This past weekend, our area received nearly 20 inches of rain, which meant many of us were watching the local news, tuning in to see just how bad the flooding was at our area beaches and downtown Riverfront. We also needed to know about street closures and school and business delays, which meant we spent quite a bit of time watching local reporters weather the storm. As video clips like this one were posted on social media, you can be sure that the recent addition to the Matchmaker Logistics team was thanking her lucky
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How was your weekend, JAMM readers? Did you cook up a new recipe, try out a neat Life Hack, or tackle an exciting new Pinterest project? I…did not. You see, I’m not a big fan of sites like Pinterest. Maybe it’s because I’m a little older than some of the Pinterest fans I know, and I’ve already learned my lesson. Back in the day, before the internet was a big thing and certain big-name stars got arrested for felony conspiracy, we had Martha Stewart Living. With Martha Stewart, everything was ‘A Good Thing.’ Yet,
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Hey there, Thought for the Weekend Readers! My name is Pam Pickral, and I’m the Senior Carrier Sales Rep here at Matchmaker Logistics. I’ve hijacked Bob’s weekly email and I’m hopping into the driver’s seat to share my experience at a recent industry conference. Last month, truck drivers, industry leaders, and support staff from all over the country gathered at the 2015 Women in Trucking conference in downtown Dallas, Texas. I was happy to be a part of it. I’ve always believed that in this industry, you’ve gotta stand tall – it’s still very
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In a recent Thought for the Weekend about the future of self-driving trucks, Bob mentioned the importance of the GPS in the trucking industry, It’s true, the GPS is a Godsend, not just for truckers, but for all drivers. No more of the days of stretching an unfolded map across your steering wheel, or stopping at the pizza parlor to ask for directions. Now, with the power of technology, everyone from professional truck drivers to college students in new towns can find their destination. But I have a confession. Maybe I’m just a little
Read more →We have a tradition around here. We start each and every Matchmaker morning with a five-minute team huddle. We greet our co-workers, go over any pressing issues, set individual daily goals, and wrap up with this directive – “Let’s go make somebody smile.” We’re big on smiles. From mailing chattering teeth to our clients to creating our own comic book, we hope we succeed in brightening your days. Mary’s got the hard shift, making people smile first thing Monday morning. Admittedly I get the easier job – there’s a lot to smile about as
Read more →They say that every professional needs a good outlet. I took that quite literally this weekend, hitting the outlet shopping malls and hitting ’em hard in celebration of my…ahem…29th birthday. I share my birthday with my wonderful niece, Willow. I often tell Willow she was the best birthday present I ever got – my very own built-in outlet shopping partner. My boys, God love ’em, aren’t big on all day shop-stravaganzas. Which, in my opinion, is the only way to celebrate a birthday. If you’re not an outlet mall shopper, allow me to convert
Read more →When it comes to the future of trucking, those of us in the industry like new toys. Sleek trucks made of super-light materials and designed to work with the wind are just the tip of the iceberg. What I currently find most fascinating are three words that are at once exciting and a little bit scary: self-driving trucks. The first self-driving truck hit the road on May 6 of this year, cruising the open highways of Nevada. The Freightliner Inspiration, a modern take on the popular Daimler 18-wheeler, is sleek, savvy, and Smart. That’s
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This week, September 13-19th, is National Truck Driver Appreciation Week! Like many in our industry, Matchmaker Logistics is taking time out to honor our treasured truckers. You probably already know that truckers are superheroes, but what you may not know is how humble many of them are! Truckers save lives, save businesses, and do it every day with never so much as a peep about it. So, using some of the best stories I’ve ever heard or read, I’ve compiled a first-person account of what a typical in the life of a trucker might
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Pearl Harbor. Martin Luther King’s Assassination. Kennedy’s Assassination. 9-11. These have been some of darkest days in U.S. history, days that impacted not only the course of our history, but also our nation’s psyche. It seems that every generation experiences at least one of these days, where the country stands still to collectively witness and mourn a tragic, and often, unexpected event. Today, of course, marks the 14th anniversary of 09/11. As a nation, we say: “We Will Never Forget.” And, we won’t. At Matchmaker Logistics, our team talked about where we were on
Read more →If you’re a regular ‘Mary Monday’ reader, you know my sons are my world. And while my oldest, Denver, might be 17, he’s still a baby to me. There are some things I’m just not ready to handle. So when I walked past his room to find him on his bed, cooing sweet nothings into his phone, I panicked: “I love you.” “I think you’re sexy.” “Will you marry me?” No way, no how. I’m not ready to be anyone’s grandma! So, I had to enact that sovereign power of moms everywhere and bust
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