Melissa Priest on Launching the First Female-Owned U.S. Transportation Consultancy
In this episode of Women in Retail Talks, Women in Retail Leadership Circle Co-Founder Melissa Campanelli interviews Melissa Priest, founder and CEO of Alexandretta Transportation Consulting, the only female-owned transportation consulting firm in the U.S. Listen in as Priest discusses the Alexandretta Transportation business (1:44), how she navigated leaving her previous career at FedEx to start her own consulting firm (3:28), and her experience launching the first female-owned consultancy in a heavily male-dominated field (6:14).
In addition, Priest shares how her business gives back a percentage of profits to causes like conservation (9:50); tips for unlocking success, which are featured in her book, “Women in Business: Breaking Through” (13:25); and the importance of continual personal and professional development in women’s career advancement (15:05). Lastly, Priest discusses what trends she’s seeing now in shipping and fulfillment (18:27), why she’s bullish on the year ahead and the 2021 holiday season (20:47), and what she’s most looking forward to this year (21:38).
Melissa Priest is the founder and CEO of Alexandretta Transportation Consulting. She is a recognized subject matter expert on parcel shipping and a global leader in transportation consulting who has saved clients over $1 billion since starting in the parcel industry nearly 25 years ago. Melissa started her career at FedEx and transitioned into consulting 17 years ago. She works with clients ranging from startup e-commerce firms to Fortune 50 companies. Her firm identifies areas of improvement within existing carrier agreements, then works with the individual clients to renegotiate the agreements to capture savings.
Melissa is passionate about empowering women and is a co-author of the book, “Women in Business: Breaking Through.” Melissa is a graduate of California State University, Fullerton with a B.A. degree in International Business. She finished her studies in France at the University of Paris, Creteil. In addition to championing equality and diversity, Melissa gives back to the global community by donating 1 percent of Alexandretta’s profits to humanitarian and environmental causes.
Date: March 30, 2021
Credits: Melissa Priest
Duration: 23:26
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