Looking Ahead to a Better Normal

As we draw this year to a close, it goes without saying that 2020 will go down as a year like no other. The health and economic crisis caused by a global pandemic coupled with the escalated tensions surrounding racial equality and social justice laid an unthinkable backdrop for our society to persevere through.

But with challenge, comes opportunity for growth and learning and we experienced that this year as well. Across the world we saw the pace of innovation accelerate. In the fields of science where vaccines were developed and deployed in record time in order to save lives. Or closer to home, as supply chains had to rapidly evolve to meet the needs of a changing omnichannel consumer and to expedite the movement of critical goods and PPE on a global basis.

Focus on Three Critical Pillars

At C.H. Robinson, we have kept our focus on three critical pillars as we managed through this year. First, we had a responsibility to do everything we could to ensure the safety and well-being of our employees around the globe and to ensure that our culture was one of inclusivity. Second, as one of the most connected supply chain platforms in the world, we ensured continuity to our customers’ supply chains – regardless of uncertainties or conditions of the marketplace. Finally, third, we knew that simply getting through the pandemic would not be our sole focus. We wanted to harness and embrace the accelerated pace of innovation to learn new ways to work, to ensure that, as an organization, we would emerge stronger from this year. 

I am proud of how our company performed this year and I am proud of our people around the globe. As were many companies, we were forced into a new way of ‘working from anywhere’ early in the year. Because of our resilient technology platform and effective business continuity plans, we were able to shift to that model with no downtime for our customers or our carriers. We demonstrated once again that we are the people that you can rely on.  

Supporting our Customers and Carriers

I am proud of the work that the team did this year in supporting our customers. Whether that meant providing extra capacity to ensure that retail stores were stocked with critical items, standing up alternate distribution channels for fresh produce or delivering critical medical supplies and PPE around the globe, the work that we did this year matters perhaps more than ever. 

We know that the economic impacts caused by COVID-19 have had an outsized impact on small businesses. We have done our best this year to help small businesses continue to be successful; whether through helping small shippers use our Freightquote by C.H. Robinson platform that gives them access to the largest network of Parcel, LTL and TL capacity or through our work directly with motor carriers, the majority of whom are small businesses. Because we have such a large network of truckload freight, we’ve been able to help many of these companies optimize their networks, reduce empty miles and thrive in this challenging environment.  

Stepping Up for Our Communities

I am also proud of how our company has demonstrated our EDGE values in times of social unrest and racial inequality. I have been public in my comments about the need for police reform and the need to eliminate systemic racism. As a company, we have made advancements in the area of DE&I this year and we have invited difficult conversations about race into the workplace and strive to make C.H. Robinson’s culture truly inclusive so that all of our people can be their authentic selves. Diverse and engaged teams perform better and we continue to make progress in this area. Additionally, our C.H. Robinson Foundation has donated over $2.6 million to organizations such as Girls Who Code, the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund, the World Food Program and the Northside Achievement Zone this year so that we can support the communities that we work and live in every day.   

Giving Thanks

As we close out the year, I would also like to extend recognition and thanks to all of the front-line workers around the globe that have not had the option to work from home. Truckers, warehouse workers, retail employees, public services and medical staff have helped to keep the global economy moving and providing critical services to protect us all. 

While there are still uncertainties and unknowns about the future, we all know that 2021 will be different. There has been a lot made of the idea of returning to a “new normal.” I am hopeful that we strive for a “better normal” - one where we have all embraced the learnings that we have experienced this year. For me, I look forward to applying all that we have learned about the future of work and getting back to more person-to-person collaboration while balancing the opportunity to capitalize on the concept of working from anywhere. I hope for a better normal with a healthy global economy fueled by trade, collaboration and innovation. I hope for a better normal where our society is more accepting of our unique differences and we continue to embrace the opportunity to learn from each other. And I hope for good health for us all.

To our customers and carriers, thank you for your commitments to our relationship and partnership through extremely volatile times. To our shareholders, thank you for your belief in our organization and the future growth opportunities that we will deliver. And finally, I want to thank the employees of C.H. Robinson for all they have done this year to create value for our customers, carriers and investors while staying focused on building the culture of C.H. Robinson and living our values every day through this trying time.