Mr. Ron Cruse graduated from Villanova University with a Bachelor of Arts degree. After graduation, he went to New York City where he found a job in the international shipping business. After seven years of handling two of the company’s largest clients in Saudi Arabia and Egypt, he founded his first business, Matrix International. Matrix quickly became a leader in developing world logistics across Africa & Asia.
When the Soviet Union fell, he traveled in immediately and set up one of the first Russian-American joint ventures. From the new company operations that emerged, he became immersed in every major program in that part of the world—the largest humanitarian operation since WWII which included operating the largest unscheduled airline in the region, delivery of weapons dismantlement equipment according to the START II treaty, modernization of the Chernobyl type reactors, and the rapidly burgeoning oil, gas, and mining businesses. Within six years his company grew from $25 million in sales to almost $100 million. In the late 90’s, Matrix and the other six offices that he built across the Commonwealth of Independent States were sold for over $40 million. Three years later, He founded Logenix International.
Logenix – The Hallmark in the Supply Chain & Infrastructure Industry
Logenix International © was founded in 2001. Logenix is a specialist in operating complex supply chains and large infrastructure logistics to and throughout the most challenging countries and regions of the world. It provides specialized transportation services to over 140 developing countries from over 35 origins on five continents. They have assisted to bring medicines, electricity, clean water, and agricultural products to hundreds of millions across the developing world—including the most strife-ridden countries across Africa, The Middle East and Asia. No other company in the industry has the experience or demonstrated as much success operating supply chains and large scale infrastructure projects across the developing world as Logenix. Today, Logenix manages more public health medicines and medical supplies to more developing countries than any other company in the logistics industry.
In order to operate over 140 developing countries reliably and successfully, it requires a mammoth effort of constant intelligence gathering. Logenix must keep track of not only all the thousands of changing transport details and means across the globe, but they must also constantly monitor political and social changes—changes that can happen rapidly—in every developing country across the world and have contingency plans/capabilities at the ready. And they must communicate this promptly and effectively across their 19 offices. So far, this has been a unique strength of Logenix that sets them apart in the industry.
A Risk Worth Taking
In 2001, sensing the world had changed immeasurably after the 9-11 attacks, Mr. Cruse hired the best and brightest from his first company and founded Logenix International. His inspiration, the ‘a-ha’ moment, was profiled in Forbes Magazine in October of 2012. Immediately after 9-11, He realized that the specific skills and experience he had gained around the world would be in high demand in the new global market order that would arise.
It was the biggest risk Mr. Cruse took to setting up the company in the shadow of the 9-11 attacks. “I can’t begin to tell you how many people told me it would be a mistake. Well, 21 years and 120 Million in annual revenue suggests it was a good risk”, says Mr. Cruse.
Logenix Plans Ahead
The need for temperature sensitive medicines, vaccines and testing supplies across the developing countries has grown exponentially over the past few years—and that need was made even greater due to the pandemic. Logenix has initiated a new service, Logenix PharmaPlus ©, to meet this growing demand. No other company in the world has the knowledge, resources, and experience required to reliably manage the valuable, cool chain required supplies to every country in the developing world, regardless of origin. Additionally, they are always improving current services by staff training, and expansion into necessary geographic areas.
India is currently the 5th largest economy in the world and the fastest growing large economy. In the last two years, its foreign development investment has equaled the first seventy-three years of its existence. It is setting global records for investing in 162 countries (61 industrial sectors). Supply chains across all these industrial sectors will be in vital need of reliable and state-of-the-art services. Mr. Cruse says, “We currently have ten offices throughout India and our goals and priorities for the next three to five years are to keep pace with this unprecedented transformation that is occurring in India”. Mr. Cruse believes making India their growth priority over the next three years will spur growth across the entire Logenix global operational platform. The only barrier they see involves the ability to hire and train staff quickly and effectively. If they are able to do this, Logenix will be a benefactor of this unprecedented opportunity.
