READERPROFILE Putting the Customer First: Talk Less, Listen More
as told to Karen Kroll
STEFAN LOEB is vice president, business development, first- and final- mile markets, with Norfolk Southern Corporation, which operates a 22-state freight transportation network. RESPONSIBILITIES: Prioritizing innovation in first- and final-mile solutions through the field sales, short-line performance, rail- integrated solutions, and Triple Crown teams; also overseeing industrial development, real estate, and market research and forecasts. EXPERIENCE: Multiple executive roles with Watco Companies LLC; vice president and client manager, Bank of America; vice president and other managerial roles, LaSalle Bank; intern, AG Edwards and Bokam Engineering. EDUCATION: B.S., Finance, Indiana University.
I n 2023, I joined Norfolk Southern to launch the first- and final-mile markets division. We partner with the 260-plus short-line partners that extend Norfolk Southern’s network to come up with solutions that enable our customers to ship more of their cargo by rail. COMING UP WITH SOLUTIONS Every day, I need to understand our customers’ supply chain challenges and then put together affordable solutions that can help them be more efficient. Rather than taking a transactional approach—say, asking for more wallet share and then going out for a steak dinner—it’s about talking less and listening more, so we can come up with solutions. My team and I asked several customers that already use Norfolk
Southern why they also send a lot of shipments in long-haul lanes. Then we would come up with rail solutions that address their concerns, such as purchasing a transload facility in Chicago to land carload freight while
It’s asking probing questions and being quiet. Then you have to be creative enough to put together solutions that work against the problems. GROWING WITH CUSTOMERS You have to always try to grow with your customers, rather than just bidding on the book of business that comes out every year, or saying ‘Oh, the market’s down. I guess we’ll wait until it recovers.’ We keep trying to grow, so we’ve had wins in industries that are in decline. It’s a powerful, fun approach and a person can have a vibrant career doing this. What I love about supply chain is that every day is different. Even when you’ve prioritized one challenge, you wake up the next day and a customer has a new challenge that makes you put the other ones to the side.
also growing overall volumes. Especially as our service has
consistently improved, we can take over some lanes that have never used rail before. BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS To grow relationships, you can’t care about the market more than you care about people. You have to talk less, be inquisitive, and find out, ‘What keeps you up at night as a logistics person? What’s the biggest problem you’ve always wanted to bring up to us, but never felt like we could answer?’
10 Inbound Logistics • October 2025
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