As Jetco president, Kyle Kristynik has his pulse on operations and ensuring that customers have peace of mind when they entrust their loads to us. We sat down with Kyle to talk about how a safety culture impacts customers, the recent acquisition of Associated Carriers, his takeaways from growing up playing sports, and even what’s he’s listening to in his truck when he heads home from the office.
How long haveyou been part of the Jetco team?
5 years in March
Jetco places a strong emphasis on safety. How do you see our safety culture impacting our customers?
First and foremost, doing things safely and the right way every time is simply the right thing to do. Nothing is more important than ensuring our drivers and the public get home safely every day. Beyond that, safety is about ensuring cargo is delivered in one piece, every time. More and more liability for negligent carrier selections is coming back on shippers when there are accidents. We’re proud to be a safety leader and that our customers understand the importance that safety plays in the industry.
Jetco recently acquired Associated Carriers in Arlington. What can Jetco and Associated customers expect from this acquisition?
Customers can expect increased resources and a wider net across Texas to ensure Jetco and Associated can truly be a one-stop shopping platform for all logistics needs, across any service line or geographical location. Add this to our new San Antonio operations and we have the full “Texas Triangle” covered with our Jetco/Associated assets. The best technology, newer fleet, and personal service—now all over Texas and beyond.
What is the most rewarding part of leading the Jetco team?
I love seeing the Jetco/Associated team members learn new things, achieve their goals, be entrepreneurial in their thinking, and succeed. Ultimately, if all of those things are happening, it is a precursor to a happy load delivered safely and on time, which leads to happy clients.
As an athlete, how has your experience on the football field taught you how to not only lead, but be a team player?
Growing up playing all team sports, then college football, it was instilled in me early on that in order to be successful, you can’t do it all yourself. Spending countless hours in the weight room with teammates or in the classroom studying film leads to the results you were looking for on the field. It’s no different working with the Jetco Team. We spend a ton of time working together on proactive initiatives, holding each other accountable (up and down the org chart), and building relationships—inside and outside of work. And again, if these things all go well, the ultimate outcome, which is a happy customer, is going to happen much more often than not.
Favorite BBQ joint Houston?
I haven’t had the privilege to make it to Killen’s yet, so I would have to say Harris County BBQ out in Cypress/Tomball areas.
We’ve heard you’re a big fan of Texas country music. Favorite artist?
I’m not sure there’s just one… from the earlier pioneers such as Waylon Jennings, up through the years music morphed into the likes of Robert Earl Keen, Pat Green, Cory Morrow, and Roger Creager, to some of the newer generation still going strong such as Wade Bowen, Randy Rogers, Stoney LaRue, and Aaron Watson. I love good song writing, put to a guitar—and that’s what it’s all about, which is very different from Nashville country these days.