2023 Accelerate Conference | Success through Storytelling: Strategies to Market Yourself and Your Company

Effectively telling and marketing your story — whether as an individual seeking career or personal growth or as a company marketing your unique opportunities to professional drivers and technicians — have become critical pillars in achieving success in today’s consumer-driven job market. From understanding your audience and creating the right messaging and content to leveraging the right channels in the right ways, this dynamic session will cover best practices, tips, and concrete strategies that both individuals and companies as employers can utilize and implement in their career journeys and their recruiting and retention programs. Featuring marketing and recruiting professionals at innovative and prominent trucking fleets, as well as experts from The National Transportation Institute and Drive My Way, this insightful panel discussion will demonstrate to attendees the value of their story and how to communicate it successfully to achieve personal growth and to hit their recruiting goals.

Based upon your roles and responsibilities, attend this session hear from industry leaders who have traversed this journey and have discovered proven, successful strategies that you can apply at your company:

For professional drivers or technicians, whether you’ve just entered the industry or you’re in the peak of your career, being able to articulate your personal achievements and story are foundational to accomplishing your goals and capturing your next career milestone, as well as becoming a mentor for others in the industry to turn to. This presentation will help you find and build that foundation.
Recruiters and marketing professionals have learned hard lessons over the past few years about the importance of the symbiotic relationship between the two departments. Enticing candidates for driver and technician jobs takes a multi-layered, interdepartmental strategy that’s centered on conveying the story of why drivers want to choose your fleet as the best stop in their career. Learn how marketing and recruiting teams can leverage each other’s strengths to excel in storytelling in ads, job listings, social media channels, recruiting calls and text messages, and all other tools available in today’s world.

MEET THE SPEAKERS

Facilitator
Leah Shaver

President & CEO
The National Transportation Institute (NTI)

Facilitator
Leah Shaver

President & CEO
The National Transportation Institute (NTI)

Leah Shaver, President & CEO of The National Transportation Institute (NTI), is a trucking industry expert on professional driver wages, best practices, and programs. In 2019 she joined the lineup on SiriusXM’s Road Dog Trucking Radio, Channel 146. Recognized as a Top Woman to Watch in Transportation, Leah specializes in strategy: tackling driver recruiting, retention, and development of the driver candidate pool.

Leah’s career centers on the growth and expansion of the transportation industry while reinforcing its best resource – professional truck drivers! Under Leah’s leadership, NTI strives to deliver opportunities for companies employing professional drivers to grow, attract additional workers, and expand in their marketplace with an appropriately compensated, engaged, and retained workforce.

Her upbeat attitude earned her the handle "Sunshine Girl" on SiriusXM's Channel 146. Whether she's on-air with professional drivers or consulting in a boardroom with fleets of all sizes, Leah brings her sunny disposition everywhere she goes, offering encouraging guidance focused on top performance, career growth, and retention.

Philanthropy is vital to rounding out Leah's efforts in the trucking industry. NTI donates a portion of all revenue generated to non-profit causes that support professional drivers and foster children in the US. In addition to owning and operating NTI and contributing on-air at SiriusXM, Leah serves on the Board of Directors of The Next Generation in Trucking Association.Leah Shaver, President & CEO of The National Transportation Institute (NTI), is a trucking industry expert on professional driver wages, best practices, and programs. In 2019 she joined the lineup on SiriusXM’s Road Dog Trucking Radio, Channel 146. Recognized as a Top Woman to Watch in Transportation, Leah specializes in strategy: tackling driver recruiting, retention, and development of the driver candidate pool. Leah’s career centers on the growth and expansion of the transportation industry while reinforcing its best resource – professional truck drivers! Under Leah’s leadership, NTI strives to deliver opportunities for companies employing professional drivers to grow, attract additional workers, and expand in their marketplace with an appropriately compensated, engaged, and retained workforce. Her upbeat attitude earned her the handle "Sunshine Girl" on SiriusXM's Channel 146. Whether she's on-air with professional drivers or consulting in a boardroom with fleets of all sizes, Leah brings her sunny disposition everywhere she goes, offering encouraging guidance focused on top performance, career growth, and retention. Philanthropy is vital to rounding out Leah's efforts in the trucking industry. NTI donates a portion of all revenue generated to non-profit causes that support professional drivers and foster children in the US. In addition to owning and operating NTI and contributing on-air at SiriusXM, Leah serves on the Board of Directors of The Next Generation in Trucking Association.

