Appearances
Our leadership are active in the broader industry dialogue. In recent months, we have participated in the following events:
2023
In December, Justin was inducted into the 2023 class of Northwestern University Transportation Center Fellows for recognized and lasting contributions to the transportation industry. Justin was one of six individuals elected to this inaugural class
In November, Justin led an encore executive program for the Northwestern University Transportation Center executive program concerning post-pandemic adjustments in the freight industry in North America
In May, Justin was the keynote speaker at the inaugural logistics and transportation conference in Blufton, South Carolina, hosted by William Blair, including conducting a panel on emerging trends among industry investors
Also in May, Justin chaired the spring executive class at the Northwestern University Transportation Center titled “Navigating Through a Challenging Landscape”, in addition to conducting the trucking module
In February, Justin participated in a four-person webinar entitled “The Future of the Freight Roundtable” to discuss emerging issues in domestic freight, in particular the impact of the shortage of transportation and logistics talent
2022
In September, as part of its continuing executive education programs, Justin led the three day class of executives on the freight industry with a faculty of a dozen academic and industry instructors, in which he led both the intermodal and trucking segments
2021
In July, Justin led an executive program entitled “Accelerating First to Last Mile Change” for the Northwestern Transportation Center on the impacts of the ending of the pandemic and global supply chain disruptions. In addition to running the overall program, Justin taught the trucking and intermodal modules during the three day course
In June, Justin hosted a webinar for the Northwestern Transportation Center on the “Growing Role of Railroads in Logistics”. The panel – made up of the head of UP’s new Loup services and the chief commercial officer of the Anacostia railway’s shoreline Pacific Harbor Line Railroad – discussed the growing role of rails in the first, middle and final mile
2020
In September, Justin chaired the Northwestern University Transportation Center Executive Freight Course for the 10th year. The remote course featured an experienced class of shippers, carriers, lenders, technology, and intermediaries addressing both domestic and international logistics transportation, with a particular focus on the post-COVID environment
In July, Justin moderated a PE/VC panel at the Northwestern Transportation Center Virtual Business Advisory Council meeting on investing logistics/transportation post-Covid. He was joined by Jake Medwell (8vc), Michael Weiss (Greenbriar Equity), and Price Blackford (Scott-Macon) to discuss what has changed for investors, buyers and sellers in the new environment
2019
Justin chaired the Fall meeting of the Northwestern University Transportation Center Business Advisory Council, overseeing panel discussions on changes in the retail environment due to eCommerce, emerging digital freight marketplaces, as well as recent and upcoming developments in ocean shipping
Justin moderated an industry workshop on May 15th at Northwestern University entitled “Feeding First to Last Mile Demands for Fast(er) Food Delivery”. The panel discussed the rapid growth in same-day delivery for meals and groceries and the high degree of innovation occurring in this space. Panels included executives from Deliv, Instacart, Peapod, Home Chef, Local Foods & Butcher, Farmer’s Edge, and Walgreens. All are leaders in this hotly-contested space
From May 20th to 22nd, Justin ran the fifth consecutive Executive Freight Course at the Northwestern Transportation Center. The course – entitled “Accelerating First to Last Mile” — included a class of executives from throughout the freight industry from such players as CSX, Uber Freight, Rand McNally, Amsted Digital, Truckstop.com, MAP, and others. The course, taught by a mixture of industry executives and Northwestern professors, covered a range of topics from the changing landscape in traditional transport to meeting the delivery challenges caused by eCommerce and non-traditional players and technologies
In The first quarter of 2019, Justin was asked to record a video on logistics for use on American Airline's in-flight entertainment program. Click our logo below to view the video:
2018
November 8, 2018, Justin chaired the fall meeting of the Northwestern University Transportation Center Business Advisory Council of leading transportation executives, leading panels and presentations on intermodal growth, AI in logistics, disaster/event planning and recovery, and more