Strategic Vision for Logenix
For Logenix, the strategic vision began in 2001 with the founding of Logenix and has been responsible for their dynamic growth and industry leading position. “The strategy is quite simple—to be the most knowledgeable, reliable, cost effective supply chain and logistics provider across the developing world”, says Mr. Cruse. No other company in our industry has this singular strategic vision and this is why they are the best. Their staff connects to that vision through the company culture of striving for excellence, and the understanding of the desperate need for high quality services to and throughout the developing world.
Mr. Cruse’s Foresight on the Upcoming Industry Challenges
Mr. Cruse believes that the greatest industry challenges ahead revolve around data sharing and the potential evolution of blockchain technology. Mr. Cruse asserts, “I believe blockchain evolution is many years away but the data sharing revolution is happening right now. Our industry is trapped in an old technology called Electronic Data Information (EDI). It is complicated and balky to implement when high volume data is exchanged. The revolutionary change I believe will involve the implementation of RESTful API, an interface that two computer systems use to exchange information securely over the internet. It is far better in terms of cost, maintenance, and accuracy than the antiquated EDI protocols”.
Logenix current systems accommodate both API and EDI data transmission protocols.
A Leader’s Way with Empathy and Vulnerability
While asked about the role of empathy and vulnerability in his leadership, Mr. Cruse responded, “I believe it is a well-known business axiom that empathy and vulnerability, along with authenticity, are critical to the success of any leader. Personally, I feel these traits allow me to better understand the needs and wants of my staff—to see through their eyes. I believe I am better able to connect with people and, in turn, this seems to empower staff to ‘bubble up’ thoughts and ideas. These traits are critical for staff, and even clients, to become more involved and invested”.
The Key To Customer Satisfaction
Company culture is key for Logenix success and a key component of success is customer satisfaction. Any culture, country, tribe or company, operates on a pyramid of values. At Logenix, a cornerstone of the cultural pyramid is to strive for excellence. Mr. Cruse has an Aristotle quote posted in the office that is a company motto, “We are what we continually do, excellence therefore is not an act, but a habit”. It is this drive to be habitually excellent, and knowing that achieving excellence requires an attitude of continual learning and evolvement that yields the highest levels of customer satisfaction. Mr. Cruse says, “The source of any client dissatisfaction usually lies in communication” Client feedback is critical and strategy itself usually doesn’t change. Either proper service parameters were not set and articulated effectively, or client goals were not understood. Part of excellence attainment is always effective communication, so in the case of any client dissatisfaction ‘how’ we are communicating is analyzed and retooled.
“Disagreements, By that I Mean Alternative Ideas”, Mr. Cruse
Properly assigned responsibility, and equal authority to carry out those responsibilities, is a key to motivation and productivity. Other keys that must be aligned are to ensure job responsibilities are rewarding, properly compensated, and that all involved in any task understand and take satisfaction in their role taskings. While talking about dealing with disagreements and criticism, Mr. Cruse states, “Disagreements, by that I mean alternative ideas, are not only encouraged but promoted by a ‘two heads are better than one’ culture. Active and lively discussion is encouraged in good cultures which leads to all feeling empowered in the decision making process and to my experience, better decisions”.
Criticism is also culturally encouraged and even expected, as long as it is solution oriented. Criticism without solution orientation is not good for any successful organization and can present a deterrent to success.
The Book: Lies, Bribes & Peril; Lessons for the REAL Challenges of the Global Arena
Mr. Cruse has written a book with the intent as a ‘pay it forward’ objective to help aspiring business people. The book Lies, Bribes & Peril; Lessons for the REAL Challenges of the Global Arena is a book of the culturally based lessons he’s learned, and implemented, to achieve success during his 35 year career. The book has received excellent reviews from Kirkus Reviews and Midwest Book Reviews; both among the most trusted and renowned book review sources. The book has been used in over a dozen universities in both undergraduate and graduate school curriculum. In this book, Mr. Cruse lays out simple, yet profound lessons that, if adopted, can help lead to success for aspiring business people, or for people pursuing any endeavor.
Checkhout: Brent Kruel: A Passionate Innovative Healthcare Industry Professional
