Dave Hopkins, Daniel and Gareth Lewis
We had the pleasure of talking to Right Freight’s Daniel Cozma Jnr this quarter. The interview is a little different and more personal because Daniel is just starting out on his career in transport. We talked about how much he is relishing the opportunity to grow into his role, while working alongside his parents for whom he has so much respect.
Right Freight is a family-owned freight company established in 2008, specialising in refrigerated transport for the grocery sector, as well as general haulage for giants like Amazon. The business was started 17 years ago by Daniel’s father Daniel Snr and his mother Val after they emigrated to the UK from Romania. Today they operate from three locations and make over 350 deliveries a week.
The story of how Right Freight came to be is worth a piece in its own right - we cannot do it justice here - but nevertheless it would be wrong not to acknowledge the scale of the undertaking that Daniel Snr and Val took on when they moved with their young family across Europe, in search of a better life and to pursue work opportunities.
Daniel was just four at the time, so we had to ask whether he thinks of himself as English, Welsh or Romanian? He laughs, “When I’m here in Wales, I’m Romanian when I’m there I’m English or Welsh - people come to their own conclusions!” And it seems the family still maintains a strong connection with their roots, “We’ve never really broken away from Romania, we go back regularly and have lots of contact with the family and the culture over there, it’s nice.””
It is always interesting to learn how family members come to be a part of a family business. For many there is never any question that they will someday take up a position, usually with encouragement from their parents, but that was not the case for Daniel. “I did not really know what I wanted to do for quite a time. During my final year at university (reading Business Management at Exeter) I had the opportunity to spend a year in Canada, working a placement with a pharmaceutical company. At that time I thought I might get into management consulting but when I finished my degree and thought about my options I realised I wanted to stay in the family business.”
Far from being pressured to join, Daniel’s father almost warned him off, “He was clear with me that joining Right Freight was not the easy option - transport is not something you can just jump into overnight and, of course, with it being a family business there is no clear cut line between family life and work life, you can’t put it down at the end of the day, it is often a topic of conversation around the breakfast and dinner table.
In fact Daniel had been involved in the business from a young age “I used to help with small things like washing trucks at the weekend, there was always something to do and honestly, I love trucks! Now I am working full time I really enjoy the dynamic of the industry. The nature of my role is such that I come into contact with a lot of people, it is very diverse and without any distinct boundaries. I suppose that often comes as part of working for a family business but I absolutely love it.”
With his degree finished, Daniel is hungry to continue his professional development, “I have completed a transport manager qualification and did my CPC in the final months of my time at university. Next on the bucket list I want to get some mechanical qualifications. I have taken on a broad ranging role; one day I might be hands on changing a wheel, the next I might be driving, or in the office, although I’m not the type to stay in the office for long - I do anything and everything.”
Daniel is aware that he has so much still to learn and that a good deal of that will come from those he is working with and in particular his parents, “At the moment I’m totally immersed in the business and embracing all the opportunities it offers for me to grow. I have a great relationship with my parents of course and that really plays into my ability to enjoy what I do. In fact I’m surrounded by people who’ve been in the industry for most of their lives and there’s so much I can learn from so many people who have vast experience - some of our drivers have been in the industry their entire lives and I really value the advice from them.”
Right Freight has a growing fleet of predominantly MAN vehicles and in common with many WGD customers, it is the combination of the vehicle and the after sales back-up that has kept them loyal to the brand. “It’s a good vehicle certainly but the big plus with MAN for us is the aftersales support we get from WG Davies. We have built up a really personal relationship with them, you can feel that they are a family business. Sometimes with larger companies it can be difficult to build a connection after they reach a certain size, that doesn’t apply to WG Davies, they’re small enough to care but large enough to do the job that we need them to do.”
Daniel believes Right Freight has that same connection with their customers and that helps them stand apart from the competition, “We're big enough to be able to cater for most customers’ needs 2 Servicing South Wales Dave Hopkins, Daniel and Gareth Lewis Servicing South Wales 3 but not so big that you lose connection with the ownership. Both my Dad and I are very much involved with day-to-day operations, we’re really hands-on, so you never need to navigate through multiple layers of management to get a decision. That makes us a little bit more nimble and adaptable. We are also more open to feedback and crucially, we are quicker to act on that feedback because we pass on information directly, it’s a much more personal approach than some of the larger companies.”
And what does the future hold? Daniel does not hesitate to share “I’m really aware that I’m very fortunate to be in this position and I'm very grateful for that, I definitely don't take it for granted. My intention now is to help the business grow. Dad and I are both really driven to achieve something together, exactly how we do that has not been set in stone but we have agreed on the general direction.”
Daniel’s passion for the business, allied with his energy and humility is surely a winning combination and we look forward to continuing our partnership with Right Freight as he works with his parents to realise their joint ambition.
Thank you Daniel for stepping into the spotlight!