JDI Transportation And Logistic Division Sparks Growth Across Ten Companies
J.D. Irving, Limited’s Transportation and Logistics Division is poised for growth, and hiring for a variety of positions, from truckers and seafarers to analysts and IT technicians.
This diverse team is being led by new Group VP Andrew Fisher, who comes into the job enthusiastic about the opportunities for people come on board.
“It’s an opportunity for a career, a lifestyle – and to work for a diverse group of companies within our division,” says Fisher. “It’s an exciting time, whether you have boats working in Norway or on the Pacific coast, trucks travelling across North America, or our three short-line railways across Canada and the U.S,” Fisher said.
The division’s 10 companies include:
- RST
- Sunbury Transport
- NB Southern Railway
- Maine Northern Railway
- Eastern Maine Railway
- Atlantic Towing
- Kent Line
- JDI Logistics
- Harbour Development
- Universal Truck and Trailer
Fisher succeeded Wayne Power, Group VP of the Transportation and Logistics Division for 12 years, at the beginning of the new year. He brings with him a wealth of knowledge and experience.
In his nearly 30 years with JDI, he has worked in many divisions, including the Sawmill and Woodlands divisions and the Continuous Improvement group.
He quickly rose through the ranks to manage the JDI’s Truro, NS sawmill at 27, While in Continuous Improvement, Fisher earned a Six Sigma Black Belt certification and further developed leadership competencies.
Making the move to Transportation and Logistics a decade ago, Fisher gained a wide array of skills and assumed greater responsibilities, becoming General Manager of four of the division’s ten companies.
Fisher says he gained invaluable experience working for Eastern Canada’s largest truck dealership, Universal Truck and Trailer, then with the premier trucking companies, RST and Sunbury.
“I got to work with world-class organizations like the Daimler Group of Companies while at Universal Truck and Trailer,” he says. “I was given the freedom to help improve that business. Then, I got the opportunity to run our trucking operations, with the help of some very good folks already there and people we hired.”
“It was exciting because of the increased scope, working across the businesses as opposed to just working within a business.”
Fisher worked closely with Power in 2021 to prepare to take on the mantle of VP and is now ready to take the group of companies to the next level.
Company spokesperson Alyssa Long says Fisher’s ambitions will be supported by the division’s robust culture focused on innovation and results-driven growth.
“We don’t just think a few quarters in the future – we think years and years into the future and plan for that,” says Long. “It’s an incredible place to be. What sets us apart in transportation is that we’re incredibly diverse. We have folks with longstanding careers on the road, rail and seas and in the offices, all doing extraordinary work.”
While the division relies on truck drivers, mariners and rail crews, it’s also seeking office staff, technicians, finance staff, market analysts, and mechanical, electrical, and civil engineers.
“We’re only bound by how fast we add energetic, bright and talented people. Growing is winning and winning is fun,” says Fisher.
This story was sponsored by J.D. Irving, Limited.