At Primary Freight, we’re committed to treating our employees with consideration and respect — and this has been the key to our decades of success.
These days, the internet is abuzz with all of the amazing amenities trendy tech companies like Apple, Facebook, and Google offer their employees: free on-site baristas, rooftop lounges, concert tickets, midday naps — sounds pretty great, right? Not so fast.
Sure, in-office perks, and cushy benefits are all well and good, but they don’t help raise an employee’s children, offer emotional support when someone they care about gets sick, or hold their job for them when they have to put their career on pause to deal with a real crisis.
At Primary Freight, in addition to providing a number of wellness programs and other perks, we’ve found something to offer our employees that’s even more valuable: empathy. We employ real people living real lives and experiencing real problems. When a Primary Freight employee needs help or support, they receive it, plain and simple. There’s a reason over 41% of our team has been here for more than 10 years: we’re not just a company — we’re a company that cares.
Offering Support Where It Really Counts
What’s it really like to work at a family-first company? Just ask Monique Lewis, who has been with Primary Freight for 16 years.
Monique began her relationship with Primary Freight as a client, and would speak with President and Co-Founder Kathy Hogan on a regular basis — then one day she discovered that she was going to be laid off by her employer.
As Monique recalls, “Kathy happened to call me one day to see how I was doing. I told her that I was going to be out of work. She immediately said, ‘No, you’re not — come in and see me.’ So I went to see Kathy and I actually started work that same week.”
Kathy knew Monique was a diligent and dedicated worker, of course, but she also recognized her predicament as a fellow mother, and the incredible stress unemployment puts on a family — especially when you’re a single mother of three young children like Monique. “That’s the first thing Kathy told me when I was hired: family comes first.”
Since day one, Monique explains, Primary Freight has proven time and time again that this philosophy isn’t just a bunch of idle talk — they really walk the walk. “[CEO] John [Brown] and Kathy have both played an instrumental role in my children’s lives,” she says. “My oldest is getting ready for her first year at Howard University — without their help, both in terms of financial planning and general encouragement, I don’t think this would’ve been possible.”
The Business Case for a Family-First Culture
As John points out, a family-first approach isn’t just the right thing to do — it’s good for business as well. When an employer demonstrates to its employees that they genuinely care about their well-being, those employees tend to stick around longer, work harder, and care more. According to Monique, “It’s not about the money. It’s about knowing someone really cares, and that they’ll be there for you if anything happens.”
At the end of the day, when it comes to generating long-term value, building a support system that employees can really count on is always going to trump flashy perks and open office spaces. As Monique explains, “I’m motivated to do a great job every single day because I genuinely believe in what I’m contributing to, and I know it believes in me.”