“Logistics is all about getting the right thing to the right place at the right time,” Hendricks says. “This calls for managing all kinds of variables. It’s a behind-the-scenes science. When everything is working the way it should, no one is going to notice.”

“When I tell somebody we’re going to do something, I take it very personally,” Hendricks says. “I strive to make people happy. As a business owner, there is real satisfaction in that.”

DTC is a family business, and logistics is a Hendricks family tradition. “Diesel fuel runs in my veins,” Hendricks quips. “My grandfather started driving a truck for his uncle’s trucking company in the 1930s,” he says. “Then, my grandfather bought Lovelace Truck Service and built it into a fairly large company of more than 700 employees and 15 terminals spread out across the Midwest.”

Hendricks’ grandfather sold Lovelace in the mid-1970s, just before the trucking industry was deregulated. In 1977, Hendricks’ father, Dale, bought DTC, which also has a rich history. The company began in 1868 dealing cured meats and grains. Founder C.W. Bauermeister expanded first into a wholesale grocery and then, in 1923, into a warehousing and goods and merchandise carrier dubbed Bauermeister Terminal Company. It became DTC in 1935.

“Just like anything else, practice makes perfect,” Hendricks says. “And we’ve been practicing this trade for a very long time.”

The combination of blood ties and a company history that dates back almost a century and a half creates added significance for Hendricks. “Both the family connection and long history really make me want to ensure this business grows into the future,” he says. “It also makes me feel responsible for giving back to this community, where our roots run so deep.”

Hendricks’ commitment to his community is obvious and inspiring––reminiscent of George Bailey, minus the heart-wrenching downturn and angel-led detour. Hendricks was born and raised in Terre Haute. He played basketball at the Boys and Girls Club for which he now serves on the board. He’s coached his two sons in leagues at the club, and sees the organization as a vital lifeline for the area’s youth, many of whom are ensnared by poverty.

Hendricks is also the Finance Chair for the Wabash Valley Community Foundation and sits on the Executive Committee of the Terre Haute Economic Development Corporation. He views his service as a way not just to grow his own business by attracting manufacturers and other companies to the city, but as a means to create more opportunities and jobs for the entire community.

One would be hard-pressed to find a better geographic location than Terre Haute for a logistics hub. The entire Midwest and much of the South is less than a day’s drive. Hendricks is adept at maximizing the region’s natural advantages, and serves on the statewide logistics council for Conexus Indiana, a think tank formed to explore new market opportunities and build a network of resources and expertise that bolsters Indiana’s already strong leadership position in advanced manufacturing and logistics. “We ask questions and advise,” he says of the group. “What are Indiana’s transportation needs going to be for the next 20 years? What are the deficiencies? Do we need to make the business climate more friendly?”

Trained as a mechanical engineer, Hendricks graduated from the respected Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, where he also played college basketball. When asked what position he played, he responds without missing a beat, “The bench mostly,” before laughing and adding, “Oh, forward or center. I’m about 6’6”, which used to make me one of the taller guys––that’s not tall for basketball players these days, though.” Hendricks jokes that he never dusts off his engineering textbooks to help solve supply-chain quandaries, before adding seriously that the problem-solving skills he honed in school do come in handy. “I value my years of experience, but I hate complacency. I’m always looking for better solutions,” he says. “The challenges are the best part of the job.”

Hendricks also speaks often of purpose that transcends making a buck. The former college athlete is naturally competitive, but also determined to build something more meaningful. “My greatest accomplishment is my two sons,” he says. “Professionally, I’m passionate about surrounding myself with people who are smarter than I am so that we can build one another up. I worked at the operational level for a long time and know it well. Now, I am focused on strategy and leaving a legacy for the next generation.”

Hendricks’ love of a challenge, clear priorities, and finely honed expertise promise a big future not only for DTC and Terre Haute, but also for even larger-scale new ventures and opportunities that undoubtedly lay in store.

“I want to grow,” Hendricks says. “The realm of logistics is so exciting right now. As the world gets smaller, the supply-chain gets bigger and more complicated. That’s where I come in.”

Hankins’ unique ability to offer wise financial counsel and partner with clients to solve supply-chain problems stems from his background. A native of Terre Haute, Hankins attended Indiana State University and majored in Accounting. He graduated debt-free––early evidence of a future budget expert in the making. What happened next is a lesson in destiny. His plans to sit for the CPA exam were derailed the day of the actual test. “I got into a car accident on the way to the test,” he remembers. “If you’re more than an hour late, you can’t sit for the exam. But in order to retake the training course I’d just completed, you had to sit for the exam. It was a catch-22.” Staring down at least four more months of intense studying and additional hoops to jump through after he’d already put so much on hold to earn that CPA certification, Hankins balked. Instead, he accepted a position with Applied Extrusion Technologies, Inc. (AET), where he had worked in a warehouse one summer during college.

The decision would ultimately put Hankins on the path to building his distinct cross-section of skills that is so beneficial today.

“AET wanted to start exporting,” Hankins says before adding with a smile, “I convinced them I could do it. And we did.” Such mellow understatement is typical of Hankins, who prefers rolling up his sleeves and getting the hard work done to talking about it. Hankins joined AET as Transportation Planner and helped launch the brand new exporting division, learning as he went and gaining invaluable experience along the way. He had a knack for the intricacies of shipping, and was soon responsible for all import and export activities in the Terre Haute location, as well as other duties including negotiating freight rates, auditing freight bills, and regional warehouse inventories.

After about a decade with AET, Hankins longed to deepen his skillset. “I liked where I worked––really liked AET and the people,” he says. “I just felt like I needed to do something different.” When Pfizer announced it was launching production of a new inhalable insulin medication in Terre Haute and needed an import-export compliance manager, Hankins was the perfect candidate.

“There are not a lot of people who know much about imports and exports––especially in the landlocked United States,” Hankins admits. “It’s a unique field. So I took the job with Pfizer, where I worked with truly great people.” While Hankins’ original mission for the company to establish a Free Trade Zone was shelved because Pfizer ended up nixing plans to manufacture the new insulin, Hankins stayed with the company as a Financial Analyst. He gained major-league knowledge of U.S. Customs protocol, shipping via ocean, air, and truck, operating budgets, and more.

When Pfizer closed the Terre Haute outpost, Hankins was one of only about 10 employees left out of the original 800. He speaks highly of the experience and remains grateful for all he learned. “They had great training and a lot of professional development for everyone there,” he says. “I had everything from general managerial training to in-depth sessions on specific export and import functions. As far as my own professional development, the four years at Pfizer were crucial.”

When asked to describe his leadership style, Hankins pauses to consider the question before answering simply, “I listen. When it comes to our guys, I always listen––let them spill their hearts out to me. I haven’t driven a semi before, but I’ve worked in a warehouse. As I consider the company’s overarching mission, I just try to put myself in the other person’s shoes at the same time.”