10 Things You Didn’t Know about Expeditors International CEO Jeffrey S. Musser
Jeffrey S. Musser is the CEO of Expeditors International. For those who are curious, Expeditors International specializes in helping a wide range of clients in a wide range of sectors with their logistical needs, thus making it a critical service provider for a lot of companies out there.
1. Started Out As a Messenger
There are some CEOs who start out at the bottom before rising up to the top. Musser is an excellent example of this phenomenon, seeing as how he started out as a messenger who worked on a part-time basis. Suffice to say that he has climbed far, with the result that he has become more and more important at Expeditors International over time.
2. Spent a Decade As a District Manager
With that said, there can be no doubt about the fact that Musser is a seasoned businessman with an excellent understanding of Expeditors International’s business that is the product of extensive experience. For instance, he spent about a decade as the District Manager of one of the corporation’s biggest branches, meaning that he gained a great deal of frontline expertise and experience that have remained useful for him even in his current role.
3. Oversaw Region
Eventually, Musser’s success as a District Manager in San Francisco saw him promoted to the position of Regional Vice President of the Northwest. There, he became responsible for overseeing sales as well as other operations for about 450 employees, thus enabling him to become better acquainted with management from a more elevated position. Something that has contributed to his ability to handle his current responsibilities as well.
4. Served As CIO
Of course, Musser has served in positions between CEO and regional management as well. For instance, he was the CIO of Expeditors International at one point in time, which stands for the Chief Information Officer. In recent decades, CIOs have become more and more important because of the increasing computerization of businesses. Something that is particularly true for logistics companies such as Expeditors International because of the huge volume of information that can be collected by them before being analyzed for useful insight.
5. His IT Experience Is One of His Biggest Advantages
In fact, it is interesting to note that Musser’s IT experience is mentioned in his leadership profile for being one of his biggest advantages as the CEO of Expeditors International. As stated earlier, IT is enabling logistics companies to gain incredible insight into a wide range of important factors. For example, information about their interactions with their clients can provide them with useful insight into what works and what doesn’t work when it comes to building profitable relationships. Likewise, examining their overall interactions with their clients can give them a fair amount of information into the general state of the economy, thus enabling them to better make decisions that have to do with the near future.
6. Is a Licensed Customs Broker
Considering the positions that he has held, it should come as no surprise to learn that Musser is a licensed customs broker. For those who are unfamiliar with the concept, customs brokers are the ones responsible for handling the documentation needed to get clearance for goods passing through the border. Certainly, interested parties can handle such processes on their own, but the expertise and experience of custom brokers tend to make for much better results than otherwise possible. With that said, it is interesting to note that some customs brokers choose to specialize in specific fields such as clothing and perishables, thus making them even better-suited for working for those who are handling such goods than their counterparts.
7. “Embodies” the Culture of Expeditors International
One of the other interesting statements made about Musser in his leadership profile is that he “embodies” Expeditors International’s business culture. Those who are curious should know that the corporation has an entire page on the values that it considers to fall within its business culture. Many of the characteristics are what most people would expect, with examples ranging from confidence to excellence. Other characteristics are more interesting, with an excellent example being a sense of humor that enables the employees to continue working well with one another.
8. Focused On Organic Growth
With that said, it is clear that Musser agrees with Expeditors International’s business culture to a considerable extent, as shown by his focus on organic growth. In short, this means expanding the corporation’s existing operations rather than expanding the corporation’s overall size by buying up similar companies in similar fields.
9. Organic Growth Contributes to Employee Excellence
Curiously, one of Expeditors International’s reasons for focusing on organic growth is connected to its focus on employee excellence. The idea is that mergers and acquisitions tend to cause huge disruptions in companies’ routine operations, which can have a very negative effect on the employees. Sometimes, they are fired because of efficiencies. Other times, they become disenchanted on their own, particularly when the other side of the transaction conducts business in a way that they do not like. By avoiding mergers and acquisitions, Expeditors International provides employees with a sense of confidence about their future with the corporation, thus enabling them to focus on getting better and better at their jobs rather than stressing out about other concerns.
10. Sees Organic Growth As Useful For Picking Up Customers As Well
Speaking of which, Musser sees organic growth as being useful for picking up customers as well. Since mergers and acquisitions disrupt routine operations, it is natural for some clients of the relevant parties to become disgruntled as well. Something that can enable other parties such as, say, Expeditors International, to swoop in on a lucrative revenue stream by capitalizing on that sense of broken trust.
