Leadership Views: Matt Faure, Trimac Transportation
More than 40 industry leaders serve on DTI's Board. Following on our successful Transportation Talks webinar series, we feature brief thoughts from a member each month.
Name: Matt Faure
Position: President and CEO, Trimac Transportation
Years with DTI: 8
Number of Students Sponsored: 3
Diversity and inclusion efforts at the corporate level are not new but they’ve gained a new level of attention. How has Trimac prioritized this effort? What success are you seeing?
Our company has had long-standing policies to support diversity and inclusion, and we strive to create a warm and welcoming environment with equal employment opportunities without regard to race, religion, color, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, citizenship status, age, or disability. However, there is always opportunity to improve how we approach diversity and inclusion as an organization. We all have a part to play in achieving this goal, including myself. To share this vital knowledge through Trimac, last year we established a volunteer Diversity, Inclusion, Equity & Belonging Council to champion this important topic. Trimac assists and supports this committee as they determine the best approach for enhancing our understanding of diversity and inclusion. To begin, the council has focused efforts on education, having launched a multicultural calendar awareness series and developed a five-part diversity and inclusion training curriculum. Trimac is stronger because of our diversity, and we are committed to learning and growing as an organization.
What digital and technological advancements has Trimac been able to implement?
From an industry standpoint, we know we need to do better at assessing and adapting new technology to improve our service and safety metrics. Having launched a new five-year strategy this year, a big part of the equation will involve our teams eliminating manual steps, focusing on where we can use technology to make quicker decisions for us, and implementing automation where it makes sense. We’ve done a lot of work over the past years to become a very metrics-driven organization. Now there is a need to optimize that data to improve systems and introduce new tools.
Trimac is an international company with operations across North America. How did the lockdown restrictions impact you in 2020 and what is 2021 looking like so far?
Although 2020 was highlighted by COVID-19, Trimac celebrated its 75th anniversary. While 2020 wasn’t the anniversary year we had hoped for with fanfare and cross-country celebrations, it did showcase the determination and character that has come to represent Trimac over our 75 years of operation. The pandemic highlighted out team’s incredible ability to persevere under difficult and unknown situations. We successfully pivoted to new safety protocols and collectively ensured that our front-line workers could limit their contact and exposure. It wasn’t without difficulty, as our drivers were suddenly shut out of amenities they normally relied upon. However, this challenge also highlighted their importance to the supply chain and the essential service the transportation industry provides. As we enter Q2 of 2021, our focus continues to be on recovery and building our team.