Nussbaum Transportation Services is an employee-owned trucking company based in Hudson, Illinois. Founded in 1945 with deep roots in faith and integrity, Nussbaum operated as a family business for many years. In 2018, we transitioned to an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP), giving each employee a personal financial stake in the company’s success. We’ve grown steadily throughout our nearly 80-year history, but the past 15 years especially have seen significant growth. In 2010, we shifted our focus from short-haul transportation to long-haul, and it was the right decision—but not without growing pains.

For a long time, the entire company worked in one building. Getting to know colleagues or sharing ideas was easy—they were all right there! But as the business grew, we outgrew our building. So, we moved to our new campus in 2012 and added additional office space in 2020. The team is now spread across three buildings—relatively close, and all sharing a common breakroom space—but far from the small, intimate office we knew previously.

As an Evergreen® company, our culture is very important to us. As we entered this new chapter, we still wanted our employees to feel that close-knit connection when they came to work. So, the question became: How do we foster a culture of engagement and communication with a larger group in this new setting? And how do we prevent the building of walls between departments?

These walls (or “silos” as they are commonly referred to) are a serious problem for any business. Less communication can lead to less cooperation, which can stifle innovation, efficiency, and ultimately, the bottom line. One example at Nussbaum was a disconnect between Sales and Billing that resulted in incorrect bills, issuing refunds, and general tension between the two teams. Aiming to address the conflict, we set up weekly touchpoints between the frontline team members to talk through recurring issues and identify solutions. Sales and billing managers also met monthly to share concerns on behalf of their teams, and in the end, the two departments renewed their sense of connection. Ultimately, it reinforced our belief that culture and communication are worthwhile investments.

Many of the solutions we implemented centered around relationships—an essential aspect of culture and beating silos. One classic example is Food Day—a longstanding Nussbaum tradition where employees bring a lunch dish to share and enjoy a meal together. In the “old days,” it happened organically. But in our new office, we established that individual departments would “host” a food day and provide lunch for the entire company. This way, everyone would have the chance to build new relationships, and the host team would get to know one another as they planned and executed the event.

It’s been a smashing success—though we realized partway in that department members already spend their days together, so one extra team assignment doesn’t really accomplish what we intended. So, we made the simple but effective decision to reorganize. Now, Food Days are hosted by a cross-departmental team with no more than one representative per work group. Everyone still enjoys a community gathering for lunch while the host team forms new connections with coworkers they may not otherwise know.

A second initiative to foster relationships is “The Network Lunch,” hearkening back to the intimate setting of the first Nussbaum office. One of our executives hosts a catered lunch for a small group of employee-owners; anyone may sign up, but no more than two from a department may attend the same lunch. Employee-owners can build relationships with each other and with our leadership team in a more relaxed environment than hosting a Food Day.

That’s great—but what about the “department” that doesn’t work onsite? We’re referring, of course, to the drivers. How do you include them in the broader company? And give them opportunities to build relationships?

One answer is Nussbaum’s Certified RED—a voluntary continuing education and certification program for professional drivers. It helps drivers connect with office staff via hands-on training sessions, mentoring calls, and in-person job shadows. Upon graduation, drivers are publicly recognized at a companywide ceremony, allowing them to see their entire support group! Likewise, the office staff gets to hear the drivers’ stories and learn more about their backgrounds. It’s a win-win! Furthermore, Certified RED training positions the driver to mentor and develop future drivers and create more meaningful connections.

Another small but helpful innovation to improve office-driver connection is Connect Accelerator, a proprietary Nussbaum app. When a driver calls in, the app opens to display their picture on our computer screens. This helps the office staff put names with faces, especially for drivers who rarely come through the terminal.

Our executive team believes that investing in culture is the right choice for our people and the business. We want employees to be on the same team, driven by a shared purpose, and naturally collaborating. Of course, this starts from the top, so our leadership team works hard to model these qualities and make themselves visible to all employees. Our technicians and IT group are two teams in particular that tend to get isolated, so certain executives have intentionally spent time in their spaces, getting to know them and keeping the door of communication open. It makes a difference. Being in front of your people is the first line of defense against silos.

Nothing we’ve done is especially earth-shattering—most of it is simple. The key is a regular, intentional investment. Time, thought, and upkeep are essential. But the dividends—happy, productive employees who drive industry-leading results—is well worth it. As an Evergreen company dedicated to living out our faith, our people will always be the number one priority.

As our founder used to say, “If you take care of your people, the rest will take care of itself.”