Dawn Montez
“Greetings – My name is Dawn Montez and I hope to buy another freight brokerage company”
We bought Tyrone Transportation of Minnesota and Cargo-Transit of North Carolina as both owners wanted to retire. We now have 12 offices in 10 states.
“I retired after selling to Dawn in very easy negotiations”
– Leo, Owner Tyrone Transportation.“I retired by selling to Dawn and I am wintering in Florida”
- Lisa, Owner Cargo Transit.
My Story…..
…I didn’t know the first thing about freight while I was in college, but I got a part time job at a small freight brokerage doing filing, giving quotes, customer service, dispatching drivers and most importantly, billing and collecting the money.
By the time I graduated from college with a degree in psychology, I had accidently received the equivalent of an MBA in freight. I continued in that brokerage for a few years, then decided to max my credit cards to start my own freight brokerage in 1997.
Never in my wildest dreams had I thought I want to be in freight. I just kind of fell into it. This was a climb that required persistence, savvy and a sense of daring, but I was ready to work long hours focusing on customer service. I was ready to do whatever would help my customers as I learned to see things from their point of view. Our breakthrough came when other Minnesota brokers were cancelling their Yellow Page ads to rush to the Internet; instead I bought bigger ads in the Yellow Pages and we captured the local market for phone freight quotes. Once we got a new client, we worked hard to hold them!
I continued to follow Business 101:
- Having quality receivables.
- Carefully managing cash flow.
- Not overly dependent on any one client.
As a woman in the traditionally male world of freight, I love seeing my efforts succeed.
A few years ago,I asked my friend Pat to un-retire and help me with expansion as Pat and I both have decades of “hands on” experience in trucking, warehousing and freight brokerage. In our 2 year marketing campaign, we contacted a target market of 117 freight brokerage companies and found 5 willing to sell. We closed 2 deals bringing us $7 million dollars in new revenue.
We would like to talk to any freight brokerage owners looking for a smooth path to retirement. All talk is 100% confidential. Please write Pat@TrafficMgmt.com for an initial contact.
Regards, Dawn Montez and Pat O’Neil