Beth Potratz

President & CEO
Drive My Way

Beth Potratz

President & CEO
Drive My Way

Beth Potratz, Co-Founder and CEO for Drive My Way, has over 20 years of experience. Beth is an innovative, forward-thinking HR professional who is disrupting truck driver recruiting by treating the driver as a consumer in the employment relationship and making recruiting personal again. Beth is passionate about helping people find a meaningful career that fits their lifestyle.

Prior to Drive My Way, Beth built a successful HR consulting practice serving organizations in a variety of industries and held senior positions at Unilever, Rockwell Automation and Helene Curtis.

Beth earned a Master of Labor Relations and Human Resources from Cleveland State University and a Bachelor of Arts in Organizational Communication from Loyola University of Chicago. Beth resides in Cleveland, Ohio and enjoys spending time with family.

Kaitlyn Cambria

Recruitment Marketing Manager
NFI

Kaitlyn Cambria

Recruitment Marketing Manager
NFI

Kaitlyn has led an impressive career as a Recruitment Marketing Manager with her five years working in the transportation industry. In 2020, she was recognized with the Bleed Blue award for her commitment to growing the transportation business. Kaitlyn started her career with NFI back in 2018 as a Transportation Operations Support Manager Trainee and have worked her way up to her current role.

Serving as the Recruitment Marketing Manager at NFI Industries, Kaitlyn plays a major role in lead generation, driver recognition and social media management. Through her commitment to this role, she has helped NFI Industries improve driver turnover, recruitment, and brand awareness.

Kaitlyn enjoys developing others by being part of the Employee Resource Groups: Young Professionals & Women Initiative Network.

Cate Whitman

Marketing and Communications Manager
Paper Transport

Cate Whitman

Marketing and Communications Manager
Paper Transport

Cate Whitman is the Marketing and Communications Manager at Paper Transport, a renowned Top 100 For-Hire Carrier and a distinguished Top 20 Intermodal/Drayage Carrier. Her journey began with a strong foundation in English from the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay, leading to five years of dedicated copywriting and content marketing experience. Whitman's seamless transition into the trucking industry has driven transformative driver growth for Paper Transport over the course of 9 years with the company. She leverages cutting-edge strategies, including content marketing, email marketing, conversion rate optimization, social marketing, and influencer/referral marketing, guided by Brand Awareness principles. This approach strategically targets persona journeys, consistently exceeding expectations and cementing Paper Transport's leadership in the industry.

Kelley Cox

Driver Attraction Recruiting Manager
Pilot Flying J

Kelley Cox

Driver Attraction Recruiting Manager
Pilot Flying J

Joining Pilot Company in 2017, Kelley Cox serves as the Driver Attraction Recruiting Manager. In this role, she oversees the driver recruiting team, facilitates the professional development of the recruiters, acts as the liaison between Pilot Company and driver related organizations, and assists in supporting the transportation team with driver related projects. She is dedicated to positively changing the lives of drivers, as well as ensuring Pilot Company is hiring the right person in the right place.

Abigail Lawson

Senior Director Recruitment
Ryder System, Inc.

Abigail Lawson

Senior Director Recruitment
Ryder System, Inc.

BIO COMING SOON

Success through Storytelling: Strategies to Market Yourself and Your Company

MEET THE SPEAKERS

Facilitator Leah Shaver

Facilitator Leah Shaver

Beth Potratz

Beth Potratz

Kaitlyn Cambria

Kaitlyn Cambria

Cate Whitman

Cate Whitman

Kelley Cox

Kelley Cox

Abigail Lawson

Abigail Lawson

Facilitator
Leah Shaver

Facilitator
Leah Shaver