John A. Evans, President & CEO of Evans Distribution Systems
I’ve had the pleasure of working at Evans Distribution Systems since 1982 starting as a part-time maintenance worker while still in high school. After working in a wide variety of part-time roles over summers and after school, I joined the company as a full-time warehouse supervisor determined to learn all I could about every part of the company that my father and grandfathers had built. Today, I look back at those early years with amazement at how far we’ve come.
I am proud to say that our 90th year in business has been a record-breaking year. We achieved more growth than ever before – both from new customers and organic growth with existing customers. We saw growth in all divisions including warehousing, transportation, value-added packaging, and staffing. This achievement can be attributed to several key factors:
- Our incredible, committed, and talented Evans team.
- Our ongoing commitment to improving systems and investing in technology.
- External factors including the strong economic activity in the U.S. and in Michigan.
- Listening to our customers and identifying new ways to support their growth and success.
These factors enabled our team to quickly adapt to an ever-changing landscape. For example, we diversified our service offerings to include expanded value-added services and extensive direct-to-consumer fulfillment services. Consistent with our ongoing commitment to technology, Evans invested in vision/artificial intelligence technology to ensure quality and order accuracy in our fulfillment operation. This system has powerful applications to the warehouse environment and we’ve only scratched the surface of possibilities in utilizing this technology.
In 2019, we took additional steps to expand our Foreign Trade Zone (FTZ). By doing so, we provided a flexible storage solution to customers navigating uncertainty in the country’s trade policy. The FTZ requires stringent security measures that are beneficial to all facilities and customers, making our company safer and more secure.
Finally, in the spirit of recognition, this year will mark our 20th consecutive year of being an ISO:9001 certified company. This speaks volumes to our commitment to quality, safety, and customer service. This certification hits our entire company and departments and is truly a team effort. It gives me great joy to watch our associates come together to achieve this goal, year after year.
Today and every day, I thank our customers for standing by us, for believing in us and for supporting us. As you grow, we grow. As you evolve, we do too. We appreciate the journey that you have led us on and the bright future ahead.
Cheers to the next decade and another chance to inspire!
Best regards,
John A. Evans
President & CEO
Evans Distribution Systems