“Supply chain success at scale.”

NRS is solving today’s toughest supply chain challenges for some of the world largest companies thanks to its culture of collaboration, created and nurtured by NRS’ COO, Jon Hoch. It’s a culture that helps teams stay coordinated nationwide, from Los Angeles to New York. In the supply chain industry, it takes a synchronized team to succeed – from devising complex logistics solutions to managing shipments through the ports to delivering to stores across the country.

Under Jon’s leadership, NRS continues to grow by developing creative solutions for present and future partners. In addition to existing gateway solutions for ports, dedicated trucking services and store delivery operations, the company’s newest division, Keystone Capacity, offers a unique and inventive alternative to the typical freight brokerage product.

And, for temperature-controlled shipments, Keystone Fresh provides partners with cost-effective problem solving in metropolitan markets.

“NRS possesses the rare ability to create successful, long-lasting, and meaningful relationships with our partners,” says Jon. “Working with companies over an extended period of time allows us to learn, grow, and succeed together. We are proud to host decade-long relationships with partners that allow us to push boundaries and strive for mutual success.”

 

“While competition motivates us to succeed, the idea of controlling our core keeps us anchored. Our internal staff is focused on delivering superior solutions rather than being distracted by competitors. Unlike our competitors, NRS considers our business relationships as partnerships. We deliver effective and successful business solutions by working closely with our partners.”

Using constant and effective communication, Jon addresses problems and identifies solutions with companywide transparency and a collaborative atmosphere. He is always looking to the future, and his strategic thinking keeps the company poised to take advantage of emerging opportunities and tackle unexpected challenges.

Jon believes in traditional teamwork and his mentality is contagious.

Throughout his career, Jon has developed a sharp ability to listen to team members' needs. He then addresses those needs thoughtfully to generate trust across the organization. He wants everyone to know their worth and feel empowered to make decisions that matter for their team and partners. The NRS team is continually innovating, thinking of new methods to handle challenges in the supply chain which has enabled them to react quickly and devise solutions to future issues.

At NRS, Jon respects every team member equally and values their input. According to Jon, constructive criticism is a positive means toward professional and personal growth. While assessing performance or project delivery, he keeps himself open to all input, even negative feedback, allowing for improvement in leadership, adaptation to employee concerns, and growth, both in the workplace and in personal life.

The future looks promising for NRS as the company continues to evolve to meet partner needs. To provide supply chain management visibility and control, the company’s Axel Platform™ integrates logistics data to provide partners with dashboard visibility and operational decision-making. NRS also integrated Salesforce to give their team a 360-degree view of partners and prospects to help develop personalized experiences for them. Through professional development and virtual training, NRS provides a modern learning experience for team members. “We take pride in giving our partners and staff the technological tools they need to flourish,” Jon said.

He discussed two specific cases where NRS recently delivered for their partners. “ Challenges caused by today’s supply chain environment had one partner’s products stuck at the ports. They needed a solution that could grow with their company,” said Jon. “So, we analyzed the data to help manage the terminals, chassis, and drayage efficiently. Container management software helped with schedules and forecasts, so we could add capacity and staff to accelerate transloading operations. With our help, their products were delivered effectively to customers, and they saw increases in their market speed and DC fill rates.”

In another case, the demanding challenges of delivering in Manhattan were impairing a partner’s supply chain. “Picture yourself trying to maneuver a big commercial truck though the congested New York streets,” said Jon. “Our partner demanded reliability even in this tough market. First, we got to know our partners company, congestion in the tunnel, bridge closures, and unexpected narrow roads. Then we trained our drivers and workers to meet the challenge head on. With us at the wheel, our partner could rest, certain of routinely hitting their KPIs. Customer satisfaction was maintained, and we grew our capability to deliver in tough markets. Most importantly, our partner’s excellent reputation for quality was intact.”