October 16, 2024 • 21 mins
What lessons can be learned from the vibrant and multicultural journey of a top logistics executive? Join us on "On the Move" as Kimberly Cockrell Corley, the 2024 Sales Mountain Mover and CEO of Upward Bound Ventures, shares her remarkable career path that spans from Panama to Belgium and the UAE. Her story is one of breaking through assumptions and building trust across diverse cultures, highlighting how Latin American influences have enriched both her professional and personal life. As someone deeply passionate about logistics and the multicultural environment that comes with it, Kim offers invaluable insights into the transportation and logistics industry's nuances, making this episode a must-listen for anyone interested in global business success.
Our conversation doesn’t stop at the geographical borders; it extends into the realms of mentorship, networking, and industry challenges. We explore the transformative power of forming meaningful connections and how technological advancements are paving the way for a hopeful future in logistics. From her transition from major roles at companies like Maersk to founding Upward Brand Ventures, we discuss the importance of innovation and service in empowering business growth, particularly for early-stage companies. Kim's dedication to charitable work and mentoring young women also reminds us of the fulfillment found in giving back, urging listeners to identify and support causes that resonate with them.
Check out the Transportation Sales and Marketing Association (TMSA) website or engage with us on LinkedIn.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Jennifer Karpus-Romain (00:02):
Hello everybody, welcome to On the
Move, a show where we sharetransportation, sales and
marketing success stories.
I'm Jennifer Karps-Romain,executive Director at the
Transportation Marketing andSales Association, which is a
trade nonprofit educating andconnecting marketing and sales
professionals in transportationand logistics, and today I'm
(00:23):
very excited to have on the showKim Cockrell-Cortley, who is
the founder and CEO of UpwardBound Ventures and she is our
2024 sales ountain mover.
It is a mouthful when you sayit all together.
Welcome to the show andcongratulations.
Kim Cockrell-Corley (00:40):
Thank you so much.
It's great to be here.
Jennifer Karpus-Romain (00:43):
And what does this award mean to you?
Kim Cockrell-Corley (00:46):
Gosh, from the highly respected colleague
that nominated me to everybodythat's ever trusted me in this
industry, it just means so much.
So you know, to me a salesmountain mover is somebody that
can inspire the trust of youknow peers, customers, different
industry stakeholders andinvite them on this journey to
(01:07):
defy odds and, you know, movethe needle forward.
So to have been able toexperience that and earn the
trust of people in this industry, it means so much to me.
We have a lot of talentedsellers and commercial leaders
in this industry, so it's quitean honor.
Jennifer Karpus-Romain (01:22):
Well, we are so happy to have you and we
are here at the TMSA ExecutiveSummit in Hoboken, ew Jersey.
I'm actually laughing because,as we record this, the sun is
coming up over New York City.
You guys can't see that, but wecan.
But you can see the lightingchange behind us as we continue
on in this interview.
But it is beautiful and it wasreally exciting to be able to
give you the award live and inperson.
(01:43):
So you started in this industryat a pretty young age and at a
international level, with theearly part of your career moving
to Panama.
What was that like and how?
I was reading all about you.
I'm like, wow, like you have alot of international experience
at a young age and that probablyis really intimidating.
Kim Cockrell-Corley (02:04):
You know it's been.
It's been such a fun ride.
I had no idea when I what Iwanted to do with my career, but
I could tell you from a youngage that it had to be
international.
So I actually had theopportunity to go work while I
was in college as an intern forWalt Disney World, and so for me
that was the first time I hadreally been in a truly
(02:24):
multicultural environment and Icame back from that experience
and I enrolled myself in, I'mgoing to minor in Spanish, I'm
going to get an internationallogistics and you know, let's go
.
And I went to my firstinternational logistics course
and I go.
This is it problem solving thatwe do every day in logistics,
but also just the idea ofrecognizing and practicing
(02:49):
gestures that deepen connectionsbetween people in different
cultures, conducting businessaccording to the norms of a
different country or culture.
That totally energized me and Iwas signed up you know, but I
think right after college Iinterviewed with Maersk, didn't
have any idea how to say theirname, probably still butcher it
(03:09):
today a little bit.
Jennifer Karpus-Romain (03:10):
When I was announcing it yesterday, as
I was reading it I was like Imay have not said this.
Probably we'll just keep itmoving.
Kim Cockrell-Corley (03:17):
You know, who knows, depending on what
part of the world you're in.
It's Maersk, it's Maersk, Idon't know, but it ended up
being one of the best decisionsthat I ever made.
I mean, they really put a markon me to, you know, just be a
global leader.
And I'm so glad that I went onthat journey and with them I got
to go to many differentcountries.
But your question about Panama,I think I might have a little
(03:39):
Latina down in me.
I really think I might, becauseI just keep getting drawn back
to roles in that part of theworld or even just, you know,
travel for fun to that part ofthe world.
So you know, saludos a miamigos de Panama y toda
Latinoamerica.
You know my family in Sealand,so the culture it's just so rich
(04:01):
, they're so generous andhospitable in Latin America and
they really teach you gratitudeand living with joy today.
