Most freight M&A deals look great on paper—but execution is where they succeed or fall apart. So what actually matters when you’re integrating teams, systems, culture, and operations while the market is turning against you?
Jordan Strawn has lived every phase of that journey. He joined Reed Transport Services in 2015 when it was a $70M Tampa-based brokerage and helped scale it to $400M before Werner acquired the business in 2022. As COO through the growth years and now Senior Vice President of Logistics at Werner, Jordan has seen the full arc firsthand: scaling the company, navigating buyer interest, managing diligence, and leading integration on the other side of the deal. In this conversation, Jordan shares what made Reed an attractive acquisition target, how they built with discipline instead of chasing growth for growth’s sake, and what it really takes to make M&A work after the deal closes.
He also breaks down the operational mindset behind successful integration, why process matters more than buzzwords, how Werner structured the business post-acquisition, and why power-only and refrigerated logistics are strategic parts of the company’s broader offering.
What you’ll learn:
- Why Reed became an attractive acquisition target: how service quality, repeatable execution, and strength in food & beverage and produce helped make the company stand out
- What actually matters in M&A: how leadership teams think through diligence, cultural fit, employee continuity, and post-close execution
- How to scale without losing focus: why Reed prioritized lane density, operational discipline, and core competencies over chasing every growth opportunity
- What changes after an acquisition: the shift from operating a private business to leading inside a public company environment
- Why process is a competitive advantage: how documented workflows, training, accountability, and tech-enabled visibility create operational consistency
- How Werner approached integration: aligning teams, structures, and systems while keeping the business moving through a difficult freight market
- The role of PowerLink and refrigerated power-only: how Werner’s trailer network creates capacity advantages and sticky carrier relationships
- How multi-modal sales structure works: why centralized account ownership supported by mode specialists can improve the customer experience
Time-stamped highlights:
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00:00) Intro: Jordan’s triathlon training, upcoming Olympic race, and Ironman commitment
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03:53) The Reed origin story and how the company grew from its early days into a meaningful brokerage platform
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05:25) Jordan’s transition from UPS Freight into Reed and the move from operations into sales leadership - (
06:16) Scaling Reed from $70M to $400M and the philosophy behind that growth
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06:58) The Werner acquisition and what made Reed strategically attractive
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08:22) Why Reed’s food & beverage and produce freight complemented Werner’s existing network
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09:43) Why process matters in both sales and operations
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13:04) What the acquisition process felt like while still running the business day to day
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14:48) Why there was strong buyer interest in Reed and how the team evaluated fit
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16:16) Building for quality, not just top-line growth
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18:45) Reed’s core competency in refrigerated truckload, food & beverage, and produce
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24:28) Jordan’s mindset during the sale and why team continuity mattered
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26:45) The challenge of preserving culture through M&A
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30:30) What actually changes after the deal closes: alignment, process, and decision-making
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32:33) How Werner structured sales and account management post-acquisition
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36:28) PowerLink explained and why power-only matters strategically
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42:08) Expanding into refrigerated power-only with connected reefer technology
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43:55) The building blocks of world-class operations
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48:15) How teams drive compliance through visibility, feedback, and execution discipline
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51:08) What keeps Jordan up at night: constant market change and keeping teams ready to adapt Guest Jordan Strawn — Senior Vice President of Logistics, Werner Enterprises Jordan spent nearly a decade helping scale Reed Transport Services from $70M to $400M before Werner acquired the company in 2022.
He now leads Werner’s PowerLink and truckload brokerage operations, overseeing logistics teams across multiple offices and helping guide the ongoing integration of Reed into Werner’s broader logistics platform. Prior to Reed, he spent years in operations at UPS Freight, where he developed the process-driven mindset that continues to shape his leadership approach today.