On November 1, 2018, Justin was a panelist at the Capital Roundtable in New York for their program “How PE Investors Are Piggybacking on Disruptors in Transportation and Logistics Sectors.” He was part of the panel concerning “Driverless Vehicles, Ride Sharing, and Electric Trucks — Turning Today’s Innovations into Tomorrow’s”
2017
From May 22nd to 24th, 2017, Justin led the annual Northwestern University Transportation Center Executive Education program on Freight. The three-day program entitled "Navigating the Growing Challenges from the First Mile to the Last Mile" — covered industry trends, all domestic and international modes and intermediaries through a combination of presentations, panels, and case studies involving roughly a dozen industry leaders and numerous professors. The program had the largest class in the program's history over the last decade
On May 16th, 2017, Justin participated on a panel at the CSCMP Chicago Roundtable annual meeting in Naperville, IL. The panel discussed private equity in transportation and logistics and included Gene Tyndall (Tomkins International), John Larkin (Stifel), and Greg Ritter (XPO Logistics). The discussion covered topics ranging from the need to finance the supply chain, the up- and down-sides of PE ownership, what happened to IPO's, and more
On May 4th, 2017, Justin moderated a panel on international trade at the Northwestern Transportation Center Business Advisory Council annual spring gathering of logistics and transportation executives. Other panelists included Northwestern Professor Larry Christiano and Kellogg Professor Phil Levy, along with industry thought leaders Dick Craig, CEO of MOL, and John Larkin, Managing Director at Stifel. The wider-ranging discussion included such topics as the cause and impact of the "Great Recession", implications of slower growth in trade volumes, expectations of the new administration, turmoil in the marine sector, and the need for carriers to do more with less in this new environment
2016
On June 6th, 2016, Justin led a panel entitled "Analysis, Trends, Forecasts: Understanding the Economy's Impact on Transportation and Logistics" at the annual meeting of the Transportation Marketing and Sales Association (TMSA) in Ft. Lauderdale, leading a discussion among four industry CEOs
On June 1st & 2nd, 2016, Justin was one of 50 industry executives who were invited to the 40th anniversary of the creation of Conrail, participating in the panel on understanding lessons learned from the historic restructuring of the Northeast railroad system
At the Northwestern University Transportation Center (NUTC) Spring 2016 meeting, Justin chaired his final Business Advisory Council (BAC) meeting after serving as its Chairman for over 10 years. The gavel was handed over to Jeff Silver, CEO of Coyote Logistics, who will now lead the BAC. Justin will continue as a member
At the same meeting of the BAC, Justin facilitated a panel on "The Economy, Energy, and Transportation Pricing". Another Justin Zubrod & Company team member, Timothy Jones, facilitated a panel discussion entitled "The Changing Environment for Package Delivery"
On April 21st, 2016, Justin was honored to serve as Master of Ceremonies at the memorial for the late Aaron Gellman, former professor at the Northwestern Kellogg School, long time Director of the NU Transportation Center, and beloved member and thought leader of transportation community worldwide
Justin was co-leader, along with Hani Mahmassani, Director of the NUTC, of the fifth annual Executive Education Series on Freight Transportation and Logistics at Northwestern University. In addition to managing the three-day program, which included participation of more than 20 faculty/speakers, Justin delivered a lecture on the "Changing Landscape of North American Freight Transportation"
2015
Northwestern University Transportation Center Business Advisory Council fall meeting (Justin Zubrod led panel on impact of Suez and Panama Canals, November, 2015)
Northwestern University 60th Anniversary Celebration (Justin Zubrod delivered opening speech on growth and change in transportation over the last 60 years)
DSC Logistics senior leadership meeting — providing an overview of outlook for transportation and logistics (Justin Zubrod, October, 2015)
Chicago Traffic Club Business Seminars, moderating the panel on growing the top line (Justin Zubrod, November, 2015)
Fourth Annual Freight Executive Program at Northwestern University Transportation Center (Justin Zubrod and Tim Jones taught modules)
Transport Topics, December 2014, Shift in Freight Demand Strains Shippers, Fleets (Justin Zubrod)
This section will be updated as additional events take place.