LEADERSHIP Conversations with the Captains of Industry
Omnidirectional Capability
JJ Schickel remembers the silence that swallowed even high- value shipments in transit in the years before the internet. It was the early 1990s, when Schickel served as chief financial officer at a trucking firm that moved imported vehicles from ports to dealerships. “A truckload of Porsches could leave the port, and you wouldn’t know where it was until it arrived and somebody dialed the rotary phone to say, ‘It’s here,’” Schickel recalls. The prospect of using digital technology to more effectively run a business excited Schickel back then, and it continues to excite him now in his role as CEO of Dallas-based Omni Logistics. Schickel filled us in on his work at Omni and how he has developed as a leader. IL: You started your career in accounting. How did you end up in logistics? After earning a master’s degree in accounting, I was at Deloitte for a while and then worked my way into the technology department of an investment bank. There, I had the chance to work on IPOs for logistics technology companies. When I took my job at the trucking company, I knew there was a lot of opportunity for improvement when it came to technology. I worked with the team to build out a logistics IT platform, and I fell in love with the industry. The people are great, and if you work hard, show up, and do what you say you are going to do, there is still a lot of opportunity. IL: What in your early career helped to shape you as a leader? I’ve been fortunate to be around many incredible mentors. But top of mind is my experience with Brad Jacobs, currently executive chairman at XPO Logistics. This was through my work at EVE Partners, an investment group I co-founded in 2002. Brad is a terrific leader and a great person. While all my mentors have influenced my work, observing his experiences at United Waste Systems and United Rentals shows the importance of scale in building great results for customers, which had a foundational influence on what we do at Omni today. IL: What keeps your customers awake at night, and how does Omni help them sleep better? This has been a crazy time for all the obvious reasons— COVID, port congestion, and the war in Ukraine, for example.
JJ Schickel CEO Omni Logistics
Because he leads by consensus and allows team members to course- correct on their own, JJ Schickel can devote his time to creating innovative solutions that help customers sleep better.
by Merrill Douglas
10 Inbound Logistics • February 2023
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