So I mean, what's not to love?
I had a great time.
We actually, in that role, werethe pioneering team that moved
the Central American Caribbeanheadquarters out of the North
American cluster and kind ofestablished a presence in Latin
(04:23):
America for that part of Mare.
So it was an epic time.
Jennifer Karpus-Romain (04:27):
I loved it and you then have worked at
that company, were able totravel to other places as well,
so not just Panama, but you alsolived and worked in the United
Arab Emirates and Belgium.
So how do you think thatinternational scope really
helped shape your career?
Kim Cockrell-Corley (04:47):
Oh yeah, it's been defining and I'm so
grateful for it.
Every time that I've spent asignificant amount of time in a
country, I've ended up reallyblessed to have met local people
who helped me understand andreally like immerse myself in
that culture and vice versa.
And so I ran with a supereclectic crowd like all my you
(05:07):
know for years.
I mean, some of my closestfriends are Emiratis, sri
Lankans, you know Persians,aussies, south Africans, and you
know we're really not all thatdifferent and when you are
yourself and you treat peoplewith integrity, it really builds
trust.
And it's not that different inbusiness at all.
So I would say that there weresome nuances, you know, coming
(05:32):
into roles such as, you know,managing a P&L or a trade route
in the UAE, or managing MiddleEastern commercial efforts or
regions or Europe, there weresituations in which there were
assumptions made about who I wasor the value that I would or
wouldn't be able to bring as anoutsider to that role, and I
(05:55):
think it really helped me tojust define, or refine, rather,
my ability to connect withpeople by overcoming those
assumptions through reallyearning their trust and
delivering results.
So I think that, and just theability to really build rapport
with people across country andculture lines and just find
(06:17):
something that really unites usand makes us similar.
Jennifer Karpus-Romain (06:22):
I love that you also not unsurprisingly
, hearing your journey and yourstory were named a Trailblazer
in the 2024 Women in SupplyChain by Supply and Demand Chain
Executive and Food Logistics.
I looked at how youacknowledged that award on
LinkedIn and you credited somuch of your journey to the
teams that you worked with,mentors who guided you,
(06:43):
opportunities that you had tolearn and grow, which I
appreciated that sentiment.
I think it's good to reflect onhow we got to where we are and
then how we keep going so, but Ithink sometimes, especially
being a woman in this industry,it can be hard to find mentors,
or going after that, or knowingwho to approach.
So do you have any advice forpeople that are looking to seek
them?
How did you find your mentorsand then, kind of, do you pay
(07:05):
that forward and have menteesnow?
Kim Cockrell-Corley (07:08):
Yes, great question.
You know, I think I'm stillwaiting for some older, wiser,
more successful executive tocome grab me by the shoulder and
say I let me guide you on thispath towards ultimate success.
But that hasn't happened for me.
I would just say, you know, tosomeone that wants one or you
(07:34):
know needs one in their life,you just have to seek out
somebody that's doing it rightand ask them for their time.
You know, and I think it's notalways just going to be one
mentor that can help you yourwhole career I think if you're
going out there and you'retaking chances and you're taking
risks, the problem set is goingto constantly evolve and you
may need a different leader forthat.
So, I think I've been very luckyin.
I mean, I've had managers.
I had this one particularmanager that as I stepped into a
(07:56):
people management role, shejust really helped me recognize
the importance of settinghealthy cadences and rhythms
with my teams and really justshared her tips and tricks for
being a successful leader.
And then I respected thatrelationship so much that we've
maintained it and you know, wehelp each other now and
sometimes she might actually saylike, hey, you're mentoring me
(08:19):
in this way and you know, and Iget so much from her.
I would say too, there have been, you know, problems, or when
I've hit walls in my career,I've not been afraid to reach up
and say, hey, give this asanity check.
I need just 30 minutes of yourtime.
This is what I'm dealing with.
Put your eyes on this and tellme what I'm missing.
So I think and that's one ofthe first things that I did too,
(08:42):
when I started this consultingbusiness, I reached out to
leading supply chain consultants.
I was like, tell me how you gothere, tell me how you set
yourself up for success and howare you adding the most value
possible for your customers.
And that was that was awesome.
So to anybody that that needsone.
Just reach out to somebody whois excelling in your deficit
(09:04):
areas.
Be specific with the ask.
Jennifer Karpus-Romain (09:07):
Hey.
Kim Cockrell-Corley (09:07):
Jen, I would love 30 minutes of your
time to help me unpack problem Xand come prepared, use their
time and if it's a connection,repeat with a new agenda.
People want to help people and,yes, I do try to help If
there's anybody that I can helplove to do it.
Jennifer Karpus-Romain (09:23):
So, yes, yeah, I think it's really
important.
I remember one time there wasit was actually a podcaster,
which is funny because we're ona podcast now, but it was a
marketing one and she, I justreally liked it and I reached
out to her on LinkedIn and Ipretty much did that Like, can I
just pick your brain on thingsmarketing?
She's like you were a realperson asking me something, real
(09:43):
, and you weren't like a robotor someone trying to sell me
something.
So I just organically said yes,and that was one of the first
times I ever did that, and so Ithink that's true.
There's a lot of value in that.
And I do think which this ispotentially a selfish plug for
TMSA but getting involved inassociations, getting involved
in networking spaces, is reallyhelpful, because then those asks
(10:04):
are a little bit more organic,because you meet people at a
show or a conference or you'renetworking with them, and so
you're a little bit morecomfortable to then have that
ask, as opposed to just reachingout on LinkedIn or doing
something.
So getting involved, not justwith TMSA, but wherever you want
to, can be a big help with that, I think.
Kim Cockrell-Corley (10:20):
Yes, exactly yeah.
I met a gentleman last night.
He was just like I don't wantthe pitch, like if I've met you,
I will do anything for you, butI just need to know who you are
and what do you think?
Jennifer Karpus-Romain (10:36):
well, this is a big pivot.
Wyou think is the biggestchallenge facing the
transportation and logisticsindustry today, and how can
leaders build towards a bettertomorrow for it?
Kim Cockrell-Corley (10:46):
That is such a tough one.
I think the reason that we loveand hate logistics is because
you can literally turn on thenews any given day and go oh,
that is going to impact mybusiness in a negative or
positive way, and it is.
We have really smart peoplethat make excellent plans for
(11:07):
their company.
They make a great freightbudget, they have a great
strategy and then the minutethey lock it down, some
geopolitical event somewhere far, far away happens and it
topples everything and leaveseverybody scrambling.
And I don't think that's evergoing to change, so I don't have
something super wise to say,but I think that that's the
thing that everybody's grapplingwith is okay, we've got strikes
(11:27):
over here, we've got weatherover here, we've got tension
over here what literally thepast week you just described?
Jennifer Karpus-Romain (11:32):
just one week in logistics in 22 years
I've never not had.
I mean that's, that's how it is.
Kim Cockrell-Corley (11:38):
It's just what is the next storm?
Proverbial storm that's comingour way.
But you know, I think thatthere are three paths that that
a company can take to.
You know they can either donothing you you know and just be
reactive and scramble.
They can increase their safetystock and therefore their
inventory carrying costs.
But I think that we've come along way and since I've been in
(11:58):
this industry, I've seen somemajor shifts toward really good
technology that can helpcompanies see how they're
sticking to their plan, get itback on track and really tighten
up the communication with theirorigin and partners and
contingency plans.
So I think there's a lot ofreally great tech that's in this
industry now and that's reallyexciting.
Jennifer Karpus-Romain (12:19):
And tell us a little bit about Upward
Bou Ventures.
So you have this vastexperience working at the actual
companies that are you know,doing all the work doing travel
in the world, helping everybody,but now you started your own
company.
What does that look like andwhy'd you get involved with that
?
You know?
Kim Cockrell-Corley (12:34):
yeah, and I called it Upward Bound Ventures
because I really like to growthings from the ground up, and
so I just had this vision of youknow, let's get this thing, the
foundation laid for companiesthat want to succeed in sales
and marketing and just grow itfrom there Over and over.
In my career at Maersk I just Ihad the great opportunity to
just go into kind of justgreenfield.
(12:55):
There's nothing there,territories or markets, or
launch companies that didn'texist or we were reviving one
that used to exist and in adifferent way.
So that to me and then sevenyears at a FinTech startup, just
zero to one company company,nobody to look at in the
industry or or even elsewhere tosay, okay, that's how you do it
(13:16):
, there's.
There was no playbook, so it'sreally sharpened my problem
solving capabilities and I'vetried a lot of things, I've
learned a lot of things and I Ifeel like I've come up with a
pretty good little secret sauceto to help it can be.
I'm helping companies of allsizes from multinational
conglomerates, but really mypassion is helping early stage
(13:37):
or small to medium companiesreally get the sales and
marketing right, and it can beI'm helping folks who just are
having some issues with thecustomer journey and customer
service, or it can be I need toestablish myself as a thought
leader in this industry and getthat inbound marketing machine
working so that it's paving theway for sales, or I'm helping
(13:58):
folks whose salespeople justhaven't quite figured out how to
get their messaging withcustomers to resonate for the
target segment that they want tobe in.
So it really is, you know,across the board, just companies
laying that foundation, and itjust gives me so much joy to
have all these new problems tohelp people solve.
It's my favorite thing to doand to just grow their company
(14:22):
from the ground up.
Jennifer Karpus-Romai (14:24):
Wonderful .
And one thing I wanted to talkabout too is you really are
dedicated to your charitablework.
On top of the work that you doin the industry and I was
reading about especially in therealm of mentoring young women
but supporting victims oftrafficking.
Um, I spend time in well, Idonate to trafficking, but to
(14:46):
stop trafficking yeah, should,should emphasize that.
Um, but I volunteer on the OhioAlliance to End Sexual Violence
.
I'm the board president there,so I was really excited when I
was reading about that.
So I would love to just talkabout it and how you contribute
and if people are interested ingetting involved or helping, how
they can do that and why youkind of dedicate some of your
(15:07):
time there.
