June 7 6:00 PM-8:00 pm

Everyone is invited!

Everyone is invited to the Opening Reception for dinner, drinks, and great conversations! Get to know your fellow attendees before we kick off a full day tomorrow.

Optional Speed Networking will be from 6:00-6:30pm.

Mackenzie Hill

Senior Marketing Coordinator
Jacksonville Port Authority (JAXPORT)

Mackenzie Hill serves as Senior Marketing Coordinator for the Jacksonville Port Authority (JAXPORT), an international trade seaport in Jacksonville, FL, USA, connecting customers with 140 ports in 70 countries.

Mackenzie is responsible for planning and executing the port’s trade shows, conferences and customer events. She also supports JAXPORT’s marketing campaigns, coordinates collateral and promotional items, and mentors JAXPORT’s Sales and Marketing interns.
Mackenzie has worked in roles of increasing responsibility at JAXPORT, from administration to marketing support and her current role. Prior to JAXPORT, she worked in administration for the State Attorney’s Office, 4th Judicial Circuit of Florida.

Her work in event planning execution has been recognized with the prestigious Trailblazer industry award in 2024 for JAXPORT's Breakbulk Americas campaign, and she was also named as a Rising Star in 2022 with the Transportation Marketing and Sales Association (TMSA).

Mackenzie earned her bachelor of arts in international studies from the University of North Florida in 2012.

Ash Thoms

Trade Show and Events Manager, ITS Logistics

Ash Thoms is the Senior Trade Show & Events Manager at ITS Logistics, where she leads the strategy and execution of the company’s presence at major industry conferences and events.

With deep experience in logistics marketing and event management, Ash focuses on creating meaningful connections between brands, partners, and customers through impactful trade show experiences. She is also active in the Transportation Marketing & Sales Association (TMSA) community and regularly shares insights on trends shaping logistics events and industry engagement.

June 9 2:00-2:45pm

Stop Sounding Like Everyone Else: Building a Brand People Remember

This session explores how logistics brands can tell honest, meaningful stories that attract the right customers and support revenue growth without overcomplicating things. I will dig into how voice, messaging, and content shape buyer trust long before sales is ever involved. Expect practical conversation, relatable examples, and frameworks that meet teams where they are today, whether you’re a one-person marketing shop or a full department.

Key takeaways are:

A simple framework for creating messaging that feels human and still supports revenue goals.
Tools for building trust with buyers long before sales enters the conversation.
A grounded, repeatable way to align marketing, sales, and leadership around one clear story.

Whitney Cowell

Revenue Marketing Manager, Knight-Swift Warehousing & Fulfillment

Whitney Cowell is a marketing and storytelling strategist in the transportation and logistics industry who believes the best marketing doesn’t feel like marketing at all. In her career, she's helped logistics brands clarify what they actually want to say, connect with the right people, and build marketing that supports sales without the buzzwords or theatrics. Whitney brings an empathetic perspective shaped by years of working alongside founders, executives, and revenue teams who are juggling real pressure, real constraints, and real opportunity.

June 8 3:30-4:15pm

From Warm Lead to Winning Load: Fixing the Marketing-to-Sales Breakdown in Freight Brokerage

In today’s freight environment, marketing is finally doing its job. Producing warm, qualified leads from shippers who request quotes, download content, attend webinars, or engage online. However, many of those leads fail to convert into active customers, booked loads, or long-term accounts. The problem isn’t demand, it’s the handoff.

In this workshop, we'll unpack why brokers are losing qualified opportunities, even when shippers raise their hands. We’ll explore the root causes: unclear qualification criteria, inconsistent or slow follow-up, poor messaging alignment, lack of sales enablement, and limited visibility into what happens after the lead is passed to a rep.

Key takeaways:

Ask targeted questions that reveal the true problems
Connect operational pain points to a compelling next step
Document buyer criteria to guide follow‑up and proposals

Mike Riccio

Founder/CEO, More Than Miles Consulting

Mike Riccio is Founder and CEO of More Than Miles Consulting, LLC. The firm helps Third Party Logistics (3PL) providers and Transportation Brokers develop strategies and tactics to achieve their business goals. With 35-plus years of experience in transportation and logistics, Riccio is uniquely qualified to guide each client through the process of charting its course to profitable and sustainable growth.

Prior to launching More Than Miles Consulting, Riccio was Chief Marketing Officer for Leonard’s Express, a leading transportation services provider that offers refrigerated trucking, dry van, warehousing, and freight brokerage services across the United States and Canada. Riccio also served as Vice President of Sales for Leonard’s Express, where he helped the leadership team build Leonard’s from ground zero to a $350M business between 2001 to 2015.

Drew Cherba

Fractional Leader & Executive Coach, More Than Miles Consulting

Drew Cherba serves as a guide, visionary and strategic leader to executive , sales, and operations teams. He currently serves in the role of Fractional Leader and Executive Coach for More Than Miles Consulting.

Through his experience gained in building a successful sales career, Drew has mastered his ability to connect and collaborate. Throughout his career he has continued to produce consistent results in leadership roles as Vice President at DSN Chemical Transportation and Vice President at TFI International. At these companies Drew ran the business, managing all associates and job functions with complete P&L responsibility.

Kara Smith-Brown

CEO / CRO, LeadCoverage

Kara Brown is the Chief Executive Officer at LeadCoverage. Brown was one of the first employees at Echo Global Logistics which grew quickly in three years and her name is on the company’s 2009 IPO press release [NYSE: ECHO]. In 2017 after a successful corporate career including SEKO Logistics, OHL (now Geodis), and Rubicon Global, she partnered with Will Haraway, another industry veteran, to start LeadCoverage. Brown is also an active force in empowering women leaders. She is on the board of the Entrepreneur’s Organization Atlanta chapter, LaunchPad2x, and co-founded CloseHer, a community for women in sales.

Opening Reception

Sponsored by: