CTE Logistics

From the moment you walk into our new warehouse, you’ll notice two striking features: the wall of beliefs and the grand seed counter, which is used as the front office desk. Without these values hard at work, we wouldn’t have been nearly as successful in our nearly 12 years as a business. Coming soon, we will display photographs and achievements, like our multiple Inc. 5000 awards, that tell the story of how founders Todd and Kimm Lytle started CTE on a small book of business, two small kids in tow and a lot of faith. If these walls could talk, they would tell the story of the hard working, dedicated people who are behind the success of CTE Logistics.

Our client services team says building trust is two-fold: it’s a part of the CTE Logistics culture and it’s a part of the team members’ personal goals of excellence. ” Building trust is a key ingredient in the CTE culture, and the client service team prides themselves on aspects of their service, like the level of detail in their updates and problem solving behind the scenes when a potential issue begins to arise. By doing so, some of CTE’s biggest clients simply call up, share their shipping or warehousing needs and put their faith in the hands of the CTE team. By building trusting relationships with clients, the team also shares the knowledge that the team learns, through ongoing education like industry credentials, which strengthens the client relationships even more.

Washington State Governor Jay Inslee recognized this crisis and decided to use $24 million from its CARES ACT Stimulus money to purchase computers for students in a distance learning setting. Pegasus Logistics Group, who happens to be our partner and client, worked diligently and tirelessly to create an International Domestic Spin Solution in 3 weeks from Hong Kong to Washington State School Districts. Pegasus asked CTE Logistics if we had the bandwidth and capability to solve the remaining part of the logistics puzzle: moving the 20,000 Evolve laptops to each of their school district destinations across the state of Washington. A special thanks to those who made this story possible: Evolve III, Pegasus Logistics Group, Peninsula Truck Lines, Director Sales Jonn Bowersock at Pegasus Logistics, International Project Lead Carmen Fernandez at Pegasus Logistics, Domestic Project Lead Jim Horkey at Pegasus Logistics, VP Solutions David Cannon at Pegasus Logistics, COO Matt Rollins at Evolve III and VP Sales Charles Franklin at Evolve III.

It’s hard to believe that, despite the uncertainty, we’ve been able to move into our new warehouse building, land a spot again on the Inc. 5000 fastest growing private businesses and welcome more team members to our CTE family. We encouraged our team to use our brand’s beliefs in conversations, displayed our values on the wall and found ways to use them to better serve our clients. But just because our plans couldn’t have predicted what would happen in 2020, we still see the value of looking at the year ahead to set goals, find ways to stay aligned and make sure we are continuing to build a business that is good for our people, our clients, our partners and our community. As we move into a new year, with a renewed sense of optimism, I hope you have a chance to look at what lessons you’ll carry forward it into the new year.