"Together Talks" feature # 8: Jade Street Consulting presented by KLS, freight company
Some background on Jade Street Consulting
Jade Street Consulting is a boutique brokerage specializing in two channels- Sports Nutrition and Grocery sectors. This company supports clients, builds relationships, and brokers deals with locations for shelf space for a company's product. Jade Street Consulting has been in business for nearly 4 years now. They operate with a fully remote team, staffed with 9 employees. The company was founded by Melissa Pashko.
Let's meet the owner!
Melissa is born and raised in Long Island, NY. She started in the sports nutrition sector of the food industry with Quest Nutrition as part of sales and later transitioned into Grocery. She then worked for various companies such as Know Foods, GAT Sport, ChocZero, and more. From there she took a new position for the first time, self-employed as a sales broker. This would be a pivotal moment for Melissa in her future business aspirations.
Following this, she started at ground level with Legendary Foods. She helped build up Sports Nutrition with launches into places like Gold's Gym and Xsport and then transitioned to the the Grocery side, but also helped craft, build, and developed the entire Grocery team. This was the company that set in motion her plan to create change, or as she states "Changing the broken brokering model!" She has so much love and passion for this brand as they are not only innovative but like family to her. She is still representing them today and will represent their newest product which is launching in 2023!
Melissa realized she had all the necessary skills and relationships to replicate the process from Legendary Foods. With that experience she could help build processes, guiding them to future growth. Thus, she started Jade Street Consulting. Melissa wasn't just betting on herself, but she was betting on her vision for how she could revolutionize the approach to brokering in this sector. We asked her if she ever considered swaying from her approach, "No, this is who I am. It is what I believe in and how business should be conducted. It is authentic, real, I am who I am. Our team is consistent with our values. I always knew that the vision I had for our company to help our clients would be successful, doing it our way." Check and Check.
Partner with KLS
KLS offers LTL and FTL for both dry and reefer transportation.
Our nationwide coverage provides companies a reliable, consistent, and dependable logistics partner to handle your trucking needs.
For more information on how we can help call our office today 708-980-0920 or reach us via our email quote request here!
Brands managed
Here is a list of the very few brands that are or have partnered with Jade Street Consulting and the success they have achieved together with SOME of their launches.
Legendary Foods: Jewel Osco, Safeway, Acme, Shaws, Vons, Tom Thumb, Albertsons, Wegmans, Hy-Vee, Giant Eagle, King Soopers, Foodtown, D'agostinos, Gristedes, Wakefern, Yoke's, Ingles, and Lowe's and more!
ChocZero: United Supermarkets, Plum Market, Whole Foods, Sprouts, Vitamin Shoppe, Walmart & more!
Catalina Crunch: GNC ( What they were hired for)
Seven Teas: Raleys, Roche Bros, Whole Foods global, Publix, Erewhon, New Seasons, Fresh Market, & more!
Approach of Jade Street Consulting
Although the team is fully remote, they have great correspondence and collaboration Melissa told us. "We are constantly checking in with each other, communicating, making sure we are on the same page. We try to keep it fun. I love my job so much, I want to make sure everyone in our company enjoys it in the same way. Our culture is so strong, we haven't had any turnover which I'm so proud of. I try to keep it healthy for them as well, like giving off Birthdays and having company happy hours!" KLS is a fellow "Birthday off" company as well!
Companies/Brands approach Jade Street Consulting by filling out a survey. From there Melissa and the team review and analyze the prospects of the company. If they deem it a potential fit, the next step is for the company to send a sample to a few people on the team, plus Melissa. She needs to see it, feel it, and experience it. What makes her company unique is that there isn't a single brand they represent that their team doesn't consume the products. This a small detail but we will elaborate on it later.
How is a company accepted?
Assuming the entire staff signs off on the in-person sampling, they begin a deep dive into where their strategic partnerships will best represent their new brand.
Melissa said there are 3 things that every company must have
Innovation, "What is your why?"
Anyone can have a great product, but what is the story behind it? What makes this brand stand out, and how can it be enhanced through us? The synergy is an important factor and no amount of money will sway Jade Street Consulting from sticking to its principles.
Owner
Who is representing the company, and what is its mission? Do they believe in this project, is it part of their being? These are the types of challenges that excite Jade Street Consulting
Energy
Jade Street Consulting is passionate about its responsibilities. They don't take for granted their ability to help create success stories. Again piggybacking off of the synergy, there needs to be a shared level of passion and commitment.
Culture, Dedication, Transparency
We asked Melissa how she would describe the differences compared to her competitors, "We are transparent, what you see is what you get. We tell a company what they need to hear. Honesty is the best policy and we never work in the grey area. We believe in our knowledge and expertise. Our job is to provide them deals for shelf space, we explain exactly what is required to achieve those results." Melissa mentioned how many of the larger brokers in this industry represent so many companies, and the level of service and commitment is often lacking. Jade Street Consulting does not take on competitive brands, which is extremely rare in the industry.
