“One Truck and One Man”
Kane Is Able’s founding is a chapter in the “Great American story.” Edward J. Kane left his job as an insurance salesman in the 1930s as he faced a declining economy and dwindling sales opportunities. He traded his car for a used truck in February of 1930 and Kane Freight Lines was born. Edward identified a need in the market and stepped up to fill that role. Kane Freight Lines serviced the Pennsylvania valleys and his company grew steadily through the ‘30s and ‘40s.
In 1955, Edward’s son, Eugene, took over the family business. Eugene had a vision for the company and capitalized on the natural synergy of providing both warehousing and transportation services. Eugene had a true entrepreneurial spirit, growing the company from $26,000 in annual revenue to $6 million by 1980.
KANE Today
From 1980 to present, Kane Is Able grew from 27 associates to over 1,000, more than tripled the number of trucks in their fleet and drove their annual revenue into the hundreds of millions of dollars. The company continues to grow at a rapid rate and manages over 6 million square feet of warehouses and distribution centers servicing all major U.S. markets.
Kane Is Able now offers a plethora of integrated logistics services, including warehousing and distribution, fulfillment and ecommerce, transportation solutions, contract packaging, cross docking, manufacturing logistics, and workforce management. The company has deep and diverse industry knowledge and extensive experience partnering with industries such as wine and spirits, food, retail, industrial, and health and beauty.
Culture
While the Kane family is no longer active in day-to-day operations of the company, their impact and influence is still tangible. If you were to ask any associate at Kane Is Able how the company has sustained its success throughout its long history and recent growth, the consistent answer would be its culture, established by Edward from the beginning.
The guiding light for the company, and all its associates, is the “KANE Code.” The code is the backbone of the company, an operating philosophy and creed that has been paramount to maintaining the spirit and values of the founder and his family. The KANE Code gets to the heart of what drives Kane Is Able and what sets the company apart from its competition. The core of Kane Is Able’s culture and mission is to “make our customers feel like part of our family. Because they are.”
Challenges
Like many middle market firms, one of Kane Is Able’s biggest challenges is labor. The labor pool is continuously shrinking, and technology and automation are changing the skillsets necessary to be effective and efficient in the industry. The workforce is a constant challenge, in recruitment, retention, and internal development.
While they don’t claim to have the answer, Kane Is Able strives to hire for attitude and train for skill. They seek out those individuals that are open-minded and coachable. More than anything, they want to hire potential associates who will subscribe to and embody the KANE Code, ensuring that, no matter how much it grows or evolves, the company will retain its values and culture.
Moving Forward
As Kane Is Able faces a rapidly changing industry landscape, it is doubling down on its customer-centric strategy. The future for the company is YOUgisticsTM. This new term embodies what Kane Is Able sees as a market need: a big logistics company that acts small. The YOUgistics model promises closer relationships, customized solutions, and increased flexibility. KANE is focused on listening intently to customer needs, improving the customer experience, and building a mutually beneficial partnership.
The same values that Kane Is Able was founded upon are going to be the same that drive its success moving forward. When asked how the company will improve and innovate, Stark responded: “Actively listen to your customers. Talk with them to make each other better. Most importantly, care about your customers. That genuine connection will always be essential in business relationships. KANE has the substantial national infrastructure required to service customers, but remains nimble enough to embrace the YOUgistics philosophy, which is really a nod to our roots.”