Strengthen the trucking industry in West Virginia—that’s the motive behind the job website, TruckingJobsWV.com, a service of the West Virginia Trucking Association. According to Ryan Thorn, Government and Public Affairs Coordinator of the WVTA, the industry is facing a critical future. “Nationwide, and in West Virginia, there is a growing demand for truck drivers and other professionals within the trucking and transportation industry. There are forecasts that driver shortages will be in the thousands and thousands in the next few years. We wanted to do everything we could to allow individuals to find jobs. . .and (help) our members find the right talent to fill their employment needs.”
Company Story
The WVTA chose Jamie Summers-Brown of BWS to build the new site. Jan Vineyard, WVTA President, explained, “I’d worked with Jamie so much before, and he is quick, intelligent, and has great ideas. I wanted to use an in-state company. . .and Jamie is the first one I thought of. ”
Focused on the entire transportation industry, the WVTA wanted the site to clearly communicate that job listings are not only for truckers, but also for support positions within the industry. It wanted to give employers the ability to easily add job listings. And it was important that people realize the site is a service of the WVTA, and not run by a for-profit company.
Jamie was able to provide the best alternative. He’s good at envisioning, and carrying out your vision as well.”
Grasping the Client’s Vision
Jamie immediately grasped the association’s vision. Thorn, who worked with Summers-Brown on the site’s development, shared, “I provided him what I was looking for, the vision on how it would look, and he really ran with it.”
Thorn said Jamie was very attentive to the association’s ideas. He explained, “Any ideas that we had, Jamie took that vision and tweaked; he did a great job with that.” While some technical ideas were not possible, “Jamie was able to provide the best alternative. He’s good at envisioning, and carrying out your vision as well.”
The finished product, as Vineyard describes it, has “a nice, crisp look and is easy to use.” Thorn agrees. “We like to think that it has a very simplistic, yet professional look.” He anticipates that “the easy navigation, for individuals to either look at and apply for jobs, or to place jobs through the site” will make his job easier.
Thorn estimates the entire project, from idea to launch, was finished in three or four months. “We’re definitely pleased with the time it took.” As he recalled building the site, he noted certain traits that contributed to Jamie’s quality product. “Jamie is prompt to respond; he is able to explain something technical in nontechnical terms. I just think he’s good at what he does. He doesn’t want things to be cookie-cutter or like a lot of other sites.”
Thorn continued, “Jamie did a superb job. We’re really pleased with him on this site and all the other sites he does for us.” Vineyard summed it up by saying, “He just works hard, and he’s got a wonderful work ethic. I highly recommend him.”
