BOSTON — EXP Delivery Solutions are the first women-owned business to join the National Home Delivery Association (NHDA), an organization that promotes quality standards for home delivery companies, since its launch six years ago.
“We are the first women-owned company to be one of their members, and we’re extremely proud to hold that title. We are definitely breaking barriers,” said Danielle Carter, co-CEO.
Bill Lecos, executive director of NHDA, echoed the same sentiments. “We’re very excited and very pleased to make the acquaintanceship. This is a dynamic industry that’s always growing, so we’re glad to have the energy and experience exemplified by the two sisters.”
Carter and her sister Andi Shaughnessy started EXP Delivery Solutions as a subsidiary under their family-run business ExpressIt Delivery because they saw an ignored space for women-owned home delivery. EXP specializes in last mile deliveries — the final step between a retailer and a customer’s home.
“The opportunity was for last mile home delivery,” Shaughnessy said. “We felt like we could use our skills and our customer service level and all that we’ve learned and apply it to a new service offering … We wanted to give customers what they really should expect when it comes to delivery.”
As children, they worked under their father at ExpressIt Delivery, which focuses on same-day deliveries and courier services. After his passing, the siblings took over the business, rebranding and expanding their reach by opening three additional locations in Connecticut, New Jersey and Pennsylvania.
While managing ExpressIt Delivery was one task, beginning their own company was another venture entirely. There wasn’t a guidebook for co-CEOs, and especially not two that were sisters, Carter said with amusement. Without directions to follow, they stayed flexible as they approached running EXP. They shared that their close relationship allowed them to succeed because they don’t necessarily split tasks or responsibilities between the two of them. Instead, they work to complement one another’s strengths while always making decisions together. It’s a system that works, and it works because the two of them approach the business with a team mentality.
That collaboration reflects in the way Carter and Shaughnessy discuss their employees. EXP is a new venture, having only gotten off the ground this past July. Because of that, the company has been “all hands on deck,” but the sisters know that they can rely on their employees and clients. It’s a partnership where they treat each other like family. There’s a clear level of respect: when describing their success, Carter and Shaughnessy called special attention to the work of their Senior Vice President of Operations, Talal Tadros. With his thirty years of experience in the industry, he provides a unique, knowledged perspective to help the company thrive, and both sisters acknowledge that he is an instrumental part of the business.
EXP may just be getting started, but Carter and Shaughnessy have clear and ambitious goals for the future. Shaughnessy explained their vision, saying that they hope EXP will become a company that retailers not only rely on but actively reach out to as their “go-to” delivery provider. Through trust and excellent service, they aim to become a cornerstone of the industry.
“When we had to take over the business, the mindset was, ‘OK, let’s finish what our dad started. Let’s finish this off and make him proud,’” said Carter. “And I think as we grew together, both in the business and personally, it evolved into: ‘OK, let’s see how far we can take this.’ There really isn’t a ceiling. We know that we’re just getting started.”
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