"Carrying on the Family Legacy"

How does a young woman—starting alone and from scratch—launch and lead a successful trucking company that has attained nationwide distribution, large food chain customers, and solid revenue growth every year for over two decades?

Perhaps Carla Manni’s story can best explain how Trans-Link, LLC has forged enduring relationships of loyalty and trust with the customers, drivers, and carriers they work with. Trucking ran in her family. Carla’s paternal and maternal grandparents owned rival trucking companies in Boston, pursuing the same customers until they got wise and divvied up territories, so they didn’t have to compete with each other.

Her father also operated a trucking company and warehouse, so big rigs and diesel fuel are a part of Carla’s DNA. “But that didn’t mean I had an easy entry into the transport industry. I paid my dues for over ten years in sales at CBL Trucking, developing new business, carving out new territories, building strategic relationships within the industry,” says Carla. “I loved it. I found that working hard, living up to your commitments, strong customer service, and competitive pricing were the keys to ongoing success.” When CBL sold out, and Carla’s future was in doubt, she considered another direction. But family and friends enthusiastically encouraged her to start her own transportation business.

After much coaxing and not a little trepidation, Trans-Link, LLC was born.

Today, Trans-Link handles LTL (less than truckload), truckload, and rail transport of dry, refrigerated, and frozen goods, specializing in grocery distribution. They ship to all 48 contiguous states and move both inbound and outbound freight for our customers.

Because of their excellent reputation for reliability, Trans-Link is also the designated company on-call 24/7 to provide emergency delivery service during crises like the pandemic, significant storms, drivers’ strikes, and other events that leave people in urgent need. “My accomplishments have been recognized by being named VIP Woman of the Year by the National Association of Professional Women,” elucidates Carla. “Call me old-school, but I’ve never wavered from my belief in treating customers and colleagues like family with honesty, commitment, and a caring culture.”

The pioneering leader affiliated with the CWE in Providence, RI (Center for Women Enterprise) WBENC Certified, part of the WPO- she has spoken at some of the local schools about her business and how she got started. Inspiring young ladies to consider following their dreams/passions and always letting them know that many organizations today sponsor and support woman-owned businesses. “It is important to me to educate and support my team members – This is a work in progress. I must ensure my team members are knowledgeable and passionate about my company. Customers can tell if they are talking to someone that understands transportation and what we do,” explains Carla. “I am always learning something new in this industry and I’m happy to share what I learn with my team members to make them better at what they do.”

Trans-Link started in 2000, and it was difficult for Carla to be a woman in this industry. Still, over the years, she has realized that by sharing experiences and knowledge in this industry, one eventually gains more confidence in themselves and what one does. “My advice is not to let anyone intimidate you, if you know your business and know it well you can be unstoppable. Earn the respect you deserve, stay true to your core values, learn to overcome the many obstacles you will face and some times problems can become opportunities,” explains Carla. “Trans-Link always needs to work on our customer base, Continue to build strong relationships with our customer, and the success will continue we are a true extension of our customer’s logistics team.”

The primary goal for Trans-Link is always to continue to grow, keep up with the market changes, and always work on added value to make sure we stand out from the rest. For the days to come, Carla will continue to make sure the company remains profitable and will ensure her staff has all the tools necessary to continue to grow with the company and plan for her brother Kyle to one day oversee the entire operation. WL