S02 E05: Jessica Warnke, President and CEO of Carter Logistics

Meet Jessica Warnke

You don’t have to choose between legacy and innovation. Jessica Warnke is proof — she’s doing both—and doing it exceptionally well. Jessica grew up in the logistics world—her grandfather started a truck dealership with poker winnings, her father scaled Carter Express from 13 trucks to a national logistics force. Today, Jessica is the President & CEO of Carter Logistics, leading a 900-truck operation with global ties and deep family roots. But taking the reins wasn’t guaranteed—and it wasn’t easy. Jessica had to carve her own path, earn trust, and step into leadership at the intersection of tradition, innovation, and transformation.

In this episode of Real Leadership, Jessica shares her real-world lessons on building culture, driving innovation in a male-dominated industry, and what it really means to lead when the stakes are personal and global.

In this episode, we cover:

• Why chasing “balance” is a myth—and what to do instead
• The hardest part of being a second (and third) generation leader
• How Carter is staying agile amid tariffs, AI, and industry shakeup
• Why women were built for logistics—and how she’s opening doors
• How to protect your culture during growth, acquisition, and change

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