Anabel Cormier, Director of Sales at Sheer Logistics, was recently recognized by Supply & Demand Chain Executive and Food Logistics as a winner of the 2023 “Women In Supply Chain” award. We took the opportunity to chat with Anabel about her career thus far and to get her thoughts on being recognized with the award.
Sheer Logistics: Anabel, congrats on winning the “Women In Supply Chain” award! Can you tell me a bit about your career in the logistics industry so far?
Anabel Cormier: Thank you! I got my start in logistics back in 2010. I was 21 years old and landed an internship opportunity with C.H. Robinson. At the conclusion of my internship, I was offered a full-time role with C.H. That was the beginning of my journey into supply chain and logistics. While I like to say that I sort of “fell into” supply chain, I could see even then that this was an industry that had the potential for a lot of personal and professional growth.
Sheer: That sounds like a great start! Where did you go from there?
Anabel: From there, I joined Challenger Motor Freight. I was actually Challenger’s first U.S. employee (they are based in Canada). In that role, I oversaw the opening of Challenger offices across the U.S., which was an amazing and challenging opportunity for a then-25 year old. After Challenger, I moved on to Mid America Logistics, FLS Transportation Services and Flexe. I think my path enabled me to acquire a well-rounded supply chain background in a relatively short time, having worked within transportation brokerages, asset-based providers, warehousing and logistics technology. I brought all of these experiences with me when I joined Sheer Logistics as a Sales Director in February of this year.
Sheer: What have you been focused on since you joined Sheer?
Anabel: This is a really exciting time to be at Sheer. The investment in Sheer by Woodlawn Partners and Monroe Capital has enabled us to aggressively recruit talented team members with equally aggressive growth goals. Since it was founded by Joe Egertson in 2009, Sheer has served the needs of a wide variety of shippers through its Managed Transportation Services, value-based logistics, Sheer TMS technology and SheerExchange Integration Platform as a Service (IPaaS) solutions. Sheer has a strong portfolio of Managed Transportation and value-based logistics clients, so we are building on a solid, well-established platform. I am really excited that the solutions we have to offer can truly help shippers achieve their strategic goals. Particularly when it comes to Managed Transportation/4PL services, I think there is a lot of confusion and misunderstanding in the marketplace as to what these services are and how they can benefit shippers.
Sheer: Can you share an example?
Anabel: Sure, take the idea of “outsourcing.” I’ve spoken with shippers that are reluctant to outsource their logistics operations because they see logistics as strategic differentiator for their business, and they think that outsourcing these services to a company like Sheer is going to mean a loss of control. In fact, nothing could be further from the truth. When you partner with Sheer to provide Managed Transportation Services, you can expect to get more control than you had previously. That’s because you are going to benefit from a fully integrated supply chain, a robust TMS, the support of a full team of logistics experts, and enhanced visibility to data and analytics that support more timely business decisions. We agree completely that logistics can be a real differentiator for shippers, and we believe that Managed Transportation is one of the best ways to unlock that potential.
Sheer: Congratulations again on being recognized with the “Women In Logistics” award. What are you doing to continue making an impact as a woman in the supply chain?
Anabel: Thank you! I am so grateful for this recognition. You know, I don’t view myself as a woman in supply chain. But the world sees me that way, so I must be an advocate for diversity in supply chain for women and other minorities to create a more equitable environment for everyone. To do that, I commit a significant amount of my time to networking and collaboration. I want to share my experiences and learn from the experiences of others, so I make a point to participate in professional networks and industry associations with a focus on supply chain management. In my role at Sheer, I have been granted the privilege of mentoring and influencing others, especially women and other industry minorities.
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