How does the 3rd largest freight brokerage firm in the United States attract some of the youngest and brightest talent the country? Total Quality Logistics focuses their efforts towards college career fairs and other networking events. Their determination to heavily recruit Generation Y has paid off; TQL employees 28 and younger make up a whopping 59% of Total Quality Logistics whole workforce.

Group Sales Manager Joe Trusner says, “I think Generation Y has impacted the workforce in a great way. They’re always dynamic and always changing. They’re forward thinkers and multitasking is a strong point for them. We hire a lot of Gen Y folks and that’s a huge benefit in Chicago.”

TQL’s Team Chicago has created its workspace to reflect the needs of its Gen Y employees. Their energetic River North office is lofty, complete with high windows and oak beams. Its exposed brick walls are adorned with TVs that are typically tuned in to Sports Center. Their lounge area has a Wii console that is regularly used for Wii bowling tournaments among the Team Chicago employees. The open floor plan allows for communication across the sales floor. 

While bowling tournaments may require employees to compete individually with one another, the office environment and work culture at TQL’s Team Chicago fosters a team setting. This notion is reflected in the company’s name. Rather than being TQL Chicago, they are titled, “Team Chicago.” 

Within this team, the office is sectioned into four sales teams. With a company that prides itself on being available for clients 24/7, it is only fitting that employees look after one another to ensure that tasks get handled efficiently and to the best of everyone’s ability.

Trusner adds, “People are always covering other people’s workload, handling their business so they can enjoy their time off. It’s definitely not every man for themselves; we have a great team atmosphere.”

It is in that team effort that new hires can feel confident in their abilities to provide great service to TQL’s clients. Young professionals undergo six months of extensive training. The first two weeks of the training are split equally between classroom learning and learning on the sales floor. From there, new employees are able to shadow brokers and experienced professionals to learn from their co-workers and superiors. 

When employees aren’t hard at work meeting their clients’ transportation and truckload shipment needs, they can be found at one of the Chicago Athletic Clubs. One of the ways TQL’s Team Chicago promotes a healthy lifestyle is through its corporate agreement with CAC. Employees can enjoy discounted memberships at any of these gym locations. Additionally, the company has a running club, kickball team, softball team and football team.  Total Quality Logistics also hosts a “The Biggest Loser” competition that is company-wide. Employees with the largest percentage weight loss are deemed “The Biggest Loser” and win the competition.

Generation Y employees who begin their careers with TQL can rest assured that they’ve embarked on a satisfying adventure with their employer. TQL understands how to get the most out of their Gen Y employees while making them feel valued and integral to the success of the company.