Isaac R.
- Title: National Freight Business Development Lead
- Alma Mater: Bachelor’s in Business Administration – Marketing
- Hobbies: I’ve started to travel more lately. I recently bought a road bike and started cycling and have always loved cooking and baking! The light of my life is my dog George (Shih Tzu – Poodle mix), so we take walks, go to dog parks, and dog friendly restaurants and bars.
I chose to pursue a career in Business Development because…
The thing I love most about my job is…
I get to work with people all over the country on lots of very interesting projects. I don’t think there’s ever been a day where I haven’t learned something new.
My favorite thing about TranSystems is…
The All-In approach. Coming from a role that wasn’t given a lot of say about proposals or strategy, it’s been very fulfilling to have my perspective, opinions, and ideas valued by leadership. Inclusivity at TranSystems is unmatched and makes me happy to be a part of this company.
Since joining TranSystems…
I have gotten better at managing my workload and reaching out for help when I need it. There was a time where I would take any and every task that was presented, even when my plate was full, because I didn’t want to seem like an unwilling employee. My team emphasizes workload management and encourages us to ask for help when needed.
7:00 AM – Walk my dog and sip some coffee
At about 7:00am I usually take my dog, George, on a walk and brew a cup of coffee and then arrive to the office by 8:00am.
8:00 AM – Check emails and set up my to-do list
Typically, I spend the first couple of hours checking and returning emails, getting my daily to-do list set up, work on updates to Vision, and checking procurement portals for any new RFP/RFQs.
10:00 AM – Meet with my supervisors and Freight Leads
I meet with my manager, Amanda Keith, weekly to discuss my goals, roadblocks, and opportunities. I also use this time to discuss ongoing or upcoming pursuit updates.
As I transition into my role as National Freight BD Lead, I also meet with Ashley Pate and Kevin Hicks for a Freight Market Sector check-in to discuss any Freight related updates or news within the company.
11:00 AM – Work with different departments throughout the day
I work/meet with the Houston office to keep our pipeline updated, follow up on action items with clients, and work on proposals throughout Texas. I also work with our Freight market sector staff on various items such as conference planning and award submittals, vision updates, and ensuring that we’re working towards our strategic goals for the sector.
I work with our West and East Coast staff on any Port related opportunities as we continue to grow our presence with Ports across the country.
12:00 PM – Working lunch at my desk
1:00 PM – BD team meetings
The Central BD Team meets weekly to talk about life updates, discuss workload, and any roadblocks for the week. This helps us work-share to avoid burnout, while exposing our team to various types of proposals and clients.
One-off meetings might include pursuit strategy discussions for our Major Company Pursuits, strategy calls for upcoming conferences or client meetings, or following up with client contacts.
2:00 PM – Work on daily tasks
I’m usually always working on a proposal so I’m following up with the PM and other technical staff for input, reviewing technical writing, or creating graphics for the proposal. I also pull reports from Vision to update opportunities throughout Texas and for various Freight/Port clients.
4:00 PM – Mentor meetings
I meet with my Project GROW group and with my SMPS Houston Chapter mentor group monthly.
4:30 – 5:00 PM – Leave the office and head to the dog park
I usually leave the office around 4:30 or 5:00 so I can get home and take George to the dog park. Then I get ready to go out for a long bike ride or go to the gym. Then, I’ll have dinner and occasionally make myself a margarita or an old fashion to finish off the night.
If my workload is high or there is an upcoming deadline, I’ll get back online sometime in the evening for about an hour or so to wrap up the day.
