91视频

Kristine Kennedy

president and owner of Highway Heavy Hauling

Kristine Kennedy started her career as a receptionist for a company that moved heavy machinery and learned about trucking as she moved to billing, safety operations and dispatching trucks and crews. She then served as its transportation manager for eight years before being laid off. By then, she was a single mom with little girls ages 3 and 8.

In 2013, at the prodding of a mentor that the City of Portland needed a woman-owned trucking company to meet WBE/DBE requirements, Kennedy wrote a business plan, pulled from her savings to start her company, and asked her brother, Carson, to become a partner and get his CDL (Commercial Driver鈥檚 License). Within four months, they had three employees and by the end of the first year they had four trucks and four trailers.

Kennedy heard a lot of 鈥渘o鈥� along the way. Her advice to young women who are aspiring business owners: 鈥淒on鈥檛 ever let anyone tell you 鈥榥o.鈥� If you are doing this for the right reasons and you are willing to put in the work, you will get to a 鈥榶es.鈥� It might not be on your timeline, it might not be the 鈥榶es鈥� from whom you thought it should come, but the 鈥榶es鈥� is out there,鈥� she said.

A member of the Oregon Trucking Association and Northwest Utility Contractors Association (NWUCA), Kennedy has grown her company to 24 employees and her drivers cover the entire Pacific Northwest. She and Carson recently purchased land that will be a permanent home for their company.

鈥淓very day Kristine goes above and beyond for her customers,鈥� said Jenny Dixson, NWUCA鈥檚 executive director. 鈥淪he is always available to make sure their jobs are completed safely, timely and on budget. She has a tremendous relationship with her drivers and has created a phenomenal company culture.鈥