jasonro.land

Jason Roland / Transportation Operations, Analytics, and Technology

Transportation
leadership.
Technical depth.

I partner with teams across the enterprise to lead transportation improvements, build automation and analytical tools, and mentor developing supply chain analysts. My experience combines hands-on management at FedEx with progression through Grainger’s transportation organization.

Explore my work View resume
30 yearsHands-on technical experience
1,000+ hoursAI learning & application
Automation & analyticsTools that reduce manual touches and errors while improving productivity.

1 / Experience

Grounded in operations.
Built through experience.

I led teams and managed operations at FedEx before building deeper transportation, analytics, and automation experience at Grainger. Today, I draw on that background to improve service performance, strengthen carrier relationships, and lead operational changes.

My responsibilities within the Senior Transportation Operations Analyst role have continued to grow. After supporting DFDC, a regional facility, and DENMDC, a market DC, in 2021–2022, I took on support for ILDC, a super-regional facility, and ILBW, the network’s largest bulk warehouse.

  1. Grainger2021–Present

    Senior Transportation Operations Analyst

    Lead cross-functional projects, develop automation and analytics, support carrier relationships, establish standard work, and mentor rotational analysts.

  2. Grainger2019–2021

    Transportation Specialist

    Supported day-to-day transportation, procure-to-pay activities, carrier interaction, and issue resolution.

  3. Grainger2017–2019

    Transportation Associate

    Built experience within Grainger’s transportation organization.

  4. Grainger2017

    Contractor

  5. FedEx2012–2015

    Center Manager

    Led the team and managed operations, including scheduling, compliance, KPI tracking and adherence, and P&L reporting.

  6. FedEx2010–2012

    Assistant Manager

Project management

Turn operational problems into repeatable improvements, from Master Operating Plan standardization to later order cutoffs.

Cross-functional collaboration

Partner with Customer Experience, distribution-center operations, branch leadership, sales, and carriers to establish shared expectations. Also serve on the Emergency Response Team (ERT) and Order Performance Metrics (OPM) Core Group.

Analyst mentoring

Mentor Supply Chain Rotational Development Program (SCRDP) analysts during their transportation rotations, sharing operational context and supporting their development as supply chain professionals.

Automation development

Build tools and workflows with Excel, VBA, Power Automate, Power Apps, n8n, and PowerShell to simplify repetitive work and support processes like escalation intake and triage.

2 / Selected work

Practical changes.
Lasting usefulness.

Transportation improvements need more than a good idea. They need a clear problem, the right people, a workable solution, and a process that stays useful after the project ends.

Network Operating Plan

From static PDFs to a searchable master plan.

Recreated individually maintained PDF plans as a connected Excel system, with owner-maintained tables feeding a searchable master plan through Power Query.

View project details
Project Maple: operations & automation

Operational change. Structured escalation handling.

Rebuilt DFDC’s parcel operating plan for Project Maple, Grainger’s company-wide transition from UPS to FedEx as its primary parcel carrier. Connected Microsoft Forms intake, SharePoint tracking, and automated approval routing to support customer escalations as the transition expanded across DCs.

View project details
Cross-functional standard work

A clearer path for white-glove deliveries.

Developed white-glove delivery standard work, including a detailed Help Phone intake script and a process for provider quotes, customer approval, and adding charges to orders.

View project details
Later order cutoffs

More time to order. The same service commitment.

Led cross-functional transportation work that extended ordering windows in selected markets while preserving next-day service commitments.

View project details

Additional project experience includes carrier transitions, project44, LogistiVIEW, trailer visibility, and facility commissioning. These initiatives add perspective on how operating changes, information, and service requirements connect.

Continue the conversation

Interview Companion

Explore practical examples and the experience behind my work in a focused, shareable reference.

Explore the companion Share with the panel

3 / Leadership

Developing people.
Creating shared understanding.

Operational knowledge becomes more valuable when it is shared. My leadership experience combines managing people, developing analysts, and helping teams work from a common understanding.

Sharing what I know

Help people find
an answer.

I make time for people who want to learn or take on more. Whether I can answer a question or connect them with someone who can, I’m happy to help, regardless of their role or department.

