April 17, 2017

Meet Jay Newjahr of Best Yet Express in Gardena

Local Stories

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jay Newjahr.

Jay, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I began my career at the age of 18 with, what was then, my father’s company as a dock worker and office administrator while I was going to college at California State, Long Beach. Over the years, I have worked in every position in the company including account executive, dispatcher, sales representative, General Manager and am now the Owner and CEO. The majority of this time (including the years that I was in college) I would start work at 5am and often not get off until close to 10pm. I saw the company through some hard times and quickly realized that we would need to implement modern technology and software programs to survive in this industry. When I started with my father’s company we had 8 trucks, 10 employees, and a 6,000-square foot warehouse. By my 10th year, we had 18 trucks and 25 employees. Today I have 32 trucks, 56 employees and an 80,000-square foot warehouse space. The company has come a long way but there is still so much growth to be realized. My favorite part of the job is and always will be making that sale and hitting new numbers not before seen. That is really what drives me.

Over my career, I have had several other companies that I have started including a freight forwarding company and most recently a logistics software company called Digital Logistics Solutions. While trying to take Best Yet Express completely paperless I realized that there was a, serious deficit in this technology in the industry. Over the last 18 month I have designed and commissioned the development of a new software that not only meet the upcoming Electronic Logging Device mandate but takes the drivers day completely paperless, including pre-trips, post trips, manifests, hours of service, data tracking, etc. I have been beta testing the software on my drivers for some time and will begin marketing the product in the next couple of months.

The hours can be long and arduous but I love what I do. Being an entrepreneur means there are hardly any days off, there’s always more mountains to climb and no matter how many times you feel like you’ve been kicked in the gut in any given day, you always have to jump back in the ring swinging the very next morning.

Has it been a smooth road?
I think you would have a hard time finding an entrepreneur that felt like they had a seamless road to success. I have experienced my fair share of struggles, including but not limited to, a fiercely competitive industry, financial struggles and the difficulties associated with operating a family business.

The trucking industry is a competitive one. We aren’t so big where we have a surplus of resources to cover all of our needs but we’re not so small where our expenses are minimal. Pricing becomes tricky when you are in this category because you have lots of overhead to consider while you are competing with owner operators who do not have the same burden of expense as well as larger companies that have the resources available to purchase the necessary equipment and staff to cover the work. Brokers have also changed the industry. It’s no longer about relationships with your customers and the quality of service you are providing. It has become strictly about pricing. Who can get it done for the least amount of money. This has required some adjusting of our model in order for us to keep up with the most competitive pricing structures.

Like many businesses, we have experienced periods of serious financial struggle. In the past, there have been weeks where I’ve been fearful that I won’t make payroll much less be able to cover the bills. Often this is coupled with periods of growth where I’ve taken some risks in order to grow the company and felt the financial burden of this ripple throughout. This creates a substantial amount of stress and anxiety that is hard to separate from your life outside of your work. Business moves in ebbs and flows and I’ve had to learn how to ride the waves.

Another, more unique, struggle that I have experienced over my career has to do with the sometimes delicate situations involved in running a family business. When I came on board with the company at the age of 18 my father, the founder and owner at the time, had already put in over 20 years to this company and his career. Over time I realized our visions for the company were very different. My father was comfortable with the size that the company was and the way that it was running. I was young and eager to grow. I wasn’t afraid to take risks. I frequently had to choose between maintaining a positive relationship with my father and pushing for change. The relationship always took priority.

We’d love to hear more about your business.
Best Yet Express is a TL and LTL freight company providing local freight transportation services to Los Angeles and surrounding areas since 1978. We also provide warehousing services.

As a family-owned and operated company, we are deeply invested in the TL and LTL freight industry and those we serve. Our family values are reflected in our work and relationships with our customers, as we provide a service that is efficient yet affable, professional yet personal, driven yet welcoming. We take great pride in our work and hold our customer satisfaction as our highest priority.

At BYX, we’re proud to keep our longstanding relationships while also building towards the future. A legacy of customer care is proven by the fact that many of our clientele were original customers that started with the company over 35 years ago. Today, our clientele includes everyone from small family-owned businesses to Fortune 500 and Fortune 100 companies.

Our mission is to build lasting relationships with our customers based on quality service and customer satisfaction.

Is our city a good place to do what you do?
Yes, Los Angeles is a great place to run a trucking and warehousing business. We are in close proximity to countless potential customers and endless amounts of industries of all kinds.

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