A passion for Logistics

The big party in celebration of 30 years with the company had to be postponed, but it will definitely happen after the coronavirus pandemic has passed. After all, Donna Walters is not only a key account specialist, but also the heart and soul of DACHSER’s New York branch. However, the 58-year-old currently has to work from her home in Bellmore on the south coast of Long Island. “I really miss the personal contact with my customers and colleagues. Working from home is a particular challenge, but coordinating the shipments from there works very well,” she says.

As a key account specialist, she works with some major customers—negotiating prices, monitoring deliveries from start to finish, and also regularly answering general customer inquiries. “I enjoy finding out what our customers want, offering them suitable solutions, and increasing their satisfaction with DACHSER. This is the only way to build and maintain relationships in these fast-moving times,” Walters says, with the voice of experience.

“An inspiration to us all”

Conducting business with a personal touch is Walters’s great strength. The mother of two practices logistics as a “people business,” including within the DACHSER team at the New York branch. “Donna is an inspiration to us all. She’s a very special person who wants to make people happy and see them succeed. She’s taught me so much and made my life at DACHSER better,” says a colleague who works closely with her. And this is just one of the many positive responses that were received on the occasion of her 30th company anniversary.      

This appreciation also has to do with Walters’s personal history. She has beaten cancer twice, and she becomes deeply moved as she describes the difficult time after the operation and chemotherapy. “My colleagues were an incredible help. There was always someone there for me,” Walters reports. That’s why the phrase “DACHSER family” holds a very special, very personal meaning for her.     

Walters began her career with DACHSER in April 1990, a time when employee turnover in the DACHSER team was still high, she recalls. Twenty-one people came and went over a period of 18 months. But Walters stayed. She enjoyed working closely with customers, made friends among her colleagues, boosted others with her professionalism and, as an experienced employee, was always there for others. A kind of integrated “power station.” “That’s how we became a real team,” she says.

In her early days at DACHSER, almost all orders were still generated in Germany, but the satellite branch in New York grew steadily over the years. When she joined the Ocean Freight division, Walters was a one-woman show; today, her team consists of six people. The growth of the New York nucleus also reflects the continuous rise of DACHSER USA, which is now represented in all key states.

"I’ve experienced DACHSER’s growth in the US up close and personal. Employee commitment was one of the success factors: we always give 110 percent for our customers and our team,” Walters says. Since 2015, she has been the key account specialist for some of her branch’s major customers, achieving mutual satisfaction and mutual appreciation. Even after 30 years, she is still passionate about her job, despite all the adversity life has thrown at her. “DACHSER is very close to my heart. We’re like one big family.”