I mentor participants in the Supply Chain Rotational Development Program (SCRDP) during their transportation rotations, sharing practical context and lessons from my own experience. I stay in touch as they move into other roles, and those connections often introduce me to colleagues in other functions.

Over time, those relationships have grown into a network of senior professionals and leaders across OTC, Network Strategy, Customer Experience, the branch network, Indirect Procurement, Inventory, Supplier Management, OET, and OST.

The exchange goes both ways. When I’m working through something unfamiliar, I turn to this network for perspective and expertise. We know different parts of the business, and we can learn from one another.

Leadership grounded in operations

I’ve led both exempt and non-exempt team members and managed day-to-day operations. I draw on that experience to establish clear, shared expectations, coordinate across functions, and lead practical changes at Grainger.

Translate information into action

As a member of the Order Performance Metrics (OPM) Core Group, I meet monthly with a small cross-functional group to share supply chain metrics and insights. Our contributions inform an executive summary shared with the GLT.

I also develop scorecards and business reviews that help internal teams and carrier partners turn performance information into practical next steps.

Bring people together to solve problems

I bring together teams across Grainger, including distribution-center operations, Customer Experience, branch leadership, and sales. We work through challenges and develop solutions that account for each team’s needs.

I also build relationships with carrier partners at every level, from the people supporting day-to-day operations to terminal managers and chief operating officers. Those connections help us work through service issues, align expectations, and follow through on improvements together.

4 / Technical depth

The right tool starts
with the real problem.

Thirty years of hands-on technical experience span troubleshooting, computer repair, websites, networking, servers, automation, and AI. That sustained learning informs how I approach requirements, dependencies, maintainability, and usable information.

Build useful workflows

Automation and tool development that reduces repetitive handling and makes processes easier to maintain.

  • VBA
  • Advanced Excel
  • Power Query
  • PowerShell
  • Power Automate
  • Power Apps
  • n8n

Make performance understandable

Querying, analysis, dashboards, and scorecards that turn operational information into practical recommendations.

  • SQL
  • Snowflake
  • Teradata
  • Power BI
  • Grafana

Work across platforms

Experience with the business systems that connect transportation, facilities, and information.

  • SharePoint
  • SAP
  • EWM
  • TMS & YMS
  • project44
  • LogistiVIEW

JNET / Personal infrastructure lab

Build it. Operate it.
Understand it.

JNET is my personally built and maintained lab for learning across network segmentation, firewalling and DNS, virtualization, containers, storage, self-hosted services, and local AI.

Working across these layers develops practical understanding of dependencies, resource tradeoffs, testing changes, and troubleshooting. Monitoring and documentation help keep those systems understandable.

Tools include OPNsense, Proxmox, Unraid, Docker, Linux CLI tools, Windows, Ollama, and Hermes.

Capability overview / Personal lab
  • Network & accessSegmentation · Firewalling · DNS
  • Compute & containersVirtualization · Linux · Windows
  • Storage & servicesStorage · Self-hosted applications
  • AI & automationLocal models · Workflow experiments

Monitoring & documentation across each layer

1,000+

Hours of hands-on AI learning and application.

My work includes AI-assisted troubleshooting and development, documentation, AI API integrations, local model operation, agent workflows, and automation experiments. My principles are practical: define the problem, evaluate whether AI helps, test outputs, protect sensitive information, and retain human judgment.

5 / Beyond the role

Technology in service
of people.

Community leadership

Fairwinds HOA

Vice President & Technology Officer

Community leadership and technology stewardship bring another perspective to making information understandable and helping people navigate practical technology needs.

Independent practice

JNETX Technology Group, LLC

Technology for homes & small businesses

My independent practice covers networking, systems setup, websites and digital presence, workflow improvement, and AI and automation services. The approach starts with the actual problem, a right-sized solution, clear explanations, and documentation.

Certifications earned

  • CompTIA A+
  • Cisco CCNA
  • Six Sigma Green Belt
  • Lean Six Sigma Yellow Belt

Professional development: APICS CSCP curriculum completed.

Looking ahead

Building on experience.
Continuing to grow.

I’m focused on learning, sharing what I know, and finding ways to improve how we work.

Interview companion View resume