A Look at Ascent Specialized: What Makes Us Different?

Here’s an inside look into who we are, what we do, and why we do it. Learn about

Ascent Specialized history and our plans for the future.

Posted by: Dave Demuth on November 05, 2020

Who is Ascent

Specialized?

You don’t have to look any further than our website to find out who we are and what we do. Here’s a glimpse:

Ascent Specialized, located in Sauk Rapids, Minnesota, is a premier, full-service 3PL offering specialty transportation solutions to all points in North America.

Our team ensures cargo is handled and delivered with safety, efficiency, compliance, and speed. Through longstanding relationships and access to thousands of fully vetted carriers, we can offer you service on all types of equipment and modes of transportation.

We do not discriminate loads based on size, weight, or value, but we do love a challenge.

Still, there’s more to be said about who we are, what we do, and why we do it. So, I’m taking this opportunity to dive a little deeper into how we came to be and where we’re headed.

Our History

When people meet our team and see how we work, they are oftentimes surprised to learn that Ascent Specialized came to be in April of 2018. They think, there’s no way you guys have only been at this a of couple years. And they’re right.

Our ability to communicate and connect with customers, carriers, and each other isn’t something that happened over night.

Even though Ascent Specialized is just a couple of years old, my team and I have been together for well over a decade. And in an industry like ours, the time we’ve had together counts for everything.

Over the years we’ve been in business, we’ve seen consistent growth, year over year. Taking on new customers, vetting and selecting new carriers, and growing our in-office staff were regular tasks. And while we—along with the rest of the world—took a hit during the early days of COVID-19, we saw the true value of having time-tested structures, processes, and people in place to pull us through that difficult time.

Our Present

Today, I’m beyond proud of the company we’ve grown to be. To show up, day in and day out and work with a great team like the one we have is something that’s almost impossible to put into words. We all face a wide variety of work and never-ending opportunities to meet and help people. Whatever it is, we’re committed to making things work.

Loyalty

At Ascent Specialized, loyalty works in a lot of different ways. We have the loyalty of our customers who’ve been with us over the long haul. I appreciate them so much—words aren’t even enough. They’re the ones who’ve made us the company we are today.

There’s the loyalty of our employees. Specialized logistics is big business, and while other offices may struggle with losing employees to competitors or staying fully staffed, we’re proud to have a veteran staff. In fact, a good majority of our current employees have been here 10+ years.

Communication

When you’ve got people who understand what’s going on and understand the nuances of moving freight, you can accomplish a lot. And we accomplish a whole lot with a small team. We believe in communication, always. With each other, with our customers, and with our carriers. At Ascent Specialized, everybody knows each other and everybody helps each other.

Respect

We’re not real corporate around here, but that in no way means we don’t have respect. I keep an open door policy and am here to listen to input and ideas from employees. A lot of what we’ve put into practice to make us successful has come from employees. Employees who are looking for ways to work smarter and not harder. Heck yes I’m here to listen to and respect where they’re coming from.

Through it all, I’m inspired to live every day by the Golden Rule: Treat others the way you want to be treated.

We’re a family that leads with loyalty, communication, and respect.

Our Future

If I had to choose one word to describe the future of Ascent Specialized, it’s growth. We have our sights set on getting bigger and doing more. Every year, our experience and capabilities grow, and with it, our ability to handle and move more freight.

We’re focused on maintaining all the great relationships we’ve built over the years—this includes customers, carriers, and employees. At the same time, we’re taking on more customers all the time. From major players with heavy load volumes to mom and pop outfits who need a little logistical support once a month or so. We don’t discriminate.

Over the next five years, you can expect to see Ascent Specialized become and an even bigger player in the marketplace. We love being the ones customers call on when they need to get stuff done. We’re here with the information they need, the truck, the carrier, the permits, the paperwork. You need it? We’ve got it. Let’s move it.

Specialized is in a League of its own