thoughtleaders
BY MITCH MAC DONALD, GROUP EDITORIAL DIRECTOR
Doing the right thing
There are plenty
of benefits to
launching a
corporate social
responsibility
program, says
Randy Mullett. And
not one of them
has anything to do
YOU’RE NOT LIKELY TO FIND A LOGISTICS PROFESSIONAL WHO’S EXPERIENCED
the trucking industry from as many perspectives as C. Randal (Randy) Mullett has.
Mullett literally learned the business from the ground up, serving in jobs ranging from
terminal manager all the way up to roles in the executive suite. Today, he is the top policy executive in Washington, D.C., for Con-way Inc., a $5.3 billion freight transportation and global logistics services company based in Ann Arbor, Mich.
Mullett’s official title at Con-way is vice president, government relations and public
affairs, but that doesn’t begin to convey the breadth of his responsibilities. In addition
to his policy-related activities, Mullett heads up the company’s corporate communications function, which encompasses social responsibility. He also serves as Con-way’s
chief sustainability officer, with responsibility for corporatewide initiatives aimed at
improving economic and environmental sustainability through practices that boost
operating efficiencies and cut carbon emissions.
Mullett met recently with DC VELOCITY Group Editorial Director Mitch Mac Donald
to talk about social responsibility programs, how these initiatives are changing the logistics landscape, and why trucking companies will never be as popular as Starbucks.
with feeling good.
QWe’ve spoken often about the importance of social responsibility for corporate America. How do you define corporate social responsibility?
AIt is concentrating on things that add social value for stakeholders. For a long time, the prevailing mentality among businesses was that we were just here to make
money and that we were solely charged with driving economic value for the shareholders. It has become very clear to us that changing demands of customers, including the
communities that we live and work in, government, and all kinds of other external
stakeholders are really focused on the notion of social value as well.
At one time, social responsibility was largely about the environment. Now, I think
more and more people think beyond pure environmental sustainability to things like
sustainable business models, giving back to the communities you operate in, and making your employees and their families feel like the organization they’re involved with
isn’t just supporting them financially but also shares common values and is taking the
higher road, so to speak.
QIn the past, companies have sometimes hesitated to take this path because of con- cerns about cost. But doing good and doing well financially—driving shareholder value—don’t have to be mutually exclusive, do they?
ANo, they are not mutually exclusive at all. In fact, a ton of academic research in recent years indicates that corporations that have social responsibility programs
see other kinds of benefits. They see better retention. They see higher employee engage-
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