In this episode, Andrew welcomes Dan Manshaem, CEO and founder of Ally Logistics, for his first podcast appearance ever. In 2012, Dan and his cofounder Jeff Chidester started Ally — they quit their jobs, put $2,500 in the bank, and signed a lease for $300 a month for some office space. He calls that time, “One part exhilarating, one part terrifying.” Today, Ally has grown to a team of 95 with a projected top-line revenue of $145M in 2025. 

In this episode, Dan shares:

• How his initial finance career aspirations led him to freight brokerage, starting as an intern before founding Ally Logistics.
• Practical tips for launching a brokerage, winning early customers, and differentiating in a competitive market. 
• How Ally integrates AI tools like FleetWorks and Qued to enhance operational efficiency, how Ally team member roles have evolved to support AI, and the biggest challenges in implementing new tech.
• His perspective on selecting tech providers, managing vendor relationships, and using a “super user program” for smoother integrations.
• How he thinks about remote work in 2025 and Ally’s approach with “earned flexibility.”
• Valuable advice for interns and young professionals entering the logistics world.

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*** This episode is brought to you by Rapido Solutions Group. I had the pleasure of working with Danny Frisco and Roberto Icaza at Coyote, as well as being a client of theirs more recently at MoLo. Their team does a great job supplying nearshore talent to brokers, carriers, and technology providers to handle any role necessary, be it customer or carrier support, back office, or tech services. Visit gorapido.com to learn more.

A special thanks to our additional sponsors:

• Cargado – Cargado is the first platform that connects logistics companies and trucking companies that move freight into and out of Mexico. Visit cargado.com to learn more.
• Greenscreens.ai – Greenscreens.ai is the AI-powered pricing and market intelligence tool transforming how freight brokers price freight. Visit greenscreens.ai/freightpod today!
• Metafora – Metafora is a technology consulting firm that has delivered value for over a decade to brokers, shippers, carriers, private equity firms, and freight tech companies. Check them out at metafora.net. ***