Kim Cockrell-Corley (15:08):
Yeah, I've always been passionate about
serving.
It's just a big component to myfaith.
I even met my husband inGuatemala while we were doing
mission work.
He's from Iowa and you know Imet him.
I was living in Atlanta andjust that's how we met.
And you know, we really gotinvolved quickly with youth at
(15:30):
our church and our youth groupand we just have a burden for
the depression, the anxiety andthe lack of identity that
teenagers have today.
And I think you know, if youask God to, you know, break your
heart for what breaks his, hereally will.
And I think one day I heard thisfounder come and talk about the
(15:51):
work that they were doing torescue women who were victims of
sex trafficking and he lamentedthat they were starting to see
an influx of teens and children,you know, and that wrecked me.
I mean it absolutely wrecked me,because not only is it tough
enough to be a teenager today,with just the bombardment of
(16:14):
messaging and things that aren'ttrue and just confusion and
rejection of social media andthings like that, how do you add
that to it and come back andmake your life successful?
So I didn't, I don't haveanything to add.
I mean, I've never beenimpacted by this huge, huge
issue.
I just was compassionate and Imade time and I I just reached
(16:35):
out and I was like what can I do?
I live here in this city and Ican help.
I mean, somehow, what can I do?
Can I cut grass?
Can I, what can I do?
And they didn't actually evenhave a volunteer program.
They gave me a bunch of formsthat they made and you know,
like that day and like signthese things and you know come,
you know, and so I think I'm theonly volunteer that I think
(16:58):
they have at this place, thisnonprofit, at the moment.
But I just come and we eitherwill bake or we'll do nails, or
we sometimes we have danceparties or we'll play Uno I mean
whatever parties or we'll playuno, I mean whatever, I just
roll with it.
You know, and I would say that,um, most days I come home and
I'm like I don't know that Imade any impact.
(17:20):
It was very surface level.
But then some days you comehome and you're like I think I
just planted a nugget.
I just gave that person hope.
We just had a deep laugh, youknow, and I'm not going to be
able to solve their problems.
I wish that I could, but justto love on them and to just
speak truth and positivity intotheir lives and encourage them.
(17:40):
That's, that's what I, that'swhat I want to do.
So if anybody's wanting to getinvolved, I would say find the
cause.
If it's that, if it's somethingelse, find the cause that
wrecks you and call them.
Jennifer Karpus-Romain (17:52):
Yes, I think it's really important to
find what you're passionateabout, and then it's easier to
find the time to, to donate, togo there, so okay.
So my favorite question to askeveryone, it's one that I ask
every single person who comes onthe show If you could go back
in time and advise a younger Kimanything and this could be
(18:13):
personally or professionallywhen would you go back to and
what would you tell her?
Kim Cockrell-Corley (18:17):
Oh, my goodness.
Well, I would say failure is agift.
It really is in some awkwardway, and I think that the
greatest development that Ipersonally have experienced is
when things didn't go the waythat I wanted them to.
And I think that you have theopportunity in that situation to
(18:38):
reflect on the situation,really contemplate it and pick
out the things that you can own,the things that you can control
, and set up a plan to actdifferently next time, the
things that you can control andset up a plan to act differently
next time.
And if you're putting yourselfout there and you're taking on
heavy challenges and reallypushing forward, failure at some
point is just going to come.
And you know, I think, even ifit, even if the odds were
(19:03):
stacked against you the wholetime and you never had a chance
to succeed or it was unfair, youcan still look at the situation
and go OK, what can I do nexttime to put myself in a better
situation?
Or what can I own from that andhow can I, you know, modify
behaviors in the future?
So that would be part one, andI would say the other part of
that is do not let yourself,when failure comes, do not let
(19:26):
yourself go into this narrativewhere you have this devil on
your shoulder saying you areill-equipped or you're really an
imposter.
Jennifer Karpus-Romain (19:34):
I mean, that happens right, I mean it
happens, it's really common formales, female, everybody
experiences this impostersyndrome at some point.
Kim Cockrell-Corley (19:43):
So don't listen to it, don't go into it
and don't go into a dark place,because this is normal and this
is an opportunity to grow.
So stay true to your North Star, you know, keep on climbing and
know your worth.
I would go back a few years andtell myself that for sure.
Jennifer Karpus-Romain (20:02):
Yes, it definitely took me a long time
to realize that your perspectivematters.
So if you're at a new companyor you're doing something, and
because I've been in thatposition where I worked at a
tech company, I'm like everyoneis so much smarter than me
because I don't.
But then I was like wait, butwe're selling to sales and
marketing people, and thatthat's what I know, so my
(20:23):
perspective matters.
So I think it's important tokind of shift that sometimes and
realize that you may bedifferent, you may have
different viewpoints, but thatbrings more perspective to the
table.
So everything is going to bebetter at the end.
Kim Cockrell-Corley (20:34):
Yes, I love that.
Jennifer Karpus-Romain (20:36):
Well, thank you so much for coming on
the show.
I am laughing at how the sunhas traveled.
