Beating the Odds: With Its Latest Hire, Valley Breaks Through to a Fourth Generation
July 08 2024 - 11:00AM
Business Wire
According to Cornell University’s SC Johnson College of
Business, about 40% of U.S. family-owned businesses transition to a
second generation. The odds for a third generation are even
slimmer, at approximately 13%. A fourth is nearly improbable, at
just 3%.
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Brandon Gilbert was appointed director of
logistics partnerships at Hudson, Wisconsin-based Valley Companies.
Gilbert is a fourth-generation employee. (Photo: Business Wire)
“If you read the reports, it’s usually the third generation that
gets it wrong,” says Todd Gilbert, CEO of Valley Companies, who is
himself a third-generation owner. But Gilbert was determined—not
only to succeed, making his father and grandfather proud, but to
take Valley farther than ever.
“The way that I work and what fuels me is the challenge,” he
says. “It was the challenge of being successful through generation
three.”
Thirty-two years later, Gilbert has done more than just succeed
as a third-generation owner; he has seen Valley through the
transition of becoming a leading provider of customized logistics
and managed transportation solutions. Now he has the pleasure of
watching his company upend the odds—again—by appointing his son,
Brandon, director of logistics partnerships, making him the first
fourth-generation employee to join Valley on a full-time basis.
“I always had this vision of that same story repeating itself,
and a fourth generation joining Valley,” Todd says. “But the family
has this unwritten rule for our children. They need to go and get
some experience elsewhere and go see what’s out there. Brandon did
it. And he did it the right way, proving himself through hard work
and personal success.”
As a teenager, Brandon’s earliest experiences with the family
business included working alongside family, following his uncle
Eric, Valley’s director of contract logistics, and great uncles
Harry and Bob, who help in the company’s warehouse.
“I thought it was the coolest thing ever,” he says. “I also
learned what it means to be a Gilbert working for the family
business.”
Uncles Bob and Harry wouldn’t pass by even the smallest piece of
trash on Valley’s dock without stopping to pick it up, he says,
adding, “It’s about pride and understanding that the little things
matter.”
He later served in an internship position at Valley as a freight
broker and in the company’s warehouse solution, while earning a
Bachelor of Science degree in logistics, materials and supply chain
management from Iowa State University’s Ivy College of Business.
After earning his degree, he then served as a merchandiser for
Scoular, a transportation, logistics, supply chain and storage
company, where he was responsible for domestic and international
commodities trading, including rate negotiations, contracts
management and logistics execution. He was the first employee in
the company’s history to graduate from a two-year management
program ahead of schedule. In true Gilbert fashion, his focus at
Scoular was on building customer and supplier relationships. And in
true Gilbert style, he excelled at his position.
“Not only did Brandon have relationships with the asset-based
partners that provided transportation for his prior company and its
clients, but he also created relationships with his customers,”
Todd Gilbert says. “With Valley, he’s going to be having those same
conversations, gaining an understanding of our customers and how we
can improve to meet more of their needs. Valley’s customers will
benefit from his drive and his experience.”
Todd Gilbert says he always saw his son’s potential in becoming
a fourth-generation Gilbert at Valley. “But you’ve still got to
prove it,” he says. “It’s time. He’s ready. He’s earned it. And in
him we have a tremendous opportunity.”
Is logistics in the Gilbert blood?
“I don’t know,” Brandon Gilbert says. “I tend to think it’s less
about nature and more about nurture. I think I learned it from the
ground up—starting at the dinner table.”
About Valley Companies
Established in 1935, Valley Companies is a leading provider of
managed transportation solutions. The company’s Valley Value brings
people, technology and partnerships together to drive industry
leading solutions. A family-based company in its third generation
of ownership, Valley specializes in managed transportation
solutions, including final mile, project management, warehouse,
less-than-truckload (LTL), truckload transportation (TL), and
expedite solutions. For more information, call 1-800-657-6936 or
visit www.valleycompanies.com.
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Ashley Briles abriles@vc1935.com