RJW executive is ready for holiday shipping season
by October 22, 2023 8:20 am 479 views
While the trucking/transportation and logistics industry anticipates a weaker holiday shipping season this year, a Northwest Arkansas-based industry executive offered advice to prepare for the somewhat muted season.
Jennifer Shorkey is executive vice president of strategic partnerships for RJW Logistics Group and works at the Chicago-based company’s Bentonville office. The company provides transportation and warehousing services for consumer packaged goods (CPG) companies.
“The biggest thing is to make sure that you’re partnering with somebody who can take care of all the details for you,” Shorkey said. “Our shipping on time, our on-time in full are almost near perfection. We’re at 99%.”
Shorkey joined RJW in September 2022, stepping into the role that Greg Forbis had, after she worked in various supply chain roles for Walmart. She spent 25 years working for the Bentonville-based retailer. Forbis died in July 2022 after a one-year battle with cancer. He worked for three years at RJW and 30 years at Walmart.
“Greg’s an icon,” she said. “We worked together for many years at Walmart so big shoes to fill for sure. It’s quite a transition coming from Walmart and coming to a different-sized company but quickly jumped into that role. It’s been very fulfilling.”
Shorkey is one of five employees who work at RJW’s Bentonville office and has been leveraging her Walmart experience in her role, especially regarding quality assurance.
“There’s a lot of complexity with compliance details that retailers are asking our customers,” she said. “Having a partner who can help you dot the I’s and cross the T’s and hit all those marks in our opinion is the best avenue to ensure success.”
Before joining RJW, she was a senior director, responsible for quality in the ambient network, at Walmart. In 2012, she moved to Northwest Arkansas to work at the Walmart Home Office, transitioning from an operational to a strategic role. Earlier in her Walmart career, the Orlando, Fla., native would move from one distribution center to the next as the retailer established them. Shorkey resides in Bella Vista.