Drew Eubank – An Introduction

 

Good morning from Maryville, TN!   My name is Drew Eubank (note: you will see Christopher Eubank in our class…same person) and I reside with my family in this small southern city in the foothills of the Smokey Mountains.   For geographic purposes, the town is 30 minutes due south of Knoxville, TN.

You will notice that my children are with me in the blog photo.   My son, Caleb, is three and a half and my daughter, Adilynn, turned one on the 15th of this month.  It’s hard to believe that both of my children are walking.   It’s hard to believe that I have children at all.

My wife is Lindsay, and she is the world’s greatest mother.  I realize that all husbands are supposed to say that about their wives, but I mean the phrase literally.  Not only is she the glue of the household, she is a single parent most weeks as I travel for work.

I am a VP of Operations for a large third party logistics company (3PL), GENCO Incorporated.   We are currently the largest privately held 3PL in North America, but that will change in the next 30 days.  It was announced prior to Christmas that we have been acquired by the FedEx Corporation, and will be joining their family of companies soon.  GENCO is a 118 year old company, and our owner is ready to move on.  His heirs do not want to run the organization, and he didn’t want the burden of going public.   He entertained many offers, but chose FedEx due to similar cultures and approach to our teammates.

This will be my second stint with FedEx.  My first full time leadership role was as a Service Manager with FedEx Ground in Atlanta after working as a package handler while attending the University of Georgia.   The experience was a positive one, as I learned a sense or urgency that is tough to match.  Each night, the deadline to get the operation running and complete was tight, as any run over could mean missed service on delivered packages.  There was no such thing as a bad night as it would mean failure.   I believe that having to take those challenges head on and react quickly helped to develop me into the leader that I am today.

I left FedEx and went to work for UPS Supply Chain Solutions in Louisville, Kentucky.   The move was to get closer to my family and to experience something new.  Going from a small package operation to warehousing was a challenge, but I found that the sense of urgency I had developed and a strong financial acumen made me a fit for the business.  I moved up quickly, progressing through manager roles in different verticals.   I ended my career at UPS in 2012 after five years as the North American Operational Improvement Manager when I took a job with Exel, a DHL organization, to become the General Manager of a large Consumer Health facility in Tennessee, and quickly was promoted to the role of Director in which I had responsibility for a three site network for the business in North America, while also supporting business in Brazil.

I mention this background in detail because as a leader, I made an unorthodox career choice last February to leave Exel to join GENCO in the position I am in today.   I was recruited fairly heavily, something that was foreign to me and new.   I had worked for large organizations whose values stated to care about teammates and internal customers yet seemed to remove those tasks when given internal direction.  Profits are important, but at the core, if you follow your values, profitability will follow.

I’m not at a crossroads as I go back to a large, public organization.   I am hopeful that the strong culture we have built continues to exist in our new platform.  We will be our own subsidiary of FedEx for quite some time, as our value/product offerings differ greatly from the current FedEx portfolio.  There is always the chance that radical change takes place, but I’m confident it will not be the case, especially in the near term.

I have one word for leadership that I believe is important, regardless of the situation.  Simplify.   Many times as leaders, we expect ourselves to handle everything all the time, which isn’t possible.  A leader can’t serve appropriately and lead if focus is lost on the big picture.  So simplify.  It’s a message I heard at LeaderCast a few years back (btw…the single greatest leadership conference held.  I recommend it highly) and the message has stuck with me.   I’m far from perfect doing it myself, but I do strive for the simplicity required to be a good leader.

I’ve accomplished a great deal at a young age, which many times hurts external perceptions prior to doing business with me.  However, my experience has aged me and perceptions quickly turn.   It’s amazing that in today’s business world, across the globe, that a number as simple as age can have an affect on perception.  It makes my job harder but at the same time more rewarding when the strong bond is built.

I don’t want to be CEO or President of an organization, but I would not turn down the opportunity without thinking about my options.  The lack of want is not due to ability or self confidence in getting the job done.   I enjoy the family time I get, and the responsibility of those positions many times carries putting career ahead of family.  I’m at the crux of that paradigm in my current role, and I’ve handled it well so far.   If I knew I could control my outcomes and not sacrifice family for career, I would be open to such a position.

I’ve babbled on for a thousand words now, and hopefully you know a little more about me and my background.  I look forward to working with you this semester, and wish you the best of luck in all endeavors!