October 18 will go down in the logistics history books as a day of panic, uncertainty, and confusion. Convoy, the digital brokerage leader in the US, unexpectedly canceled all shipments, and the load board went empty. The eight-year-old company announced its sudden closure a day later, attributing it to a “freight recession.”
Sam Hallock, who worked for Convoy for nearly four years, was at the helm of the messaging table as the communications manager. This position is vital in safeguarding the company’s reputation and communicating the closure transparently while minimizing the negative impact on the brand’s image.
At this point, it’s easy to lose sight, knowing nothing will be left of the company. But Hallock kept a firm hand on communication strategies right till the end.
Less than a month later, Hallock is joining another logistics giant in the industry, Uber Freight. She announced this to her LinkedIn network a few days ago.
“As I embark on this new adventure, I’m enthusiastic about the opportunity to dive into the world of Uber Freight,” she writes. Exploring the endless opportunities posed by developing technology, she has a keen eye for artificial intelligence and its direction in logistics. “I look forward to sharing compelling stories that showcase the impact our team is making in revolutionizing the industry.”
Hallock “thrives…building brand identity,…propelling early-stage startups to become market leaders.” She executed this task at Convoy to the last day. It could be seen that the positioning of the brand on an international platform partly also contributed to Flexport’s showing interest in buying its tech stack.
A classy exit from Convoy
CEO Ryan Gavin could have made a bitter exit, but he chose to leave elegantly when he posted on the demise of Convoy on his social media.
Potentially being gagged from making any statements in public, he thanked everyone: “I can’t talk about everyone I want to or everyone who deserves it, so instead, I’ll focus on the incredible leadership team that I had the privilege to serve these past years. There is some world-class talent here; any company, big or small, would be beyond stoked to have them.”
More than 250 staff members have been affected by the closure of Convoy.
GeekWire reports that Convoy spent four months “exhausting various strategic options amid an ongoing freight recession. [This] dampened investor appetite, particularly for late-stage unprofitable startups.”
Founder Dan Lewis told LinkedIn he is deeply sorry for this impact on people’s lives, “the suddenness of the wind-down, and the feeling of loss for everyone involved.”
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Lewis says they “built an amazing system that was very close to getting to the other side of this.” Flexport jumped on the opportunity and acquired Convoy’s technology stack.
Flexport explains that it will only be the technology assets.
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Mia is a multi-award-winning journalist. She has more than 14 years of experience in mainstream media. She's covered many historic moments that happened in Africa and internationally. She has a strong focus on human interest stories, to bring her readers and viewers closer to the topics at hand.