Their persistence is also a huge key to their success. Melissa said each new contract is one year, however, most of their brands have been retained for over 2 years now and counting. Stacking wins on wins on wins! She also mentioned, often brokers strictly just do the deals with distributors. Jade Street Consulting is offering assistance with sales sheets, marketing, PowerPoint, and training. They know what it takes to see a company reach its potential and they tailor their approach to make it happen.
We touched on how great the culture is at Jade Street Consulting, a key aspect in our opinion is when we asked about challenges for the company. Melissa said finding the right people, and she is blessed so far to have the team she has. "Before we bring on any new company we ask if anyone is overwhelmed. If they are it is a no for the prospect. It is only fair response to both parties if we can't provide our absolute best." Once again, transparent and honest.
We think she summed up the true mission of Jade Street Consulting when we asked about her favorite moment so far. Without hesitation, her eyes lit up and with an ear-to-ear smile, she said, "Shoot, I can't talk about it yet! Even though it is a formality, it can't be announced yet." Such a cliffhanger!
But she thought about it for a second and just said it is the people. Her staff, and the companies they work with, can collectively celebrate wins. =She didn't get in this for the money and that is why it is so easy to see how this company continues to grow. They have the ability and platform to make a difference time and time again.
And are you curious how Melissa and co have managed to build this highly successful operation?
Ads? Nope
Sales Calls? Never
LinkedIn? Negative
Expos? Kindaaaa, but not really. They attend, but just to walk around, no booth. They are not there to solicit, but just to see what is trending.
Ok fine...website? Not even! (We had a long chuckle about this, KLS was shocked!)
100% word of mouth. Melissa's team has never reached out to a brand to represent them.
Interested in being featured with "Together Talks"?
KLS is booking our October schedule now!
Contact us as we would love to learn your story and share it amongst our audience.
Weekly we provide 2 companies our platform to expand their reach courtesy of our campaign. Let's collaborate!!!
In Closing
Imagine that. The true definition of betting on yourself and delivering on your word. That is why it was so important to never change her approach and never sacrifice her values. Melissa knew all along what she believed would make Jade Street Consulting successful and like many of her deals on a monthly basis, knocked it out of the park!
We enjoyed this conversation immensely with Melissa Pashko. On top of learning about not only her but the company she has created, it was a treat just talking and having such a fun interaction. One of the most infectious personalities you will ever come across.
It is easy to see why so many brands trust her for their growth. KLS is honored to feature Jade Street Consulting for this week's "Together Talks" campaign. We are excited to see all the continued development for their brands of today and which future companies they will help reach success. Thank you Melissa and Jade Street Consulting for partnering with us this week for "Together Talks"!
Jade Street Consulting with Melissa Pashko feature # 8 of Together Talks
*Klimson Logistics Solutions is an Industry Leading Customer Service 3PL. Our focus and commitment to our clients has us striving to be the BEST customer service 3PL for LTL, FTL, Reefer, and Drayage in the country. KLS, a freight company is a 3PL providing nationwide logistics solutions. KLS shipping services include: LTL freight, FTL freight, Reefer LTL freight, Reefer FTL freight, and Drayage. Klimson Logistics Solutions thanks you for viewing our marketing campaign "Together Talks" if you have any interest in being featured or questions regarding your freight operations please contact us today!
Why KLS?
Our precise and reliable effort.
We handle every shipment with the exact same process. It does not matter if you move one shipment a year or ten per day, you will receive the same level of customer service from us. When we started this company, we had one goal in mind, treat every shipment like it was our own. With our vast knowledge of the industry, we understood what a customer would want from a communication standpoint. We applied that process to be the standard here at KLS. Our reliability and being able to depend on our consistency is why we have such long-standing relationships with our clients.
Our Process?
Every shipment in our industry starts with a quote. We are firm believers that time is money, thus we strive to have quotes back in a 5-10 minute reply time for LTL and FTL, any FCL quotes are at the mercy of the carriers getting back to us. For LTL we have the flexibility to quote both off of NMFC and also Density depending on the carrier. Utilizing our services, you’re allowing us to use our expertise to class your freight accordingly to ensure we are providing the best rate we possibly can.
Once a quote has been submitted and a client chooses to proceed with KLS handling the arrangement of the shipment our full process begins. We create the BOL that will be used for the shipment. If it is a new location for our system, we will obtain all the important/special details (reference numbers, contact details, shipping hours, closed for lunch, dock/doors, etc.). We meticulously build every detail into our software for all future shipments involving that location. After we have both locations built and necessary reference numbers have been applied we will tender the shipment to the carrier. We use this method because it provides us a real time pickup number from the carrier to obtain updates prior to pickup. Our staff will either email the BOL directly to you or to the shipper (at your request) the minute after the tender has been accepted by the carrier. LTL carriers require a 2 hour window prior to close time in order to schedule it for a same-day pickup attempt.
