As the Business Development Manager at Tideworks, Anthony Ricco understands the importance of continuous improvement more than anybody. After bolstering his knowledge of the logistics industry by working with a freight forwarder, Anthony joined the Tideworks team five years ago as a project manager. When he transitioned to the business development team, he was energized by the opportunity to curate industry expertise for his clients and colleagues.
By constantly searching for new opportunities and working with existing clients to grow and refine Tideworks’ solutions, Anthony discovered his passion for building a more efficient global supply chain. “What I really love about working for Tideworks is that I get to be a part of the solution. I like working in an industry that is able to affect real-world problems.”
To make that change happen, Anthony has become a jack-of-all-trades — and a master of each one. He strives to take a proactive approach to his clients’ wants and needs, anticipating their requests and questions before they ask. “And if I don’t know the answer to something… I have five people to call.”
Building a Collaborative Environment
A core element of Anthony’s role is based on building relationships, which is what makes the collaborative company culture at Tideworks so valuable. The team has a solid foundation of long-time employees equipped with priceless institutional knowledge that they then share with the incoming generation of young professionals. By building an inclusive, supportive environment, Tideworks has been able to successfully blend tried-and-true processes with forward-thinking innovation.
“As cliche as it sounds, Tideworks has a tight-knit company culture,” says Anthony. The leadership team at Tideworks makes employee camaraderie a top priority, in part by hosting community-building events like their beloved Empanada Day. The day-to-day fun and excitement of the Tideworks community facilitates a caring, supportive atmosphere that drives individual and team success.
The Swiss Army Knife of Tideworks
On the tight-knit Tideworks team, everyone is used to wearing multiple hats. This is especially true in Anthony’s department, which is made up of just two salespeople and one marketing director. But according to Anthony, less can truly be more when you have a small but mighty team of experts. “I like to think we can do it all, which is pretty rare in the software and even the logistics industry.”
Each member of the team builds expertise in multiple areas, enabling them to split their time wherever they’re needed most. The Tideworks team can meet all of its partners’ needs by focusing on agility and flexibility.
A Culture of Mentorship
When Anthony reflects on his experience at Tideworks so far, he highlights a culture that focuses on learning, mentorship, and shared growth. His team members approach one another with humility and curiosity, raring to share what they know and absorb their colleagues’ expertise.
This mindset is so prevalent that mentors and mentees naturally find one another through the course of casual, one-on-one conversations about their work and aspirations. “Everyone from different departments is willing to lend their knowledge.”
Support Team is a Step Above
For Anthony, managing clients and bringing in new prospects revolves around providing stellar product support. When clients have questions, they’re met with a well-versed technical support team that doesn’t just understand Tideworks’ software — they also understand the unique challenges of the cargo transportation and logistics industry. The team is armed with hands-on experience operating marine and rail terminals, equipping them with an inside perspective on what their clients need from their software solutions.
And the Tideworks philosophy on support doesn’t just rely on firsthand experience. It prioritizes a nuanced approach to each individual client and the problems they may encounter. Even when the support team comes across unfamiliar situations, they’re still equipped to handle them with their nimble and inquisitive problem-solving skills. Anthony emphasizes the unique nature of his terminal operator clients, noting that his team embraces the challenge of shifting gears between massive networks and small one-off terminals.
Custom Problems, Custom Solutions
As a Business Development Manager, Anthony is constantly striving to find unique solutions for his clients. “Sales may be viewed as just trying to sell someone something,” Anthony explains, “I look at it as trying to solve a problem.”
For Anthony, getting to know a client’s business is just as important as showing off the Tideworks software. On a recent trip to a terminal in Canada, Anthony spent three days diving into the client’s operations, gaining an intimate understanding of their pain points and goals. By truly getting to know the client, he was then able to determine exactly how the Tideworks software could fit in with their business.
Anthony takes this approach with all clients, whether they’re already thriving with Tideworks or just starting to explore ways to refine their operations. His overarching goal is to build a mutually beneficial solution that melds with each client’s existing system while resolving their main roadblocks. Ultimately, taking an immersive, strategic approach to his client’s needs is all part of the puzzle — or as he calls it, “the Rubik’s Cube of making our customers a profitable business.”
Success in Birmingham
Don’t just take Anthony’s word for the impact of his bespoke software integrations. Simply take a look at how clients are leveraging Tideworks tools to achieve long-term measurable success.
On a recent trip to a G&W rail terminal in Birmingham, Anthony witnessed firsthand how a client leveraged Tideworks’ Intermodal PRO terminal operating system and 3rd party integrations with Camco and Advent eModal to reduce gate turn times for their entire network from two hours to 21 minutes. As Anthony explored the terminal, he was floored by how the client was able to centralize operations and support organizational efficiency, all with the help of Tideworks’ rail enterprise solutions.
The impact of these real-life optimizations is immediately visible when interacting with his clients who are on the ground overseeing operations. “I had people shake my hand and say ‘Thank you for making my job easier.’”
Taking on the Future of Terminal Operations Software
Anthony takes the same growth mindset he uses with clients and applies it to the overall development and direction of Tideworks. He consistently looks for new ways to expand Tideworks’ solutions, “whether it be looking at new ways to grow our network or forming partnerships with software providers that solve a piece of the market that we don’t.” By embracing a learner’s mindset and pairing it with a wealth of industry expertise, Anthony is primed to keep enhancing the global supply chain, along with the rest of the Tideworks team.