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Meet Enrique Alvarez of Vector Global Logistics in West Midtown

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Today we’d like to introduce you to Enrique Alvarez.

Enrique, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
Brian and I met while working together as management consultants for the Boston Consulting Group and started talking about potential entrepreneurial opportunities when we decided to deep dive into the very interesting market of international logistics. After a few weeks and multiple interviews (in good consultant fashion) we found that in general, the industry held a lot of opportunity for a company composed of individuals with our skillset. One of the things that caught our attention the most was the need to bring a fresh approach to the industry, in particular, how companies measured performance and managed their teams. We learned about companies tracking their employees using GPS or checking their time when they got to the office. As most know, standard 9-5 work hours mean very little for someone working with China, Kenya, or Germany, and so we realized that to deliver exceptional service to our clients, we’d have to take the time component out of the equation. This simple change radically deviates from the way work is perceived and most importantly the way employees feel about what they do.

That opportunity fueled our initial days as entrepreneurs, coupled with our strong belief in changing the world and making a positive impact in our communities, which is without a doubt the cornerstone of our values and the culture we want to share. Logistics in that regards is a great starting point to change the world, as everything around us deals with logistics in one way or another.

However, how we got where we are today is much simpler to explain but harder and more difficult to do: perseverance, perseverance, perseverance…. boring consistency one would say coupled with an overwhelming drive to push through anything and never quit (or raw stubbornness as my friends and family would put it).

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
No. But yet, again nothing worth doing ever is. The biggest challenge has been developing a team of like-minded individuals and partners that are willing to take the risk with us and believe in our culture and vision. You will constantly run into skeptics and face barriers that may impact your growth trajectory. However, to succeed, you need to continue pushing through and not let negativity drag you down — whether it is not having enough time, money or resources you require to grow the company as fast as you had liked or hoped, it is a persistent struggle. As most entrepreneurs will also agree, building a startup company never comes easy. You continuously feel there’s more work to be done and not enough time to complete all your tasks but it’s delivering client expectations and growing your team both personally and professionally that motivates you to keep going. Through it all, you have to be grateful for where you’re at and come up with creative solutions one problem at time. It’s a fine balance between celebrating successes along the way and always trying to learn from the many mistakes that will inevitably happen; never taking yourself too seriously.

One of many industry specific challenges has been opening offices in other countries. We’ve encountered different roadblocks at local levels due to corruption, changes in the government, and even disease (the 2014 Ebola epidemic was a particular issue for a few of our clients). In logistics, there are many moving parts and thus the main difference is not really trying to avoid issues (which of course we do) but rather how you act when issues happen (and they do).

Please tell us about Vector Global Logistics.
Vector Global Logistics (www.vectorgl.com) is an asset free, multi-modal logistics company that provides exceptional sea freight, air freight, truck, rail, general logistic services and consulting for our clients. Our consulting expertise allows us to specialize in any complex or over dimensional projects as well as to efficiently operate any recurrent international shipments for our clients.

We are a very unique, results-based company and our main competitive advantage is measuring performance exclusively by results. Our success is directly correlated with our client’s success, so we see ourselves as an extension of not only their supply-chain, but also their brand and overall business. We also make sure to take a consultative approach with our clients that allows us to analyze various facets of their business, using data to drive our decisions, all while constantly looking for efficient and cost-effective alternatives.

At Vector, it is a natural extension of our culture and our strong belief that a few caring people can change the world. Logistics touches everything we do, and thus, logistics is the perfect place to start. By officially launching the Vector Global Giving initiatives, we are putting our time and money where our mouth is, and we look forward to growing partnerships with similar-minded people and organizations to celebrate our values and make a positive impact in the world. We’ve partnered with organizations such as GirlTank, Books for Africa, and Serv International. Since our 2013 partnership with Serv, we have donated over 300,000 meals to those in need and are also setting up support programs in Iquique, Aguascalientes and Monterrey (where we also have our own offices). Vector looks forward to continuing to develop partnerships all over the world and continue moving more than just containers.

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