To serve our largest customers we have to understand their operations inside and out: their networks, their systems and process, their people and goals, even down to the nuances of how their truck yards are laid out.

It’s a lot to know, which is why we have a team devoted to supporting our enterprise customers. One of those team members is Brent Kreider, an Amazon Freight Senior Enterprise Account Executive. He works closely with shippers to optimize their operations with Amazon Freight.

We sat down with him to learn more about what that means and how he delivers for his customers.

Q: What is your current role as an account executive at Amazon Freight?
I spend all of my time finding ways to help my three customers achieve their transportation objectives. We review their goals and challenges, and I identify Amazon Freight solutions to support their shipping operations – whether that’s through efficiency gains or growing them into new opportunities and modes. I talk with my customers daily and typically do quarterly offsite visits so I can meet them face-to-face and see their operations up close.

It all comes down to relationships. My ultimate goal is to be viewed as an extension of my customers’ teams where we are constantly collaborating to build a business product that is mutually beneficial. Hearing that my customers trust me to get a job done is the ultimate rush for me.

Q: In many ways, transportation is a long game. What do you do for your customers to help them plan for the future?
This is exactly related to what I was saying about being a part of my customers’ teams. I want to understand what they are driving to: determining what’s on their roadmap for 2025 and beyond and what their leadership goals are so I can see how Amazon Freight can support them. I start a lot of these conversations with the data I have looked at and make proposals on ideas such as how we can improve lanes or origination points or build new capabilities together.

My philosophy is to also educate my customers about Amazon. I like to explain how our network operates, go deeper into our planning algorithm, and share new services. For instance, as our intermodal offering has grown and increased to 20K+ containers, I am having conversations with shippers to explore how their networks can match with our intermodal capabilities so they can tap into greater efficiency and sustainability benefits.

Q: What about the day-to-day? What’s your approach when the inevitable disruption happens?
Yes, in transportation, defects can occur. There are so many moving parts with equipment, drivers, weather, and more. My approach is to practice transparency first and never hide behind what the problem is. That’s the fastest way to troubleshoot the issue and find a remedy. But I always like to take it a step further and ask why the disruption occurred in the first place. Was it inevitable or could it have been prevented? Should something have been done differently? Can we improve a process or use tech to prevent it next time?

Q: Tell us what appeals to you about the transportation industry and how you got into it?
Looking back to when I started in the industry 13 years ago, I think my interest is rooted in how the products we use every day are made and get delivered to our homes. I also love that, despite it being an industry that has been around since the horse and buggy, it is constantly finding new ways to evolve.

I studied economics in college and then moved right into transportation working for a startup tech brokerage. I started as an operations coordinator, responsible for scheduling, planning, and tracking freight shipments as well as pricing for spot quotes. It’s really where I cut my teeth when it comes to trucking. I was elevated there to a few management positions until I came to Amazon in 2018, joining a brand-new program that would later become Amazon Freight.

Q: Transportation can be a 24/7 job. What do you like to do outside of work?
When I’m not working, I take on my most important role: being dad. I have two boys, ages two and four, who give me a run for my money every day. When I’m not chasing them around, I love to golf, watch TV shows with my wife, and cheer on my favorite sports teams, the Pittsburgh Steelers, Penguins, and Pirates.

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Are you an enterprise organization and want to learn more about shipping with Amazon Freight and the team behind it? Contact us.