I set up everything soperfectly before you showed up
and now, well, they can see you.
I think I'm a little bit in theshadow.
Kim Cockrell-Corley (20:48):
I think they should be watching this
sunrise.
Jennifer Karpus-Romain (20:50):
Yeah, but you guys are missing out on
the beautiful sunrise.
But I appreciate you coming onthe show today and for being
here at Executive Summit.
We are starting our day two.
In just a little bit.
We're going to go grab ourbreakfast, but thank you to
everyone who watched this liveor, you know, listening to where
you get podcasts.
Next week we will beinterviewing the arketing
(21:12):
mountain mover, so check thatout and we will see you next
time, thank you.
Bye.
Hello everybody, welcome to On the
Move, a show where we sharetransportation, sales and
marketing success stories.
I'm Jennifer Karps-Romain,executive Director at the
Transportation Marketing andSales Association, which is a
trade nonprofit educating andconnecting marketing and sales
professionals in transportationand logistics, and today I'm
(00:23):
very excited to have on the showKim Cockrell-Cortley, who is
the founder and CEO of UpwardBound Ventures and she is our
2024 sales ountain mover.
It is a mouthful when you sayit all together.
Welcome to the show andcongratulations.
Kim Cockrell-Corley (00:40):
Thank you so much.
It's great to be here.
Jennifer Karpus-Romain (00:43):
And what does this award mean to you?
Kim Cockrell-Corley (00:46):
Gosh, from the highly respected colleague
that nominated me to everybodythat's ever trusted me in this
industry, it just means so much.
So you know, to me a salesmountain mover is somebody that
can inspire the trust of youknow peers, customers, different
industry stakeholders andinvite them on this journey to
(01:07):
defy odds and, you know, movethe needle forward.
So to have been able toexperience that and earn the
trust of people in this industry, it means so much to me.
We have a lot of talentedsellers and commercial leaders
in this industry, so it's quitean honor.
Jennifer Karpus-Romain (01:22):
Well, we are so happy to have you and we
are here at the TMSA ExecutiveSummit in Hoboken, ew Jersey.
I'm actually laughing because,as we record this, the sun is
coming up over New York City.
You guys can't see that, but wecan.
But you can see the lightingchange behind us as we continue
on in this interview.
But it is beautiful and it wasreally exciting to be able to
give you the award live and inperson.
(01:43):
So you started in this industryat a pretty young age and at a
international level, with theearly part of your career moving
to Panama.
What was that like and how?
I was reading all about you.
I'm like, wow, like you have alot of international experience
at a young age and that probablyis really intimidating.
Kim Cockrell-Corley (02:04):
You know it's been.
It's been such a fun ride.
I had no idea when I what Iwanted to do with my career, but
I could tell you from a youngage that it had to be
international.
So I actually had theopportunity to go work while I
was in college as an intern forWalt Disney World, and so for me
that was the first time I hadreally been in a truly
(02:24):
multicultural environment and Icame back from that experience
and I enrolled myself in, I'mgoing to minor in Spanish, I'm
going to get an internationallogistics and you know, let's go
.
And I went to my firstinternational logistics course
and I go.
This is it problem solving thatwe do every day in logistics,
but also just the idea ofrecognizing and practicing
(02:49):
gestures that deepen connectionsbetween people in different
cultures, conducting businessaccording to the norms of a
different country or culture.
That totally energized me and Iwas signed up you know, but I
think right after college Iinterviewed with Maersk, didn't
have any idea how to say theirname, probably still butcher it
(03:09):
today a little bit.
Jennifer Karpus-Romain (03:10):
When I was announcing it yesterday, as
I was reading it I was like Imay have not said this.
Probably we'll just keep itmoving.
Kim Cockrell-Corley (03:17):
You know, who knows, depending on what
part of the world you're in.
It's Maersk, it's Maersk, Idon't know, but it ended up
being one of the best decisionsthat I ever made.
I mean, they really put a markon me to, you know, just be a
global leader.
And I'm so glad that I went onthat journey and with them I got
to go to many differentcountries.
But your question about Panama,I think I might have a little
(03:39):
Latina down in me.
I really think I might, becauseI just keep getting drawn back
to roles in that part of theworld or even just, you know,
travel for fun to that part ofthe world.
So you know, saludos a miamigos de Panama y toda
Latinoamerica.
You know my family in Sealand,so the culture it's just so rich
(04:01):
, they're so generous andhospitable in Latin America and
they really teach you gratitudeand living with joy today.
So I mean, what's not to love?
I had a great time.
We actually, in that role, werethe pioneering team that moved
the Central American Caribbeanheadquarters out of the North
American cluster and kind ofestablished a presence in Latin
(04:23):
America for that part of Mare.
So it was an epic time.
Jennifer Karpus-Romain (04:27):
I loved it and you then have worked at
that company, were able totravel to other places as well,
so not just Panama, but you alsolived and worked in the United
Arab Emirates and Belgium.
So how do you think thatinternational scope really
helped shape your career?
Kim Cockrell-Corley (04:47):
Oh yeah, it's been defining and I'm so
grateful for it.
