Jonathan Barker

Background

About Jonathan Barker

I became interested in Transportation & Logistics because of the industry’s complexity, fast paced environment and derived demand. Logistics is the common denominator that connects all businesses no matter the product, purpose, origin or destination. I have worked in T&L for five years gaining knowledge and understanding of the global supply chain through perspectives of customers, manufacturers and third-party logistics providers. I began my career interning at Humic Growth Solutions, a leading manufacturer of extracted humates. I learned how to accomplish new tasks effectively and efficiently in order to report detailed resolutions to the Vice President and Owner. My greatest achievements were overseeing the successful exports of hundreds of FCLs across 40 countries, including Brazil, China and Iran as well as navigating the customs and regulation procedures required to export to politically challenging parts of the world. In 2017 I moved to Chattanooga to be closer to family and broaden my shipping knowledge with a 3PL, Steam Logistics. At Steam I worked in the drayage department as an inland operator before being promoted to a broker. It was here I learned how to manage large container pools for high volume clients such Prime Source, Ekman and Montachem International. At my individual team’s peak, we ran 3 out of 5 top volume clients companywide for Steam Logistics and set a standard how to create visibility and communicate effectively in high volume scenarios. Given the recent market conditions I have shifted my focus in T&L towards data analytics to be more in tune with market trends. I feel that the freight brokerage market is saturated, and the global supply chain is coiled with imbalances. My objective is to leverage my research, mathematic and communication skills to enhance a company’s or industry’s long-term efficiency through elevated insight and transparency.