So, uh I think
16:15you're going to see a lot of people kind
16:17of grow into the changes in the network
16:19and and if you know how to position
16:21yourself and you do it well, you can
16:22build a very nice business with it.
16:24>> Yeah. And across both PND P&D and
16:27linehaul, we're going to be touching on,
16:28you know, what are the ways that we've
16:30seen people maximize profitability. if
16:32you're focused on operating today, but
16:34also if you are looking at an exit ramp,
16:36what are the ways you maximize that exit
16:38price and that sale price and that's
16:40always going to be an ongoing
16:40conversation that we have tons of data
16:42on on seeing where people's expenses are
16:44trending and and how to be most
16:46effective in a variety of cases. But
16:48valuations, obviously, we're always
16:50going to bring that data and talk
16:51through that. Whether you're an investor
16:53trying to get in or a contractor
16:54thinking about how to get out, that's
16:56always going to be an important
16:57conversation point. So, we'll pause on
17:00P&D for now. Uh, and and I'll let you
17:02out of the hot seat, Butch. So, Stephen,
17:05uh, we'll go to you next. So, I I think
17:07just to start, you know, there's a lot
17:09of people who are familiar with the
17:10FedEx space and have kind of dug into
17:13that, but if they're still new to bread,
17:15if you're still trying to figure out if
17:16bread distribution is something you
17:18should be interested in, why would I be
17:20excited about bread?
17:21>> Yeah, great question. I mean the grocery
17:23business I think as a whole um is the
17:26number one marketed to place you visit
17:28on a weekly basis. So this is a big
17:30expenditure on um consumers you know
17:33weekly and monthly budgets and so
17:35there's a lot of business there. Um
17:38bread really offers some unique on-ramps
17:40with you know in-house financing.
17:42They're acquirable businesses um and you
17:44can scale them you know similar to FedEx
17:47in a great way. um you have a recessionp
17:50proof business. Um people need bread,
17:52milk, and eggs on a weekly basis. So, uh
17:54that's one reason that that I've been
17:55excited about the bread space, grocery
17:57in general. Um and there's some unique
17:59changes coming, you know, to even the
18:00grocery side like like Butch alluded to
18:02on the FedEx world. Um every company is
18:05trying to get better, right? They're
18:06trying to grow. They're trying to
18:07improve margins, trying to win with more
18:10customers. And that's really where, you
18:11know, Route Consultant can be a great
18:13asset to you as an investor. um or if
18:16you're just exploring the space, you
18:17know, get the education. It's really
18:18important.
18:19>> Yeah, 100% agree. Uh and it's funny, you
18:21know, we talk about it being recession
18:23proof. We we hear all the time of people
18:25saying, "Okay, well, I'm not buying
18:26white bread anymore, or I'm not going to
18:28buy X kind of bread." But they just move
18:30to another healthier bread option. It's
18:32just one of those things where bread,
18:34tortillas, uh you know, those are a
18:37staple of our economy. And we try to
18:39find industries whenever we bring it to
18:41investors that are recession proof, that
18:43are stable, and that we've shown have
18:45growth. So, as you're trying to get into
18:46one of these models, it really makes
18:48sense and you can feel a lot of security
18:50getting into it.
18:51>> Now, we talk all the time about
18:54e-commerce on the FedEx side of saying,
18:56you know, this is it's it's booming,
18:57it's growing, this is where the industry
18:59is going, this is where buying behaviors
19:01are going, but we, you know, like we
19:02just said, bread is all in store. Has
19:05e-commerce and that boom affected the
19:07grocery space?
19:08>> Yeah, without question. Um, you know,
19:10looking to the future, I think it's
19:12always important to know the catalyst
19:13behind those. And then there were really
19:15two over the last five or 10 years.
19:17First, when Amazon bought Whole Foods,
19:20>> you know, that really shot made a shock
19:22through the industry. And now all of a
19:23sudden, this online customer, you know,
19:25is now uniquely positioned with hundreds
19:28of retail, you know, brickandmortar
19:30locations nationwide. you know, Walmart
19:33and Kroger really took a big notice to
19:35that and so that really accelerated
19:37online shopping. The second, of course,
19:39was COVID. You know, there was not an
19:40industry that wasn't affected during
19:42that time. People started shopping
19:44online in ways that they haven't before.
19:46And now, you know, there's data points
19:48being gathered on consumers, their
19:50buying habits, products that they
19:52interact with. You know, this is really
19:53going to change the industry over the
19:55next 10 years. um for contractors that
19:58understand it and can position themsel
20:00well to benefit from it. So we have, you
20:03know, insights on the customer that we
20:05didn't have years before. Um you
20:08mentioned buying habits, you know,
20:09moving toward healthier breads. I know,
20:11um we've seen all over our social media
20:13sourdough bread in the last, you know,
20:15two years. And so all these events tend
20:18to move toward more of a premium price
20:20point, which accelerates growth um and
20:23also margin for the contractor and the
20:25company. Yeah. Yeah. It's it is a good
20:27point. You know, as we continue to shift
20:29our mindset to buying healthier options,
20:31those aren't cheaper options typically.
