{"type":"rich","version":"1.0","provider_name":"Transistor","provider_url":"https://transistor.fm","author_name":"Last2First Podcast","title":"He Worked for Free for a Year. Now He Runs 80+ Facilities | Tom Jowers | Last2First","html":"","width":"100%","height":180,"duration":3172,"description":"When Tom Jowers joined ADL in 2003, the company could not afford to pay him. He worked for free for a year. By the time he and his partners sold to private equity in March 2022, ADL had grown from roughly 4 million dollars in top line revenue to just shy of 50 million, with 18 offices across the Southeast. Today, as Regional President of ADL Final Mile, he helps run a network of more than 80 facilities across 27 states with over 3,000 independent contractor drivers.\nIn this episode of the Last2First Podcast, host Jason Burns sits down with Thomas \"Tom\" Jowers for a direct conversation on auto parts logistics, private equity, and what it actually takes to build something at scale.\nThey cover how two companies were acquired on the same day and merged into ADL Final Mile, a full breakdown of the automotive vertical, why staying disciplined about which verticals to chase mattered more than chasing growth, what private equity actually looks for in an acquisition, the agent trap that can quietly damage a company's valuation at exit, where industry consolidation is heading, and Tom's predictions on AI, autonomous vehicles, EVs, and virtual warehousing. He closes with the moment that shaped his career: taking the risk to work for free because he believed in where it would lead.\nConnect with Tom Jowers: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thomas-d-jowers-23224316/\nConnect with host Jason Burns: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasonburns-last2first/\nJoin the L2F Huddle, where final mile leaders connect and grow: https://www.l2fhuddle.com\nFollow Last2First:\nSpotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3gDS58wo6IWeLl48LHukdP\nInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/last2firstpodcast/\nAbout Last2First: Hosted by Jason Burns, Last2First brings real conversations with the owners, operators, and experts shaping the future of logistics. This is where delivery businesses go from last to first.","thumbnail_url":"https://img.transistorcdn.com/GXEfemdOctPhLy5xj00kyNMdJLROCQ3j30AG-ygggg8/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:400/h:400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS9hNTQ0/ZDViYTc0MDVkNWM0/NDllMDM4MTE1NDc3/NWJjOC5wbmc.webp","thumbnail_width":300,"thumbnail_height":300}