James Penn

Associate Vice President | Philadelphia, PA

For a little over ten years, I have been working for PLS and am currently an Associate Vice President with the company. My job requires me to be responsible for office managers in Philadelphia, Charlotte, Jacksonville, and Tampa, our newly formed operations pod. While this is a lot of responsibility, I did not come into this position overnight. My career path at PLS has been a diverse and exciting one. I’ve held many positions during my time at PLS from sales, to operations, and management, which have all prepared me for the role that I am in today.

I originally started working in the corporate office in Cranberry Twp. as an account executive trainee. PLS was my second job out of college, so I was still learning how to be a professional. At the time, I never thought I would end up in a logistics sales position, but I knew there was high earning potential in it.

I’m really happy I decided to take a chance and try this sales position because it has been a life-changing opportunity.

The logistics industry attracted me because there was a lot of opportunity in it and it was fairly new to the Pittsburgh area.  When I graduated from college in 2008, people were starting to realize the importance of supply chains, and I saw an opportunity for growth. Becoming an employee at PLS allowed me to get at the forefront of this trend and set me up to accelerate in my career.

After putting in a lot of hard work, I was given the opportunity to open the Pittsburgh office and then eventually a year later the office in Philadelphia as well. Opening satellite offices has been a great experience and I really enjoyed starting from the ground up and working hard every day with my coworkers to make something that had a positive impact on the company.

Today, the Philadelphia office is one of the top-performing offices and hosts some of the top talents at PLS.  It’s a special feeling to watch the office grow and see the people in it excel.

We have come a long way from the original 8 people that moved with me to open the office, and it really has been an exciting journey.

Now that I am an Associate Vice President, I have direct reports from all over the country. Everything is always changing, making every day different. My position is relatively new, and I am excited to see what it holds for me and the rest of PLS. I like that I don’t know exactly what it’s going to be like, but I look forward to interacting and collaborating with other managers so we can all grow together.

I am grateful for PLS and the opportunities it has provided me. I have been able to do things I never thought I would do, allowing me to grow both as an individual and a professional.

‍

‍