20:33So, as a as a distributor, those are
20:35higher margins. So, I we will be talking
20:37about, you know, how the grocery space
20:39is changing and how fulfillment really
20:41has to be even, you know, it's it's an
20:43even harder thing to deal with when
20:45you've got different pressures from
20:46Walmart and those types of vendors on,
20:49you know, you have to be ready for
20:51online fulfillment. And it just has
20:53different things that are required of
20:54you as a distributor, but how do you
20:56still be successful in that and find the
20:57ways to be the most profitable? And then
21:00one thing you touched on, you've built
21:02to be a multi- route operator. So I I do
21:04think a lot of people in this industry
21:08exclusively view themselves as, you
21:09know, I built this business where I have
21:12one van. I am the the owner of the
21:14business. I drive it and, you know, I'll
21:16pass this down to my kids. And that is a
21:18completely valid way to look at this
21:20space. But are we seeing different
21:22opportunities here to continue to build
21:23this to be a multi-route operator in the
21:26bread or grocery space?
21:27>> Yeah, that's that's what makes grocery
21:29so unique is is you have the unique
21:31ability to continue on as an owner
21:33operator as your business grows. If you
21:35want to, you know, um chop off pieces,
21:38sell off half, um keep it as an owner
21:41operator position, you can certainly do
21:42that. Um, but you can also grow and
21:44scale and turn it into multi-truck if
21:46you want to manage employees and and
21:49grow and scale the operation. So, um, no
21:51matter what your investing goals are,
21:53there's a pathway for, uh, the grocery
21:55business to be successful for you. Just
21:57depends on how you want to approach it.
21:59>> Yeah. And we'll talk about that. We'll
22:00talk about building those types of
22:02growth strategies in this space because
22:05I do still see this industry as
22:07something that is very similar to where
22:09FedEx was, you know, 10 15 years ago
22:11where there were a lot of single route
22:13operators and it was a consolidation
22:15effort by a FedEx. But I think there's
22:17an opportunity and there's a lot of the
22:19bread distributors, the the actual
22:20bakeries themselves seeing that there is
22:23some value in bread route operators
22:25being multi-oute operators and achieving
22:27that scale of managing employees and
22:29operating where you're not in the truck
22:31every day. And so as we continue to to
22:33help contractors reach that point,
22:36there's a lot of education on how do you
22:38be successful as a multi-route operator.
22:40And so part of it is is, you know, doing
22:42the job well, but also building the back
22:43office in the business to do so, which
22:46you obviously we've seen across the
22:47board in a variety of logistics spaces
22:49over the years. We can help people build
22:51that back office and build a growth plan
22:53as they're thinking about how do I get
22:55off of a truck and and still make money
22:57in this business.
22:58>> Yeah. As an owner operator, you know,
22:59you are you're the HR manager, you're
23:02the fleet manager, you know, you manage
23:04everything about that and and getting
23:05time off, taking vacation with your
23:07family becomes a challenge. So that was
23:09the biggest thing I found as an owner
23:10operator was it was difficult to get
23:13that time away and as you grow in scale
23:15you know economies of scale just benefit
23:17everything. So you start bringing on
23:19managers you step aside and start
23:21working on your business rather than in
23:23your business. Um makes for better work
23:26life balance. Everybody seems to be
23:28happier.
23:28>> Yeah. And we'll talk about valuations.
23:30We'll talk about all of that as well
23:31when we get into the to the side at expo
23:33too around you know what does a good
23:35business look like? what are the right
23:36expense scales and and what are these
23:38typically trending at. So again, that
23:40that is where a lot of our additional
23:42expertise lies. And so we'll make sure
23:43that whether you're looking to get into
23:45the space or thinking about exiting that
23:47we help you think through what that
23:48looks like. So um those are some of the
23:51biggest things. I know we'll be talking
23:52about FedEx and PND and and lineal and
23:55bread, but I just wanted to make sure
23:58that people listening know that those
24:00are not the only two industries we'll be
24:02talking about. So, this is not
24:03exclusively an event for FedEx and
24:05bread. Uh, obviously, if those are two
24:08industries that you're interested in, we
24:09will have plenty for you to learn and
24:11talk about, but we continue to want to
24:13make the expo a place for logistics
24:15professionals in the last mile space to
24:17come together and learn. And that
24:19includes more than just FedEx and bread.
24:21So you'll hear from Amazon, security,
24:23waste management, and a variety of other
24:25models that we're going to continue to
24:26bring to market as we find those right
24:28fits and the things that we think that
24:30people will really uh, you know, learn
24:32from and benefit from if they jump into
24:34those models. And even if you're laser
24:35focused on FedEx or you're laser focused
24:37on bread, you can learn a lot from other
24:39logistics professionals being there.
24:41There may be a waste management tool
24:43that helps you schedule that saves you
24:44hours over the course of a week or you
24:46may go and talk to an Amazon distributor
24:48that is crushing the hiring model and
24:50you can take those same strategies, that
24:52same playbook and bring it to FedEx or
24:54bread and really benefit from it. So, we
24:56want to continue to make this a place
24:58where there's tons of people there that
25:00you can learn from, ask questions, and
25:02find the right way to be successful.
