Making the Last-mile Delivery Exemplary

Don Staniszewski, President of Summit Delivery Services, is a seasoned transportation industry leader with an impressive track record. His leadership journey exemplifies dedication, continuous learning, and a people-centric approach. Being an interactive leader, Don believes in creative autonomy for the team. Don is an empathetic leader who “puts himself out there,” interacts well with colleagues, and is an avid listener. Don considers himself a “cheerleader of sorts” for his company and their brand, with enthusiasm, charisma, and cheerful optimism that is contagious.

Don emphasizes the importance of maintaining an even keel and sticking to well thought-out plans and objectives. In the fast-paced world of last-mile delivery logistics, it’s tempting to just deal with issues as they arise. However, setting clear goals and prioritizing plans is crucial. As he puts it, "You must ‘see the forest for the trees!’" Don’s early career began in the “trucking” business at Leaseway Transportation, where he gained experience across various supply chain management functions. Good mentors taught him the value of doing things right without shortcuts and emphasized the critical role of people. He worked his way through the ranks and left several years later to become President of American Delivery Service. Later, he joined Menlo Logistics, where he gained valuable experience working with complex logistics systems. In the early 2000s, he became a significant owner of Pillar Logistics, a nationwide provider of last-mile delivery services to major retailers. He would later become President of the company. During this time he also founded and became President of the National Home Delivery Association, which brings together leading last-mile delivery providers in the United States.

An Ironman Triathlete finisher, Don’s role models are endurance athletes who embody the positive attributes of deliberative work and determination to follow through to reach their goals and achievements. People often say he bears a familiar resemblance to Robert Downey, Jr., Al Pacino, or Sylvester Stallone. However, his role model is more like Jimmy Stewart from the movies “It’s a Wonderful Life” and “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington.”

“I have been a hard worker and intense “learner” throughout my career, constantly learning new things by reading publications, webinars, and industry news. “This started in my 20s, but I really feel I started to find my groove in my mid-30’s to 40’s as I matured,” explains Don. “I love the last mile industry I am involved with because it is very management-intensive and labor-intensive, requiring a lot of interaction and not just desk duty.” He makes an impact through interaction with people throughout the entire workforce, from the C-suite to the ground floor staff and delivery associates. “My advice to others would be to “put yourself out there,” and don’t be paralyzed by “fear of failure,” – everyone must experience some failure to be successful. People too often give up without trying to attempt something,” adds Don.

He states that it is essential to learn how to function personally and professionally by conquering the “fear of failure,” acknowledging and working through it. He is currently writing a book to be released on Amazon in August titled “Leap Beyond Your Limits: Conquering Fear to Triumph in Life and Leadership.” This book describes Don’s personal journey to rise above fear and not be held back by it.

Don and his team recently rebranded Pillar Logistics as “Summit Delivery Services,” which is committed to reaching the pinnacle of excellence in final-mile delivery. Their mission is to overcome challenges and deliver unparalleled service in the bulky goods final mile space. They strive to elevate the delivery experience and provide clients and their customers with reliable, timely, and innovative solutions that set new standards in the transportation industry.

“We are a last mile delivery company that is positioned to be in the high quality, high service level market of big and bulky delivery. There is a daily, weekly, and monthly collaborative effort by all of us to consistently review and evaluate our positions,” says Don. “We are one of the largest providers of final mile delivery services to numerous retail clients in the United States. These clients use us as a “sounding board” to discuss their services, and to experiment with new and unique approaches to the business. We are very proud that our customer service scores and statistics are some of the best in the nation, and that is what our customers expect.”

An important part of Don’s legacy mentioned earlier is the National Home Delivery Association. Don is the founder, Past-President, and now current Chairman of the National Home Delivery Association. The Association began out of a meeting in 2013 that Don organized with 11 “friendly competitors in the industry and numerous subject matter professionals. They gathered to discuss their common industry issues and problems, and to collaborate on solutions to improve their companies. This major non-profit trade association is currently the “go-to” industry thought leader in the last-mile delivery industry and comprises the major last-mile delivery companies and subject matter experts in the United States.

For the near future, Don and his management team are collaborating on further rolling out and developing their “Strategic Plan” to improve their services and marketing of the newly formed Summit Delivery Services. They are striving to remain at the “Summit” of successful delivery companies!