Every time that I've spent asignificant amount of time in a
country, I've ended up reallyblessed to have met local people
who helped me understand andreally like immerse myself in
that culture and vice versa.
And so I ran with a supereclectic crowd like all my you
(05:07):
know for years.
I mean, some of my closestfriends are Emiratis, sri
Lankans, you know Persians,aussies, south Africans, and you
know we're really not all thatdifferent and when you are
yourself and you treat peoplewith integrity, it really builds
trust.
And it's not that different inbusiness at all.
So I would say that there weresome nuances, you know, coming
(05:32):
into roles such as, you know,managing a P&L or a trade route
in the UAE, or managing MiddleEastern commercial efforts or
regions or Europe, there weresituations in which there were
assumptions made about who I wasor the value that I would or
wouldn't be able to bring as anoutsider to that role, and I
(05:55):
think it really helped me tojust define, or refine, rather,
my ability to connect withpeople by overcoming those
assumptions through reallyearning their trust and
delivering results.
So I think that, and just theability to really build rapport
with people across country andculture lines and just find
(06:17):
something that really unites usand makes us similar.
Jennifer Karpus-Romain (06:22):
I love that you also not unsurprisingly
, hearing your journey and yourstory were named a Trailblazer
in the 2024 Women in SupplyChain by Supply and Demand Chain
Executive and Food Logistics.
I looked at how youacknowledged that award on
LinkedIn and you credited somuch of your journey to the
teams that you worked with,mentors who guided you,
(06:43):
opportunities that you had tolearn and grow, which I
appreciated that sentiment.
I think it's good to reflect onhow we got to where we are and
then how we keep going so, but Ithink sometimes, especially
being a woman in this industry,it can be hard to find mentors,
or going after that, or knowingwho to approach.
So do you have any advice forpeople that are looking to seek
them?
How did you find your mentorsand then, kind of, do you pay
(07:05):
that forward and have menteesnow?
Kim Cockrell-Corley (07:08):
Yes, great question.
You know, I think I'm stillwaiting for some older, wiser,
more successful executive tocome grab me by the shoulder and
say I let me guide you on thispath towards ultimate success.
But that hasn't happened for me.
I would just say, you know, tosomeone that wants one or you
(07:34):
know needs one in their life,you just have to seek out
somebody that's doing it rightand ask them for their time.
You know, and I think it's notalways just going to be one
mentor that can help you yourwhole career I think if you're
going out there and you'retaking chances and you're taking
risks, the problem set is goingto constantly evolve and you
may need a different leader forthat.
So, I think I've been very luckyin.
I mean, I've had managers.
I had this one particularmanager that as I stepped into a
(07:56):
people management role, shejust really helped me recognize
the importance of settinghealthy cadences and rhythms
with my teams and really justshared her tips and tricks for
being a successful leader.
And then I respected thatrelationship so much that we've
maintained it and you know, wehelp each other now and
sometimes she might actually saylike, hey, you're mentoring me
(08:19):
in this way and you know, and Iget so much from her.
I would say too, there have been, you know, problems, or when
I've hit walls in my career,I've not been afraid to reach up
and say, hey, give this asanity check.
I need just 30 minutes of yourtime.
This is what I'm dealing with.
Put your eyes on this and tellme what I'm missing.
So I think and that's one ofthe first things that I did too,
(08:42):
when I started this consultingbusiness, I reached out to
leading supply chain consultants.
I was like, tell me how you gothere, tell me how you set
yourself up for success and howare you adding the most value
possible for your customers.
And that was that was awesome.
So to anybody that that needsone.
Just reach out to somebody whois excelling in your deficit
(09:04):
areas.
Be specific with the ask.
Jennifer Karpus-Romain (09:07):
Hey.
Kim Cockrell-Corley (09:07):
Jen, I would love 30 minutes of your
time to help me unpack problem Xand come prepared, use their
time and if it's a connection,repeat with a new agenda.
People want to help people and,yes, I do try to help If
there's anybody that I can helplove to do it.
Jennifer Karpus-Romain (09:23):
So, yes, yeah, I think it's really
important.
I remember one time there wasit was actually a podcaster,
which is funny because we're ona podcast now, but it was a
marketing one and she, I justreally liked it and I reached
out to her on LinkedIn and Ipretty much did that Like, can I
just pick your brain on thingsmarketing?
She's like you were a realperson asking me something, real
(09:43):
, and you weren't like a robotor someone trying to sell me
something.
So I just organically said yes,and that was one of the first
times I ever did that, and so Ithink that's true.
There's a lot of value in that.
And I do think which this ispotentially a selfish plug for
TMSA but getting involved inassociations, getting involved
in networking spaces, is reallyhelpful, because then those asks
(10:04):
are a little bit more organic,because you meet people at a
show or a conference or you'renetworking with them, and so
you're a little bit morecomfortable to then have that
ask, as opposed to just reachingout on LinkedIn or doing
something.
So getting involved, not justwith TMSA, but wherever you want
to, can be a big help with that, I think.
Kim Cockrell-Corley (10:20):
Yes, exactly yeah.
