Imagine this: It’s 2013. You are a woman. You have no experience in the transportation industry, but you have a business idea.
You do some Googling, take a risk, buy a delivery truck and show up at a Macy’s ware-house, without an appointment. You wait. And wait. And finally, they give you a chance.
Arelis Gutierrez’s photo should be next to the word “tenacious” in Webster’s Dictionary. By the end of her first year running her white glove delivery service, Aria Logistics, this feisty lady purchased three more trucks and was turning a profit.
By 2015, she had a fleet of 13 trucks and clients were calling her. Today, her company manages over 100 trucks and a brand new 30,000-square-foot warehouse. Aria Logistics is a sought after and highly regarded “last mile” delivery company.
A normal day has Gutierrez up at 3 a.m. to get to the warehouse for her 4 a.m. daily “load out” meeting with her drivers. Post her meeting it’s a dash home to get her kids up and ready for school and then back to the office for a long day of work.
One of Aria’s keys to success is exceptional customer experience. High satisfaction ratings are of paramount importance. Gutierrez provides monthly monetary incentives to her teams with the highest ratings.
At Aria, no detail is left unattended, including exceptional handling of items as furniture, fitness equipment and appliances, and even doing the assembly if needed. Aria Logistics drivers are uniformed, wear protective booties in one’s home and always work in teams. They are taught proper etiquette and assure the homeowners are treated with respect.
Her team’s safety is also never sacrificed; Aria Logistics hosts regular seminars for her team with the Department of Transportation. There are “shock triggered” cameras on all the trucks, which are only triggered if there is a brake slam or if a driver exceeds the speed limit.
Arelis does not run your typical trucking company. Ever since graduating from the High School of Fashion Industries, she has been a woman-on-the-go. She earned her BA in Accounting, interned at Bloomberg and landed her first job Reuters. She then joined a distribution company that benefitted retired veterans before coming up with the idea for Aria Logistics. Gutierrez is active in the “Women in Trucking” organization, which is a networking group that supports women in the logistics, operations and driving business.
As the world of transportation and delivery changes, Gutierrez stays up do date on developments with automated vehicles, new DOT regulations, robotics and technology that will change her business over the coming years. Aria’s new warehouse will allow them to expand their services to include more warehousing, store to store transfers and showroom moves.
Despite her frenetic schedule, Gutierrez believes in giving back and is a regular supporter of St. Jude’s and Breast Cancer fundraising initiatives. The Accessories Council is proud to highlight this outstanding company and member.
Karen Giberson
President
Accessories Council
224 West 30th Street, Suite 201
New York, NY 10001
