Internal growth is something that Sweetie Boy Transportation takes pride in. Our AutoPilots start as single car drive service professionals, and can be promoted to working in our office as hub managers, recruiters, or dispatch. One employee has set this standard for internal growth. Known as “Shark”, Lisa Lenharr is a well known face around the Richmond hub. Often accompanied by her furry friend, Hannah, Lisa works as the Director of Planning for the AutoPilot division. When she first started, Lisa started as a dispatcher, and has since helped build the AutoPilot division to what it is today. For the past five years, Lisa has been an important part of the Sweetie Boy team.
Lisa’s job requires a lot of teamwork. She is able to get drivers home at a time that they need to be, and relies on drivers to be able to make sure cars are delivered on time. She works behind the scenes to ensure that drivers aren’t waiting at locations for too long, and that vehicles are able to make it to their destination in a timely manner. AutoPilot Corey Madison tunes in about her dedication, “…without her efforts the autopilot program would not be where it is. The super late nights and crazy early mornings making sure everyone had a vehicle to their final destination. She creates personal relationships with drivers and management at dealerships to make things run as smoothly as possible”. Lisa mentions that effort is something that she has learned throughout her time at the company, “You get what you give. If you put in 110%, the return is equal or greater than that. I don’t expect anyone except me to understand this, but it goes for anything you do. Whether it be your work, a professional relationship with a fellow employee, a customer, a stranger, a friend…it all comes back to you”. Lorene Hunter, an AutoPilot who has been on our team for three years says that effort shows, “She has always been the number one supporter for the drivers and has always been there to fight for anything that we have received. She took me under her wing and taught me how to dispatch and taught me how the business works. I have the utmost respect for Lisa and I will do anything that she needs me to. I literally trust Lisa with my career, and never think twice about her decisions of where or why I am going to certain places. I work for her and I am proud to call her my friend”.
Lisa’s accomplishments don’t stop on paper. AutoPilots across the company are thankful for Lisa’s hard work and dedication to being mindful of drivers needs. Lorene reminisces of when she first joined the team, “ A lot of people don’t realize this. But Lisa was the one and only driving force behind drive service. She developed it and has made it what it is today. When she hired me she was the only one running it”. Lisa joined the team before it became what it is today. Her position has also grown significantly since the implementation of the four hubs that have been created during her time here. Jeannie Myers, an AutoPilot for the past two years says, “It didn’t take me long to realize that she not only planned to execute deliveries on time but also made decisions that would also suit the AP’s bottom line as well”. Sweetie Boy’s determination for a work environment dedicated to catering to employee’s needs is something that Lisa stands by. When asked about her plans for the future, Lisa mentioned her passion for helping others, “I want to be a source of knowledge and power for anyone who comes in the doors here at SB. Any one person can come to me with a question, and I’ll be damned if it goes unanswered. Even if I don’t have the answer, it just means we will figure it out together. Offering knowledge to others helps them on their journey to succeed, and you’re just an a**hole if you don’t help someone”. Jeannie also felt her passion when she experienced a family emergency, “I could go on and on but the most impact she made on me was when my mother fell ill the very next month. Lisa was there for me and that meant a lot. Sometimes just a few kind words is all that is needed to help push through an extremely tough situation. Especially when you can feel that the words are coming from a person’s heart”.
Overall, thanks to Lisa’s hard work and dedication to her team, Sweetie Boy has been able to develop the AutoPilot drive service program to what it is today. While speaking about her time at Sweetie Boy, Lisa mentioned what she has loved about working with the team, “The people. The atmosphere. The family you become a part of. The knowledge you gain. Watching yourself and others grow. The opportunities that are ahead of us. The unique challenges we face each day. No two days are ever the same. The leadership support. My team. Shout out to Hayden for being a true asset to me and helping me sail this ship. I couldn’t do this without you. Getting shit done. Additional side perk – Hannah comes with me everyday.” From the opening of four new hub locations to the new Richmond headquarters location, Lisa has been through it all. Co-owner Katie McCormick reminisces on how impactful Lisa has been to the team by saying, “When she started there were only a handful of drivers and now there are 150 autopilots. She was a part in building many of the processes that we still use today… She is her very own success story because you never doubt whether success will happen; you just know it will”. In her final comments, Lisa stated, “ I knew when I walked in the door and saw “Get Shit Done” on the wall that this was going to be a unique place to be. I wouldn’t be here without the leadership and support from Tyler and Katie. They saw something in me I didn’t even know existed. I was pushed beyond my comfort zone, made mistakes, learned, cried, yelled, celebrated, gave myself pep talks, received pep talks, and just never gave up when every ounce of me said to raise the white flag. The thing is, you don’t give up on something you love. And it doesn’t give up on you. I love what I do, I love the people. I will forever be the OG SBT Shark”. 🦈
