WILLMAR
— Across the country, semitractor-trailers roam the highways, spending hours to days as they travel to deliver all sorts of different goods. These trucks take center stage on the road, but behind the scenes trucking companies have people working hard all day to ensure that the job gets done efficiently.
Woody’s Trucking
was started in Lester Prairie in 2001 by Mike Wood. After a few years, Terri Wood joined the team; she now serves as president of the company. In 2011, the company moved to Willmar, where they are still headquartered today.
Woody’s Trucking has 18 tractors and 65 refrigerated trailers making shipments across the country. The company does a lot of work for Jennie-O Turkey Store, delivering their products in temperature-controlled environments.
The work done by Woody’s Trucking has had a large impact on the community, which is why, as part of the
Small Business Administration’s
Small Business Week, Terri Wood and Woody’s Trucking was awarded the Woman-Owned Small Business of the Year.
“I am pretty honored. I have been very humbled. Moving here and all the things we have been through has had challenges. We are just a small business and we keep doing our work every day,” Wood said.
Macy Moore / West Central Tribune
Woody’s Trucking was selected from a list of 40 nominated businesses, according to Brian McDonald, Small Business Administration district director for the Minnesota district. As part of the recognition, representatives from the Small Business Administration visited Woody’s Trucking for a tour of the location on May 14.
“What separated Terri Wood from the competition is not only the business acumen but also her contribution to the community with her family. Both the volunteering that she is doing and the money that she is giving,” McDonald said.
While Wood knew that the company had been nominated, she did not expect to win. When she found out, to her it spoke to the effort that she, and the people around her, put into making the business successful.
“The SBA has been a great tool to lean back on for support. Partnering with them to get the funds to purchase equipment or remodel, whatever it is a small business needs,” she said. “This is just a great success story to show to other small businesses in the community that options are available to them.”
Macy Moore / West Central Tribune
Small businesses make up a large portion of the economy in Minnesota. According to McDonald, there are 500,000 small businesses as defined by the Small Business Administration. This makes up half of the Minnesota workforce.
“I think a lot of times small businesses are so focused on working in their business so it is nice for them to step outside of their normal routine and get recognition for the blood, sweat and tears. Small businesses are job creators and create two out of three new jobs in the state of Minnesota,” McDonald said. “I think it is really critical to recognize their contributions, taking risks, making our communities vibrant and livable and being the job creators in our communities.”
Macy Moore / West Central Tribune
Woody’s Trucking’s success has not come without its hurdles. The company employs 36 people, 30 of whom are drivers, and has had to deal with a shortage of qualified young drivers.
“I have a lot of veterans and a lot of people who have been with us for 10-plus years. They take pride in their work and being here. The youngest one I have is in their 30s. It is hard to get into the industry because you cannot get a commercial driver’s license until you are 21,” Wood said.
As a whole, the industry is facing the threat of an aging workforce without younger drivers to replace the ones who are retiring. Many small businesses, like Woody’s, can’t afford to start a training program for new drivers to get licenses, while larger companies are able to implement those programs.
Macy Moore / West Central Tribune
Wood is responsible for a lot of behind-the-scenes work including safety, human resources and accounting. Wood makes sure to remain organized with her work to avoid getting overwhelmed with all of the responsibilities she holds as not only the president of a company but also the parent of three children.
Within the transportation industry it is uncommon for a business to be owned by a woman, according to Wood. This discrepancy came with challenges.
“Being a young individual in the transportation world, I employ mostly men who are older than me. I have to prove myself to them that they can trust me and that I knew what I was doing,” Wood said. “(As) a young female entrepreneur in this industry, earning that respect and trust with the gentlemen can be a little bit of a challenge. I was intimidated in the beginning thinking there was no way they would listen to me.”
Macy Moore / West Central Tribune
For Wood, she earned the trust and respect of her drivers through a consistent record of accurate directions and work.
“Once I knew I had accurate directions and I could get them from Point A to Point B, they could trust me. If I say I am going to do something, I always follow through. It worked out, but it was a bit of a challenge in the beginning,” Wood said.
Woody’s Trucking has spent over two decades in the industry. Here in Willmar, the company have found success specializing in temperature-controlled trucking. The recognition of this success is something that Wood hopes inspires and motivates other entrepreneurs in the community.
“I am excited and very joyous that they did select us. I think it is great for us as a business to be recognized. But for the Willmar community and Kandiyohi County, just to know that dreams do come true, for anybody if you are looking to start a lawn-mowing business or a coffee shop, everyone has dreams in life. Dreams do come true, you just have to work really hard at it,” Wood said.
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