25:03We're all in the same economy. We're all
25:05operating with the same types of
25:06drivers, same types of trucks for the
25:08most part. And so there's plenty you can
25:10learn from others who are there and we
25:12want to make sure that uh whatever
25:14industry you're interested in, we're
25:15going to have some content, some ways
25:16for you to find value in it. Now, uh
25:20before we go too much farther, I I just
25:23I I wanted to give kind of a quick
25:25opportunity at the end here. We've
25:26talked a lot about content and different
25:28things. Just to come back to for each of
25:31you, if I was just going to, you know,
25:32if you were going to have a minute to
25:34give a a one or two sentence, why would
25:37you come to Expo? I just want to give
25:38each of you kind of a a last thought on
25:40those two. So, I I'll let Butch go first
25:42and Stephen talked last.
25:44>> Thank you, Josh. Um, I would say coming
25:46to the expo truly is a unique
25:48experience. You're only going to get to
25:49do it one time a year in one place and
25:52the people that come are all facing the
25:55same challenges you're facing. Everyone
25:57has their right ideas about how they can
25:59fix it. But learning from the other
26:01people, meeting the people that you may
26:02never get a chance to meet, those things
26:04are invaluable at the expo. I mean I I
26:07know personally I've made great
26:08relationships. I know contractors who
26:11I've introduced to other people that
26:12they stay great friends. They share
26:13business practices. The content that we
26:16provide it is just top to bottom an
26:18extremely fun and energetic few days. Um
26:22and what people take from it is is a
26:23great experience. A lot of fun memories
26:25and a lot of knowledge.
26:27>> Yeah. Yeah, it is definitely a lot of
26:28fun. I I I won't write that part of the
26:30equation off.
26:32>> Yes, it's definitely fun.
26:33>> Yeah. All right.
26:35Well said, Butch. Well, I mean, the
26:37value add to Expo is is tremendous,
26:39right? Nashville is a great place to
26:40come visit if you're looking for some
26:42for some business write offs. Nashville
26:44is a great place to do that. Um, tons of
26:46free content, right? This is a this is a
26:48great forum for people to come together
26:49in the industry. Um, to meet with other
26:51vendors, you know, if you're serious
26:53about getting into the space and you
26:55want to find the people that you need a
26:57part of your team to make a business run
26:59successfully, you know, we have um
27:01pathways there for you to make those
27:02introductions. Um, it's a great place to
27:05learn. It's a great place to explore and
27:07um, and think about what's to come.
27:09>> Yeah. And you know, we say free content,
27:11we've that also includes free food and
27:13free drinks, which contributes to the
27:15fun. So, however you're thinking about
27:17coming, it it is an event that, you
27:19know, you can learn a don and we want to
27:21make sure you have a good time in
27:22Nashville. And again, big picture, this
27:24is an event where our goal is to help
27:27you build the right playbooks to be the
27:29most profitable, the most efficient you
27:31can be in 2026 and have the fewest
27:33headaches. So, really, that's how we
27:35designed the event. That's what we want
27:37everyone to get out of it. Coming to
27:39Nashville at the beginning of January is
27:41a great way to begin the year. Uh, you
27:43know, you can kind of take a reset after
27:45peak season and start to plan and really
27:47be set up for 2026. So, for anyone who's
27:51still interested, uh, we do have
27:52registration that's open now. You just
27:54go to the website, but the most
27:55important thing is also to make sure you
27:56book your hotel room. Those will fill up
27:59as we continue to to progress through
28:01the year. And so, make sure you get
28:03those locked in and, you know, tell
28:04other contractors, tell anybody else
28:06that you talk to, free for them as well.
28:08And just to that point, if you happen to
28:11refer somebody and you both come and you
28:13come to the table together, we'll give
28:14you a $25 gift card. not just free, we
28:17are still doing a little of those
28:19[laughter] those cash and bags handouts
28:21to people. So, it's a great time and I'm
28:24really looking forward to both, you
28:25know, uh spending time with you all
28:27there and for everybody to come in
28:29Nashville and hopefully we will see
28:32everyone's listening and and all the
28:33contractor community there in January
28:352026.
28:36>> And on the FedEx side, we encourage you
28:37to bring your BCS. I mean, it is a very
28:40neat event for them as well, too. And um
28:42and so it's it's tremendous opportunity.
28:44Bring your team if you come. It's It's
28:45well worth it.
28:46>> Yeah. And they'll thank you for it.
28:47They'll have a good time, too.
28:48>> Yes. Yes, they will.
28:50>> Perfect. So, uh I'll end it there for
28:52this one. Um there is plenty more
28:54content to come. We just barely
28:56scratched the surface of what you can
28:58expect and the schedule will be live
28:59soon as well so that you can see all of
29:01that, see all the sessions that are
29:03coming and we'll continue to update that
29:04as we get closer to the expo. Uh so
29:07there will be some things that come out
29:08a little bit later, but we want to make
29:10sure that uh everyone is locked in and
29:12we will hopefully see all of you in
29:14early January.
29:16[music]

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