I met a gentleman last night.
He was just like I don't wantthe pitch, like if I've met you,
I will do anything for you, butI just need to know who you are
and what do you think?
Jennifer Karpus-Romain (10:36):
well, this is a big pivot.
Wyou think is the biggestchallenge facing the
transportation and logisticsindustry today, and how can
leaders build towards a bettertomorrow for it?
Kim Cockrell-Corley (10:46):
That is such a tough one.
I think the reason that we loveand hate logistics is because
you can literally turn on thenews any given day and go oh,
that is going to impact mybusiness in a negative or
positive way, and it is.
We have really smart peoplethat make excellent plans for
(11:07):
their company.
They make a great freightbudget, they have a great
strategy and then the minutethey lock it down, some
geopolitical event somewhere far, far away happens and it
topples everything and leaveseverybody scrambling.
And I don't think that's evergoing to change, so I don't have
something super wise to say,but I think that that's the
thing that everybody's grapplingwith is okay, we've got strikes
(11:27):
over here, we've got weatherover here, we've got tension
over here what literally thepast week you just described?
Jennifer Karpus-Romain (11:32):
just one week in logistics in 22 years
I've never not had.
I mean that's, that's how it is.
Kim Cockrell-Corley (11:38):
It's just what is the next storm?
Proverbial storm that's comingour way.
But you know, I think thatthere are three paths that that
a company can take to.
You know they can either donothing you you know and just be
reactive and scramble.
They can increase their safetystock and therefore their
inventory carrying costs.
But I think that we've come along way and since I've been in
(11:58):
this industry, I've seen somemajor shifts toward really good
technology that can helpcompanies see how they're
sticking to their plan, get itback on track and really tighten
up the communication with theirorigin and partners and
contingency plans.
So I think there's a lot ofreally great tech that's in this
industry now and that's reallyexciting.
Jennifer Karpus-Romain (12:19):
And tell us a little bit about Upward
Bou Ventures.
So you have this vastexperience working at the actual
companies that are you know,doing all the work doing travel
in the world, helping everybody,but now you started your own
company.
What does that look like andwhy'd you get involved with that
?
You know?
Kim Cockrell-Corley (12:34):
yeah, and I called it Upward Bound Ventures
because I really like to growthings from the ground up, and
so I just had this vision of youknow, let's get this thing, the
foundation laid for companiesthat want to succeed in sales
and marketing and just grow itfrom there Over and over.
In my career at Maersk I just Ihad the great opportunity to
just go into kind of justgreenfield.
(12:55):
There's nothing there,territories or markets, or
launch companies that didn'texist or we were reviving one
that used to exist and in adifferent way.
So that to me and then sevenyears at a FinTech startup, just
zero to one company company,nobody to look at in the
industry or or even elsewhere tosay, okay, that's how you do it
(13:16):
, there's.
There was no playbook, so it'sreally sharpened my problem
solving capabilities and I'vetried a lot of things, I've
learned a lot of things and I Ifeel like I've come up with a
pretty good little secret sauceto to help it can be.
I'm helping companies of allsizes from multinational
conglomerates, but really mypassion is helping early stage
(13:37):
or small to medium companiesreally get the sales and
marketing right, and it can beI'm helping folks who just are
having some issues with thecustomer journey and customer
service, or it can be I need toestablish myself as a thought
leader in this industry and getthat inbound marketing machine
working so that it's paving theway for sales, or I'm helping
(13:58):
folks whose salespeople justhaven't quite figured out how to
get their messaging withcustomers to resonate for the
target segment that they want tobe in.
So it really is, you know,across the board, just companies
laying that foundation, and itjust gives me so much joy to
have all these new problems tohelp people solve.
It's my favorite thing to doand to just grow their company
(14:22):
from the ground up.
Jennifer Karpus-Romai (14:24):
Wonderful .
And one thing I wanted to talkabout too is you really are
dedicated to your charitablework.
On top of the work that you doin the industry and I was
reading about especially in therealm of mentoring young women
but supporting victims oftrafficking.
Um, I spend time in well, Idonate to trafficking, but to
(14:46):
stop trafficking yeah, should,should emphasize that.
Um, but I volunteer on the OhioAlliance to End Sexual Violence
.
I'm the board president there,so I was really excited when I
was reading about that.
So I would love to just talkabout it and how you contribute
and if people are interested ingetting involved or helping, how
they can do that and why youkind of dedicate some of your
(15:07):
time there.
Kim Cockrell-Corley (15:08):
Yeah, I've always been passionate about
serving.
It's just a big component to myfaith.
I even met my husband inGuatemala while we were doing
mission work.
He's from Iowa and you know Imet him.
I was living in Atlanta andjust that's how we met.
And you know, we really gotinvolved quickly with youth at
(15:30):
our church and our youth groupand we just have a burden for
the depression, the anxiety andthe lack of identity that
teenagers have today.
And I think you know, if youask God to, you know, break your
heart for what breaks his, hereally will.
