"Make progress every day."
Sebastian Giordano Tweet
Sebastian Giordano is the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of TLSS, a transportation and logistics company with operations in the Northeast US, currently serving NY, NJ, CT, and MA.
As a business leader, Sebastian’s strategic vision for TLSS is to become a premier provider of transportation and logistics services in North America that delivers outstanding results to its primary constituents, including customers, employees, and stockholders.
With his acquisition strategy, he aims to transition the company from a purely lower-margin service-based provider to a higher-margin solution-based provider by leveraging technology to communicate with customers, run the business, and generate new revenue streams.
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Table of Contents
We are thrilled to have you join us today, welcome to ValiantCEO Magazine’s exclusive interview! Let’s start off with a little introduction. Tell our readers a bit about yourself and your company.
Sebastian Giordano: I am the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of TLSS, a growing transportation and logistics company with operations in NY, NJ, CT, and MA currently serving the Northeast US.
The overarching strategic vision of TLSS is to become a premier provider of transportation and logistics services in North America that delivers outstanding results to our primary constituents – our customers, employees and stockholders.
We provide a variety of transportation services including:
- Cartage, Truck Load and LTL
- Air Freight / Container Freight Station Pickups / Drayage
- Construction Trade Freight
- Rail-side Unloading and Delivery
- Transloading
- Warehousing & Distribution
- Pool Distribution/Final Mile
- TSA Certified
- White Glove Delivery
Quiet quitting, The Great Resignation, are an ongoing trend causing many businesses to struggle keeping talent engaged and motivated. Most are leaving because of their boss or their company culture. 82% of people feel unheard, undervalued and misunderstood in the workplace. In your experience, what keeps employees happy? And how are adapting to the current shift we see?
Sebastian Giordano: As I mentioned earlier in my vision for the Company, one of our key constituents are our employees and the mission here is to empower, develop and recognize our valued employees. To accomplish this, I have reconstituted what the human resource function is – Department of Employee Support and Development.
In support of TLSS’s principles, values, vision, and mission, it is the mission of the Employee Support & Development Department to assist the Company in meeting its corporate goals by focusing on the equitable treatment and career development of its most value resource – its PEOPLE.
The Department will be a catalyst in creating and implementing innovative policies, programs and services that empower all TLSS employees to contribute and achieve at optimum levels for the success of the Company and themselves.
For starters, getting employees more involved beyond just “doing their function,” providing outlets for them to be heard, motivate them to contribute ideas and suggestions, create opportunities for them to learn and grow, and having immediate recognition for their contributions. Get their input when fostering change (improvement).
Online business keeps on surging higher than ever, B2B, B2C, online shopping, virtual meetings, remote work, Zoom medical consultations, what are your expectations for the year to come and how are you capitalizing on the tidal wave?
Sebastian Giordano: We are in a fundamental business of trucking, delivery, warehousing which is more of a service business. My acquisition strategy is to identify and secure technology driven opportunities that transition us from purely a lower margin service based provider to a higher margin solution based provider.
Technology, both in how we run our business, communicate with our B2B and B2C audience, and for new revenue generation, is something we are looking at. With several opportunities I am evaluating, I expect that Online shopping will be a critical component that involves the services/solutions we expect to offer in the future.
Business is all about overcoming obstacles and creating opportunities for growth. What do you see as THE real challenge right now?
Sebastian Giordano: Fundamentally, I am a turnaround specialist so I have been living and breathing this for years. So, there are the inherent challenges facing a particular company and then external forces that could impact the business. For TLSS, we have moved past virtually all of the internal challenges the Company faced prior to completing the restructuring.
With an initial growth by acquisition strategy, some of the challenges we face are identifying and securing the proper strategic acquisitions, making sure that we have adequate infrastructure to continue to add acquisitions, effectively integrating them, and then organically growing them.
As a public company that went through a challenging two year period, the Company has had to undergo quite a bit of dilution and we do not believe that our current stock price reflects the true state of the business or the opportunity.
As such, that could present some potential challenges for us from a capital raising perspective and in optimally utilizing stock as a currency for acquisitions.
2020, 2021, 2022 threw a lot of curve balls into businesses on a global scale. Based on the experience gleaned in the past years, how can businesses thrive in 2023? What lessons have you learned and what advice would you share?
Sebastian Giordano: Not as much a lesson for me, but just reinforcement of the fact that things will take time, so you need patience, especially when it involves a turnaround or working through difficult times. Unfortunately, most people are not patience. Neither are some of the constituents you are serving.
I am a firm believer in the fact while you need to have a long-term vision, it comes down to what I call an ongoing series of 30-60-90 day plans. Make progress every day. Ultimately, it comes to execution. Also, learn to be a great custodian of money. That has served me very well over the years in turning around, running and building businesses.
So for 2023, have a plan, stay focused, and ensure small, consistent successes that you can build upon. Learn how to manage money. Assess quickly, adapt quickly and cut your losses when necessary.
What does “success” in the year to come mean to you? It could be on a personal or business level, please share your vision.
Sebastian Giordano: For the Company, every year since I got involved, whether as a consultant or now Chairman and CEO, we have been able to improve the Company.
So, for 2023 it is merely a continuation of that – achieving the plan that is in place. Continue to strategically acquire and grow, get the company to profitability and position it for an uplist, market permitting.
I want to our constituents – employees, customers and stockholders to feel as though we delivered for them – provide the safest, most reliable and best-in-class services to our valued customers; empower, develop, and recognize our valued employees while generating sustained, profitable growth to increase shareholder value.
Jed Morley, VIP Contributor to ValiantCEO and the host of this interview would like to thank Sebastian Giordano for taking the time to do this interview and share his knowledge and experience with our readers.
If you would like to get in touch with Sebastian Giordano or his company, you can do it through his – Linkedin Page
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