Genesis Venture Logistics
This is a man’s world … or so they thought. In the male-dominated world of transportation and logistics, Lorraine Hyde is quickly proving the industry needed a woman’s touch.
This petite, soft-spoken woman is a dynamo who is quickly building a logistics and supply chain management powerhouse right here on the Northshore. Her company, Genesis Venture Logistics is helping industrial companies across the globe save hundreds of millions of dollars in transportation and transportation-related costs.
“More than 80 percent of an industrial company’s cost is in transportation and logistics. By identifying more efficient ways to secure, move and warehouse materials, we can make a huge impact on a company’s bottom line,” she said. “We are experts in logistics, leveraging our experience, reputation and connections in the industry to secure lower costs. This gives our clients the ability to focus on and cultivate their core business. It gives them the freedom to do what they do best.”
A natural problem solver, Hyde has been involved in supply chain management for over 20 years. She has worked for three Fortune 500 companies providing million of dollars in cost savings.
During her tenure at one of the companies, Hyde built an exceptional team of logistics professionals with a combined 100 years of experience in the industry. They developed a unique dynamic that Hyde described as “lightning in bottle.” After a merger, Hyde was faced with separating the team. Rather than dissolving the department, she decided to keep the team together and branch out on their own. “The genesis of our new adventure had begun,” she said. “It seemed only fitting that we would name it Genesis Venture Logistics.”
In just over one year, the company has already established itself as a leader in national and international logistics. When the Louisiana National Guard needed to move an artillery disposal chamber from Port Catoosa in Tulsa, Okla., it looked to Hyde’s team for solutions. The team successfully coordinated the transport of the 436,000-pound, 100-foot long chamber by barge to Natchitoches, La., and then by truck to Camp Minden. GVL is currently consulting with one of the largest petrochemicals companies in the world to evaluate and optimize its global transportation strategy.
During this time, GVL has also achieved accreditation as a Women Business Enterprise; formed a strategic marketing alliance with Arrow Material Services, a leading provider of terminal operations, transloading and storage services across the U.S.; expanded its asset base; and created two additional divisions within the company. Genesis Venture Trucking now owns four industrial 18-wheelers and access to more than 200 owner-operator trucks that help offload and move materials throughout the country. Genesis Venture Materials is a materials yard in Madisonville that provides gravel, sand, limestone, clay and other organic landscape materials to residential and commercial builders.
“The past year has been a whirlwind,” Hyde said. “Our growth is a testament to our entire team. Each person has their own area of expertise but we all work together to identify our clients’ pain points and fix them. They bring innovative ideas to the table and together we come up with solutions. I trust them implicitly.”
Noting that she’d rather empower her team than micromanage them, Hyde said she leads by example. “I believe the most powerful impression I can make is through my own work ethic. It is something I learned at an early age, watching my mother care for me and my six siblings.”
Hyde’s mother, Mila, met and fell in love with her dad in the Philippines. After they married, she left her home country and took on the role of a military wife, relocating to different army bases throughout the country every two years. “My mom is my role model. She taught us that if you were going to do something, you should make sure you do it right,” Hyde said. “Looking back, she was the first logistics expert in our family. It took a lot of planning and coordination to move a family of nine so many times. She managed transporting the most precious cargo time and time again. I guess some of that rubbed off on me.”
Hyde is grateful for the opportunity to have lived in various destinations throughout the world but has found happiness in Mandeville. “We have a wonderful life here with our two furry children—our cocker spaniels Chip and Ladybug. I am a dog lover by nature and a cocker spaniel lover by experience,” she said. “When I was about five years old, my mom and I fell down an icy hill in Germany. Most everyone ran to help my mother, but a black cocker came to my rescue and licked the snow off my face. Now I help to rescue them.
“My job is getting things where they need to be. With Genesis Venture Logistics, I am confident that I am right where I need to be. It is a great feeling,” she said.
Genesis Venture Logistics is located at 1001 Ochsner Blvd., Suite 419 in Covington. Learn more at genesisventurelogistics.