And I think one day I heard thisfounder come and talk about the
(15:51):
work that they were doing torescue women who were victims of
sex trafficking and he lamentedthat they were starting to see
an influx of teens and children,you know, and that wrecked me.
I mean it absolutely wrecked me,because not only is it tough
enough to be a teenager today,with just the bombardment of
(16:14):
messaging and things that aren'ttrue and just confusion and
rejection of social media andthings like that, how do you add
that to it and come back andmake your life successful?
So I didn't, I don't haveanything to add.
I mean, I've never beenimpacted by this huge, huge
issue.
I just was compassionate and Imade time and I I just reached
(16:35):
out and I was like what can I do?
I live here in this city and Ican help.
I mean, somehow, what can I do?
Can I cut grass?
Can I, what can I do?
And they didn't actually evenhave a volunteer program.
They gave me a bunch of formsthat they made and you know,
like that day and like signthese things and you know come,
you know, and so I think I'm theonly volunteer that I think
(16:58):
they have at this place, thisnonprofit, at the moment.
But I just come and we eitherwill bake or we'll do nails, or
we sometimes we have danceparties or we'll play Uno I mean
whatever parties or we'll playuno, I mean whatever, I just
roll with it.
You know, and I would say that,um, most days I come home and
I'm like I don't know that Imade any impact.
(17:20):
It was very surface level.
But then some days you comehome and you're like I think I
just planted a nugget.
I just gave that person hope.
We just had a deep laugh, youknow, and I'm not going to be
able to solve their problems.
I wish that I could, but justto love on them and to just
speak truth and positivity intotheir lives and encourage them.
(17:40):
That's, that's what I, that'swhat I want to do.
So if anybody's wanting to getinvolved, I would say find the
cause.
If it's that, if it's somethingelse, find the cause that
wrecks you and call them.
Jennifer Karpus-Romain (17:52):
Yes, I think it's really important to
find what you're passionateabout, and then it's easier to
find the time to, to donate, togo there, so okay.
So my favorite question to askeveryone, it's one that I ask
every single person who comes onthe show If you could go back
in time and advise a younger Kimanything and this could be
(18:13):
personally or professionallywhen would you go back to and
what would you tell her?
Kim Cockrell-Corley (18:17):
Oh, my goodness.
Well, I would say failure is agift.
It really is in some awkwardway, and I think that the
greatest development that Ipersonally have experienced is
when things didn't go the waythat I wanted them to.
And I think that you have theopportunity in that situation to
(18:38):
reflect on the situation,really contemplate it and pick
out the things that you can own,the things that you can control
, and set up a plan to actdifferently next time, the
things that you can control andset up a plan to act differently
next time.
And if you're putting yourselfout there and you're taking on
heavy challenges and reallypushing forward, failure at some
point is just going to come.
And you know, I think, even ifit, even if the odds were
(19:03):
stacked against you the wholetime and you never had a chance
to succeed or it was unfair, youcan still look at the situation
and go OK, what can I do nexttime to put myself in a better
situation?
Or what can I own from that andhow can I, you know, modify
behaviors in the future?
So that would be part one, andI would say the other part of
that is do not let yourself,when failure comes, do not let
(19:26):
yourself go into this narrativewhere you have this devil on
your shoulder saying you areill-equipped or you're really an
imposter.
Jennifer Karpus-Romain (19:34):
I mean, that happens right, I mean it
happens, it's really common formales, female, everybody
experiences this impostersyndrome at some point.
Kim Cockrell-Corley (19:43):
So don't listen to it, don't go into it
and don't go into a dark place,because this is normal and this
is an opportunity to grow.
So stay true to your North Star, you know, keep on climbing and
know your worth.
I would go back a few years andtell myself that for sure.
Jennifer Karpus-Romain (20:02):
Yes, it definitely took me a long time
to realize that your perspectivematters.
So if you're at a new companyor you're doing something, and
because I've been in thatposition where I worked at a
tech company, I'm like everyoneis so much smarter than me
because I don't.
But then I was like wait, butwe're selling to sales and
marketing people, and thatthat's what I know, so my
(20:23):
perspective matters.
So I think it's important tokind of shift that sometimes and
realize that you may bedifferent, you may have
different viewpoints, but thatbrings more perspective to the
table.
So everything is going to bebetter at the end.
Kim Cockrell-Corley (20:34):
Yes, I love that.
Jennifer Karpus-Romain (20:36):
Well, thank you so much for coming on
the show.
I am laughing at how the sunhas traveled.
I set up everything soperfectly before you showed up
and now, well, they can see you.
I think I'm a little bit in theshadow.
Kim Cockrell-Corley (20:48):
I think they should be watching this
sunrise.
Jennifer Karpus-Romain (20:50):
Yeah, but you guys are missing out on
the beautiful sunrise.
But I appreciate you coming onthe show today and for being
here at Executive Summit.
We are starting our day two.
In just a little bit.
We're going to go grab ourbreakfast, but thank you to
everyone who watched this liveor, you know, listening to where
you get podcasts.
Next week we will beinterviewing the arketing
(21:12):
mountain mover, so check thatout and we will see you next
time, thank you.
Bye.
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