We sat down with Bright Flag Founder and President Toni Tovi to discuss recruiting in today’s environment and what advice she has for contractors.
What makes Bright Flag the right choice for recruiting?
We go above and beyond to make sure we find the right talent for your team. Failure is not an option for us and so our success is truly driven by our clients’ success. We truly take the time to understand the needs of your organization on the micro level. We offer a white glove service that is unrivaled by anyone in this space. We come from the background of being an AO for FedEx Ground so we not only recruit but also serve as a resource on all things operationally as an ISP. We are here to be a partner to our clients and operate as an extension of them.
If you could give contractors one piece of advice, what would it be?
Never stop recruiting. Even when you think you are overstaffed something can change that dynamic in a minute. It is important to insulate yourselves from the attrition and turnover that everyone in all fields are experiencing, the only way to do that is to constantly have a stream of drivers coming through to account for those situations.
What are the key traits you look for in candidates you recruit?
When we recruit drivers we like to find out what their needs are and how those correlate with the needs of our contractors. We take the time to make sure that not only will the driver be the right fit for our clients but also that the clients will be the right for them. The only way you can do this is by having that personal touch with every driver you come in contact with. Most recruiting companies in this space just look at these drivers as a quota to fill. We find that by learning the needs and wants of the drivers in tandem with those of our clients we can better find the right candidate not just for the time being but for the long term.
What do you think is the biggest challenge facing contractors in today’s environment?
We are still facing the great resignation as we sit. More and more people are leaving the workforce in search of better opportunities. The global labor shortage is the worst we have ever seen in this country and it is not getting any better in regards to the types of workers we are trying to find. There is more competition now than ever in trying to secure this type of workforce as e-commerce is expanding and unfortunately a lot of contractors are struggling to find the margins to be able to compete.
How did you get into the FedEx space?
I came from a Private Equity Firm that owned and operated in 4 different locations back in 2016. I ran everything from payroll to AR, AP, hiring, onboarding, acquisition of trucks etc.. I loved working as an AO but my favorite part was the people piece. I found that I had a passion to help people find jobs that bettered their lives and could help them feed their families. Once we sold all of our runs I saw a true need for a company that specialises in recruiting and also could understand it from an ISP’s perspective. I created Bright Flag in 2018 and could not love what I do anymore than I did the day I started it.
What are you most excited about as P&D expands and grows?
I am excited for the opportunity to continue to scale my company. We want to continue partnering with these contractors no matter how big or small, in helping them to grow and create generational wealth for their families. The two biggest pieces to this business are people and trucks. When contractors engage with Bright Flag, I know that we are able to at least help them be successful in not worrying about that one major pain point of their operation. Nothing gives me greater joy than to know we are assisting companies in succeeding in their operations. We are all trying to live the American Dream and for that we will always strive to be the very best in our space.
