Cleveland, Oct. 19, 2022 – ContainerPort Group (CPG®), an award-winning multimodal transportation provider, announced the launch of its new Dedicated division, providing high-volume, high-touch, white glove freight services for customers, continuing its reputation of building services to meet the needs of its customers. In a corresponding move, Gary Ernest has joined CPG as Vice President of Dedicated Operations, bringing over 20 years of logistics experience to the organization.
“We are thrilled to be able to expand our service offerings into the Dedicated arena,” said Joey Palmer, President of CPG. “Customers have been asking for guaranteed capacity for their high-value freight, and after some exploration, we realized Dedicated can provide that capacity. Overall, this is a true win-win. This fits into our long-term growth plans by diversifying our services and giving us new ways to meet customer needs with offerings that are valuable, reliable and available.”
CPG’s launch of the Dedicated division is a statement of the company’s commitment to meeting customer needs by helping them maximize their transportation investments by providing capacity and delivering exceptional intermodal services. The Dedicated division is the brainchild of CPG Senior VP Bob Leef, who formerly led all intermodal operations across CPG and has worked behind the scenes on the testing and startup of this division.
“This whole operation is predicted on three Cs – customer, capacity, and commitment,” said Leef. “We wanted to understand where we could improve our service to customers. They said it was with guaranteed capacity; and if we guarantee the capacity, the customer commits to the service. We started with the customer feedback, we are offering capacity, and we are getting commitments. Customers are thrilled we are starting to offer this service, as they use CPG for drayage already and want to expand the relationship.”
The decision to start the Dedicated division comes during a record-breaking year for the company: an influx of new customers and employees, a growing fleet of owner operators over 1,400 strong, and increased technology offerings, including the Transportation Rate Tool (TRT) for customers and DrayPal, CPG’s first custom propriety mobile app for drivers. As of this writing, Dedicated is up and running in Norfolk, Memphis, and Newark, and will soon start operations in Charleston and Savannah, with additional locations planned for the fourth quarter of 2022.
“Additionally, we want to welcome Gary as an outstanding addition to our CPG team,” Palmer said. “He brings a potent combination of logistics management and business development experience and knows what it takes to deliver for customers. His leadership experience paired with his strong background will help us continue to accelerate our performance.”
Ernest’s responsibilities will encompass new business and the expansion of the Dedicated division, whose services are designed to provide customers with high-efficiency, premium support to ensure consistent delivery of goods from the dock to doorsteps. Mr. Ernest, a veteran of the United States Marine Corp, began his career in logistics supervising inbound and outbound dock operations for RoadWay Express and brings over 20 years of industry experience to this role. Prior to joining CPG, he was with Smith Transport Inc., where he held the roles of Vice President of Operations, Vice President of Recruiting, and Senior Vice President of Sales, Marketing and Pricing during his seven-year tenure.
The Dedicated division gives CPG additional capacity solutions for customers and builds on the strong reputation of CPG’s existing intermodal and drayage operations. Partnered with CPG’s growing Logistics division, the organization provides nationwide coverage at every port and every rail.
“CPG recognizes the value of a VIP service for customers looking for consistency and reliability. We brought on Gary to grow the team, the footprint, and the portfolio,” Palmer said. “Our customers rely on us to provide solutions and the Dedicated division is growing to meet that need.”