inperson
Greg Gantt is president and CEO of Old Dominion Freight Line (OD). Gantt joined the
company in 1994 as a regional vice president and was subsequently named senior vice
president of operations, then executive vice president and COO. His operational focus has
propelled OD to significant growth and industry-leading performance. Gantt earned a
degree in health and physical education from Appalachian State University, where he was
a member of the wrestling team. He remains a fan of NCAA wrestling as well as Major
League Baseball. He recently spoke with DC VELOCITY Editorial Director David Maloney.
Greg Gantt of Old
Dominion Freight Line
BASEBALL. WHY IS THAT IMPORTANT TO YOUR
COMPANY VALUES?
A: We think it’s essential to be a good corporate citizen. We have 235 service centers across
the country, and our OD Family lives and
works in all of these communities. We want
to make each community a better place than
when we first arrived.
You mentioned youth baseball, and that
brings to mind a fun example. We’re the
Official Freight Carrier of Major League
Baseball and a few years ago created a base-ball-filled trailer to travel around the country,
making stops at various MLB stadiums. This
year, we removed the baseballs from the trailer and wanted to give them a second life. We
donated more than 12,000 baseballs to “Pitch
in for Baseball & Softball,” an organization
that gives boys and girls access to recreation
and contributes to positive youth development by providing baseball and softball equipment to children around the world.
Q: YOU HAVE PERSONALLY BEEN INVOLVED IN COLLEGIATE WRESTLING. ARE THERE LESSONS FROM
THE SPORT THAT TRANSLATE TO YOUR LEADERSHIP
ROLE AT OLD DOMINION?
A: Yes, wrestling is a lot of hard work as is
LTL trucking. In wrestling, you have to work
hard every day, and you have to be consistent.
There are no shortcuts. There are no quick
fixes or gimmicks. Hard work and determination win every time. This directly relates to my
philosophy as a leader and the way we operate
at OD.
Q: OLD DOMINION HAS CONSISTENTLY
RANKED AMONG THE TOP LTL (
LESS-THAN-TRUCKLOAD) CARRIERS IN THE
NATION. TO WHAT DO YOU ATTRIBUTE
THAT SUCCESS?
A: We have a unique culture at OD.
Our people are committed to servicing our customers. We call it “Service
2.OD.” In addition, our management
team is tremendous; we are experienced, and all are on the same page,
making a strong team.
Q: YOUR COMPANY MOTTO IS “HELPING THE WORLD KEEP PROMISES.” AS
PRESIDENT AND CEO, WHAT DOES THAT MEAN TO YOU?
A: Helping the World Keep Promises means we will help our customers keep their promises to their customers. Every shipment we
handle is an opportunity to impress two customers (our customer
and our customer’s customer).
Q: OLD DOMINION WAS NAMED TO FORBES MAGAZINE’S 2019 BEST
EMPLOYERS LIST. WHAT MAKES YOUR COMPANY A DESIRABLE PLACE TO
WORK?
A: We were recognized because of our culture, and our employees
are the heart behind that. People come to work at OD and have the
opportunity to create a life-long career. I am the perfect example
of that. I came to OD in 1994 and served in a handful of positions
throughout the company before being named CEO this past year.
Inside OD, we refer to ourselves as the “OD Family,” because we
look out for each other, we have a mutual respect for one another,
and we have a passion for the business and our mission to provide
the best service to our customers. All of this makes OD a place
where people want to work every day.
Q: OD IS INVOLVED IN MANY CHARITABLE CAUSES, INCLUDING YOUTH
In our continuing series
of discussions with top
supply chain company
executives, Greg Gantt of
Old Dominion Freight Line
shares how his company
strives to help its customers
keep promises every day.
