Kat Ball is a new generation of Allen Lund Company (ALC) employee.
As ALC approaches 50 years, it has long been known as a family-based business with its signature Big Al wrapped in blue and sporting American flags. Two years ago, this story embarked on a fresh chapter when it acquired a Canadian business that mirrored its values and strategy.
Backed by 17 years of experience when brought into the fold by ALC’s acquisition of Canada-based United World Transportation (UWT), Kat, General Manager, has had a front-row seat to change. Reflecting on the magnitude of what that means, she shares with me how the Canadian arm of Allen Lund not only strengthened and furthered the reach of the whole, but has realized new potential for the company’s proprietary technology and systems.
International has taken on a new meaning under this logistics legacy and its bi-border era.
Kat Ball, General Manager, Allen Lund Company Canada: One thing that eased the transition was the focus on and the match-up between Allen Lund’s culture and ours, making it a very seamless merge. Both our companies were very culture-focused and involved in stewardship. UWT was a small, standalone company with three pillars: Character, Capability, and Community. We always said coming to work should feel like coming to family, and in Allen Lund that just became a bigger family. From our team focus to aligning in our acts of kindness, everyone really looked forward to a lot of the same feelings while adding growth to our business.
KB: Cross-border freight movements are a big piece of our business; we leverage ALC’s unparalleled service and value by providing expertise, support, and assistance with customs broker processes, border clearance, and paperwork—to name a few. There has been some volatility in the cross-border market lately, as many know. The pressure of knowing exactly where your shipment is and what status it’s in is greater than ever. Being able to add details and information into our TMS has been incredibly helpful, and I think as other offices become more involved with crossborder freight, that system will offer a lot in tracking and making sure carriers are taken care of not only for clearance, but in how the customers have visibility of where their shipments are.
"The more we can keep our customers up to date and stay in touch with our carriers, building those relationships by informing them of any volatility or market developments related to regulations, the better off we all are. We can be proactive rather than reactive..."
Kat Ball, General Manager, Allen Lund Company Canada
Regulations necessitate a driver with Canadian authority pick up shipments that are destined for delivery or pick up in Canada; when it comes to the U.S.-Canada border crossing paperwork, documentation, and accuracy are critical, and the driver needs the support and credentials to see the job through. Problems and hiccups are inevitable when there are so many boxes to check. Where we’ve excelled, in the past and now, is managing those issues. When those problems occur, making sure we’re there to be the solution so our customer doesn’t have to feel the pain or question the next step is the value we offer.
KB: Oh, definitely. The more we can keep our customers up to date and keep in touch with our carriers, building those relationships by informing them of any volatility or market developments related to regulations, the better off we all are. We can be proactive rather than reactive, no matter the challenge, which I think is really key because there always is one. We’ve seen ELDs (Electronic Logging Devices). We had a rail strike last year up here in Canada, which really affected our economy. It could be policy, it could be weather. There will always be something. You just have to keep yourself informed of whatever the question mark is, and the innovation ALC provides is critical to that. We understood the complexities of this type of business, and I think that’s been a real advantage as we’ve joined Allen Lund to drive further growth and take real-time action.
That is not only part of the business, I think it is part of the nature of the company itself. I never knew Allen Lund personally, but I am familiar with his legacy. Not just by what I’ve heard, but how his mentality weaves its way through every office even today. That grit and that perseverance through challenges, that’s how you set yourself apart.
When the teams first announced their union, I had a chance to hear from ALC’s Eddie Lund and UWT Owners Jim Brister and Steve Baker about the unique acquisition approach they were implementing, with culture at the center.
“Taking care of all our people and giving them an opportunity to do well in this industry and grow is, I would say, probably the most paramount thing for us all, which was why this was such a good fit. That alone will fuel our future growth,” Steve told me at the time.
Kat’s reflection of how this team is thriving two years later, even amid consistent challenges, is the proof in those words.
I see it here on the page; you see it out there on the road. 