The following morning you’ll receive an email from us. It will either provide the reason the pickup was missed (driver’s trailer filled up, driver missed the close time, truck broke down, shipper said no freight, etc.) or if the pickup was successful you will receive the PRO (tracking) number from us, along with the eta for delivery. Our staff will track it throughout the duration of transit and advise if anything happens that will alter the estimated delivery date. The day the shipment delivers we will email you with confirmation and the POD (Proof of Delivery), should you require it.
Your shipment has been quoted, scheduled, picked up, and delivered. The next step is waiting for the carrier to invoice us and make sure the rate matches up. If it does, we close out the invoice from the carrier in our system and automatically your invoice is created and sent to the requested party at your company. In the event the carrier has an additional charge on their invoice “Variance”, we will never send you an invoice with an additional charge without first identifying you of the charge.
Let us repeat, NEVER WILL WE JUST BILL OUT AN EXTRA CHARGE WITHOUT YOU BEING NOTIFIED.
You are our customer, we represent you. Should the carrier provide an extra charge on an invoice, “Lift gate, additional weight, reclass, detention, etc.) We notify you of the charge via email first. Second, within that email we identify what is required should you choose to dispute the charge. Again our goal is to honor your request, if you want to dispute, we will dispute. During a dispute we will provide you updates every step along the way. Once a dispute is closed out, whether it is approved or rejected, then we will invoice you as the invoice has been resolved.
For reference, our company only had 6.2% of all shipments go to dispute in 2022 and we successfully won 91% of those disputes on behalf of our customers.
This is our process for every single shipment you move with us. We don’t cut corners, we don’t hide from difficult situations. We believe in being available, honest, and transparent. We don’t ever want to tell you that a shipment is lost, damaged, misrouted, but it is our duty to notify you the second we find out something has gone wrong. We hate to present bad news, but it is part of the job. What you can guarantee is that we will work a shipment all the way through and turn over every stone until we get a resolution for our clients.
Services offered?
Our core business is LTL and FTL. Within these options we have options for both dry and refrigerated/frozen. We also offer FCL/Drayage options. Our company as a 3PL has nationwide options and services clients across the US.
Let’s breakdown our services more in-depth
LTL:
Standard and Guaranteed
CFS (Imports & Exports)
Tradeshows
Hazmat
Anything that is on a pallet can be moved LTL. Typically LTL is up to 10 pallets, but the sweet spot for a carrier is 6-8 pallets at most for an individual shipment. LTL quotes are good between 5-30 days depending on the carrier. LTL can be quoted either via NMFC or density to determine the class (we do this for you).
Volume:
Anything over 10-12’ of space in the truck is the technical rule for a volume shipment. When we run a quote for you we will determine if it qualifies for volume and provide you a rate if available. Volume moves allow you to get a reduced rate for larger shipments. The caveat to volume shipments it the quotes are only valid for 3-7 days and they move on capacity between terminals. If a terminal is backed up they will move their LTL freight first before the volume freight, which can lead to longer transit times for volume moves.
FTL/Dedicated/Expedited: 53’ Dry and Reefer 26’ Box trucks with lift gate Sprinter Van The main difference for FTL vs LTL is space and transit time. For standard pallets you can fit either 26 or 30 pallets in a 53’ dry van. The other main difference is transit time, for FTL each day counts in the transit time, whereas LTL does not count the day of pickup, weekends, or holidays in their transit time.
Reefer/Frozen:
LTL and FTL
We specialize working in the CPG space with food manufacturers. We regularly deliver to
the following locations:
Kehe
UNFI
Core Mark
DPI
Wegmans
Cugini
H.T. Hackney
Netrition
HEB
ALDI
Chambers and Owens
EBY Brown
Nassau Candy
Harris Teeter
Wakefern
NU INC
Long Distribution
What makes KLS different?
There are thousands for freight brokers and 3PL in our industry. Barrier to entry is rather easy and agents or owners will often hire sales people without any intention of properly training them. It results in high turnover for many freight companies and a forgettable experience for the client. We choose to operate differently through our consistency. We truly care about doing right by our clients and prospects too. While we would love to help provide our services to every company we speak with, that just isn’t realistic. We won’t always be the right fit for every company that moves freight and that is ok. Our authenticity as a shipping company sets us apart from the competition and that is backed up by our testimonials. We also run a marketing campaign bi-weekly called “Together Talks”. We interview, highlight, and promote two businesses every week. Our goal is to grow our network, make new connections, and learn something new with each collaboration. Check it out on our website and if you’re interested in being featured reach out.
Our company also runs a year long charity promotion. Book your first shipment through KLS and we donate to the charity of your choice in your name. Our way of thanking you for giving us an opportunity to show you the KLS way and what makes us one of a kind. This entire package is what we offer to every prospect and every client. Our goal is to help provide answers that customers may have when it comes to shipping. We want to always be available as a resource and will always offer a lending hand whenever we can.
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