Eagle Transportation Services Management

Kristin Aulenbach became President & CEO of Eagle Transportation Services in April 2006. Few CEOs have been better groomed for a leadership position in the transportation industry than Kristin. Her father founded the company in 1991, and her interest in the business became evident early. She was often seen around the Eagle executive offices after school, and by the time she was in high school she started her training as an intern.

After earning a degree from Johnson & Wales University in 2002, Kristin formally joined the company and did tours of duty as a dispatcher, a reservationist, and even as a chauffeur before moving into sales. “The only area of the company that I haven’t worked has been as a mechanic, but that doesn’t mean I haven’t gotten my hands dirty. ”Kristin is a “hands on” executive who believes that personal commitment results in superior service. Working in the Call Center, she learned early how to listen—to customers—and to employees. “To understand the needs of customers and employees you must first hear what they are saying,” Kristin explains. She spends a great deal of her day listening. She is intent on building and maintaining employee morale, so she makes frequent trips out of her Philadelphia office to talk to staff members at Eagle’s various offices throughout the tri-state area. She is rarely without her cell phone that she uses to keep in frequent communication with customers—and the firm’s network of partner transportation companies worldwide.

Today, Kristin oversees a fleet of more than 160 vehicles, and a service and sales staff that numbers more than 150. She also manages Eagle’s 20,000 square-foot, state-of-the-art facilities in Delaware. Kristin has already had an impact on the bottom line: Eagle sales now stand at $11 million a year. As owner/operator, Kristin also earned Eagle a WBE (Women Business Enterprise) designation. While she stresses that her focus is on building and expanding Eagle’s customer base, she does find time in a busy schedule to be an active member of the Association for Commuter Transportation of Chester County & Delaware, and serve as a member of the Young Executive’s Committee of the Pyramid Club, an organization of Philadelphia business leaders.