Around Saia
This month's Around Saia features HGO's Pink Day and Saia being honored as one of the Top Companies for Women to Work for in Transportation. Also included are a stories on the opening of Saia's new terminals in Indianapolis and Long Beach, California.
Pink Day at the HGO
HGO Publications Specialist Gipsy Pitre recently organized “Pink Day” at the Houma office in honor of October being “Breast Cancer Awareness Month.” Gypsy said, “As a Silver Saia mentor, it is so important to me to have days for us to come together. It not only supported a real world problem, it brought good spirits around the office that lasted all day. I’m truly proud of the support.”
Saia Honored as Top Company for Women
Earlier this month, at the Accelerate! Conference & Expo held in Dallas, Texas, Saia LTL Freight was named one of Redefining the Road magazine’s 2019 “Top Companies for Women to Work for in Transportation.” The magazine is the official publication of the Women In Trucking Association (WIT).
Ellen Voie, president and CEO of WIT, explained that the magazine created the award in 2018 to support part of WIT’s mission to promote the accomplishments of companies that are focused on the employment of women in the trucking industry.
Several factors help distinguish companies, like Saia, including a corporate culture that fosters gender diversity, competitive compensation and benefits packages, flexible hours and work requirements, and professional development and career advancement opportunities.
More than 150 nominations were received and nearly 11,000 votes were cast in the selection process this year, according to Brian Everett, publisher of Redefining the Road.
Saia Opens New Indianapolis Terminal
Saia LTL Freight opened its new flagship terminal in Indianapolis, Indiana on Oct. 4. The new breakbulk facility will allow us to better serve our customers for years to come with Indianapolis acting as a gateway for freight moving through the heart of our network.
The standalone terminal is situated on 42 acres and offers over 64,000 square feet of dock space featuring 147 doors, with the opportunity to expand up to 300. It also features a nearly 15,000-square-foot, two-story office building; a 13,000-square-foot maintenance shop; and a high-speed fueling station. The state-of-the-art facility includes significant investments in energy efficient and sustainable construction along with the latest technology.
Saia’s previous Indianapolis facility had exceeded capacity. At our new location, additional doors mean better, faster shipping, plus added yard space. With regard to our high volume appointment customers, we’ll be able to continuously load and build more direct trailers, thus reducing freight handling.
New Southern California Terminal Opens for Business
Saia LTL Freight opened a terminal Oct. 7 in the city of Long Beach, California, home to the second-busiest container port in the country.
Because of the growth in the area, this second terminal will position Saia to provide additional capacity, and thus enhanced service, for customers. We’re continuing to invest in existing markets like the West Coast where we’ve had facilities.
The facility in Long Beach will bring the total number of terminals the company operates in the state to 14 and will be the seventh new terminal Saia has opened this year. It is projected to employ over 60 workers.