Nemanja Delic
If you were asked, “What do Apple, Amazon, HP, Lenovo, Tesla, Microsoft, Dell Computers, Sherman Williams, USPS, and FedEx have in common?” you might struggle for a response but if you own a business, or have any need for transportation services, it’s an answer you’ll want to know. These industry giants all place their trust in Pink Panthers Group.
Don’t let the name fool you. Pink Panthers’ founder and CEO, Nemanja Delic, is nothing like his humorous Hollywood counterpart and his company is nothing like any others in the industry. Nemanja is clever, inventive, experienced, and insightful—and he’s redefining transportation and the culture that has, for far too long, been stagnant. From how they treat and compensate employees, to their dynamic response to the COVID pandemic, and everything in between, Pink Panthers Group is doing much more than moving freight from one spot to another.
Nestled under the umbrella of Pink Panthers Group are four entities: Pink Panthers Logistics, Pink Panthers, Inc.; Pink Panthers Technologies, LLC; and Pink Panthers Leasing LLC, all of which support Nemanja’s mission to provide the broadest range of practical and essential services. While his motto is “Solving the mystery of your transportation needs,” his success is no “whodunit.”
Nemanja literally built his empire from the ground up in under five years. At its inception in 2017, Pink Panthers Group had just three power units, three trailers, and four employees, all working out of his apartment. Based solely on his reputation in the industry, Nemanja secured credit to rent the necessary equipment and started to build his client base. By the end of the year, he had 150 customers, 16 power units, and 18 employees. Now, through sheer will and hard work, Nemanja has cultivated more than 1,600 clients nationwide, grown his labor force to upwards of 150 and his office staff to over 50, built a fleet of 150 trucks and trailers, and opened offices in Illinois, California, Texas, and Serbia. He has also acquired a coveted position on the FedEx Custom Critical Carrier Advisory Board, which governed the shipment of pharmaceuticals and personal protective equipment and provided relief supplies during COVID.
You might say that transportation is in Nemanja’s DNA. He has one brother who’s been in the business for 20 years, another who is his director of finance, and an uncle who was a driver for 40 years. Even the name is a family legacy. Pink Panther was Nemanja’s grandfather’s favorite movie. Now, Nemanja is making all the right moves to ensure that legacy continues. Whether he is growing the business by networking across the globe, managing Pink Panthers finances, or working to provide employees with the best conditions and benefits in the industry, he remains focused on moving transportation forward.
We spoke with Nemanja about Pink Panthers Group, what they’ve done, and where they’re going.
Nemanja, first let’s talk about your four companies, and how they work together to provide the exceptional service for which you are known?
In March of 2017, I partnered with the logistics company, Millennial Logistics Force. Two months later, I bought my partner out and founded Pink Panthers, Inc., bringing the logistics company into to the new entity. From there, we started Pink Panthers Group in Jan 2021 as the main holding company. In May of 2021, we started Pink Panthers Technologies LLC because we have a great group of talented people with experience in various tech platforms. We asked every person in our organization to contribute their input on how software should be developed, and we’ve made a lot of progress in a short amount of time. This technology arm will help us increase transparency and give clients an even better experience than they have now. We believe that if you’re not investing in technology in this day and age, you’re falling behind your competitors. Lastly, we are currently in the early development stages for Pink Panthers Leasing, which was established in August 2021. We started PPLeasing to help small fleet owners within our organization get access to newer equipment for great pricing. Big companies often take advantage of smaller companies but that’s not what we do. We support single owner-operators by allowing them to operate within our organization and as they become profitable, we realize mutual benefit.
What are some of the most common transportation problems and how are you solving them for your clients?
The most common problem we’re seeing across the industry is a shortage of equipment and a huge influx of freight volume, especially since COVID. We’re coming up with strategic solutions to keep our clients on track. Our North American network is vast, so we’ve been able to avoid most of the critical effects of the pandemic. For example, there is a severe shortage of drivers but we’re enticing more and more drivers to join us. Because we pay above market and treat them well, they bring other drivers onboard. Compared to the industry standard, our turnover is minimal. No doubt that the residual effects of COVID will continue to present challenges, but we are positioned to navigate the crisis with almost no negative impact to our clients.
What makes your company different from other transportation companies?
Mostly what separates us is our customers service. Our clients always come back to work with us again. Our communication is top tier compared to others, and we conduct business with full transparency. We never put money ahead of a relationship. We’re one of the only transportation companies that has five-star reviews across the board because we’re ethical and treat our clients with the utmost respect. Our staff is another differentiator. We show our appreciation for their service and make sure they’re never overworked. During the height of COVID, we rented a second facility so that everyone could maintain social distancing. Our industry is such that we must have people on site but even while sustaining the necessary health precautions, we had no layoffs, no pay cuts, and no reduction to benefits. I made it a point to ensure that the entire staff knew their jobs were secure and that they would not suffer lost wages. To this day, our staff appreciates our resolve and it has heightened morale. We know that our success is predicated on our staff, so we never take that for granted.
Lastly, Nemanja, what has been most fulfilling over the past five years?
Starting these companies with barely any funding and turning them into multi-million-dollar organizations that have top-tier reputations and employ hundreds of great people. I have enjoyed every minute of every day because I have the good fortune of continually learning and adapting, interacting with individuals from all over, and contributing to the transformation of the industry.
Nemanja Delic
CEO and Founder
Pink Panthers Group
1421 Champion Drive, Suite 304, Carrollton, Texas 75006
Personal pages:
https://www.facebook.com/nemanja.delic0315/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/nemanja-delic-a390a957/
Pink Panthers:
https://www.facebook.com/pinkpinc
https://www.linkedin.com/company/pinkpanthersgroup/mycompany/?viewAsMember=true
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