Leading By Example

The above quote is very close to Debbie Friedemann, CFO of RK Logistics Group’s heart. By being a persistent leader, she has been inspiring and empowering everyone close to her and also aspiring leaders or entrepreneurs to become great leaders of tomorrow. “I teach them by self-example. I achieved two goals that were important to me: acquiring my doctorate degree and getting published,” says Debbie. “I hope to inspire other leaders to also achieve their goals. Fear is a persistent guest and will always come knocking on your door. But whenever I felt afraid, I grabbed my fear by the hand, and walked it through the door, and went back to pursuing my dreams.”

Debbie has been at RK for fifteen years; previously, she has been a General Accounting Manager, Controller, CIO, CFO, Director of Accounting, Executive VP of Finance and Human Resources. She’s a software conversion specialist with a Doctorate of Organizational Leadership in Management & Information Systems, a Master of Business Administration/Technology Management, and a BS in Business Management. “I have been with The RK Logistics Group, Inc. since 2008. At that time, we were a small third-party logistics company generating $8 million in revenue. Today, we will end the year at just under $100 million in revenue,” explains Debbie. “Next year, we plan to double that figure. I am told that I have a charismatic personality and an ability to break down complex problems and financial concepts into steps that anyone can understand, making me a critical member of the leadership team at RK Logistics.”

The steadfast leader has also transformed into a support system for female business owners trying hard to establish themselves. “I am available to whoever has questions or concerns, and I am always willing to help someone find the right solution to the problem,” she says. “I currently lead an ethnically diverse and gender-inclusive finance team. As a holder of a Ph.D. in management and technology, I support our employees in their corporate endeavors and welcome ideas on how to improve business processes.”

For Debbie, it has taken a very long time to succeed, but she never gave up on her dreams and aspirations. “The best advice I can give anyone is to not give up. Be patient. Be willing to roll up your sleeves and get your hands dirty. When you do not know the answer to something, be willing to ask the question, research the answer, and surround yourself with experts,” elucidates Debbie. “Do not be afraid to ask questions. By asking the right questions, I have found opportunities to save the company millions of dollars throughout the years. Mistakes will be made, but learning from them by embracing them and not being afraid of them has helped me succeed.” With a brilliant mindset, Debbie has been taking the company to new heights.

RK Logistics Group is a 3PL provider and an innovator in full-spectrum supply chain support services. Their ongoing efforts to exceed the client’s expectations have led to significant growth and expansion of services for almost 35 years. Today, RK Logistics’ mission is to redefine third-party logistics with their new trademark, 3PL+ service level, which sets a new benchmark in the supply chain industry. It demonstrates their commitment to the customers to go far beyond typical warehousing and transportation. According to Debbie, she is seeing more robotics and automation happening throughout the industry, and by keeping abreast with the latest trends, she assists the company in finding better solutions. “Finding better software solutions and ways of reducing costs without reducing services is always a challenge, but we like to think we are creative in how we find the right solutions to our customers’ challenges,” says Debbie. “One of our biggest achievements is following “SWOT” an acronym for “Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats.” By knowing our customers’ primary concerns, we can match our strengths to our customers’ weaknesses.”

For the days to come, Debbie and her team are currently expanding their warehouse footprint, so the biggest goal is to remain competitive, understand where their customers are located, and be able to be at the right place at the right time with little cost to both the company and customers. “We are growing. We have added 5 locations in 2022 and are planning on adding another 5 locations in 2023. We are no longer a Bay Area company, but a national company and we want to continue on this journey,” adds Debbie. WL