Photo Cred: Dosia White Photography
Since it’s inception in January of 2009, Bluegrace has provided transportation management services for companies that ship. From one-time-shippers to multi-million dollar accounts, BlueGrace works to make each customer’s business, better. Over the last 8 years, BlueGrace has opened its doors to vendors and customers alike, but never in this capacity.
Over the last 8 years, BlueGrace has opened its doors to vendors and customers alike, but never in this capacity.
On Friday, June 2, Bluegrace Logistics hosted an Open House and invited local vendors, partners, customers and potential customers to see both the recent building expansion and the rebranding efforts.
While BlueGrace is no stranger to a good time, this event proved to be one for the record books.
Nearly 350 people, including BlueGrace employees, enjoyed food provided by a Tampa favorite — Datz, uniquely crafted coffee by the Coffee Divas, music by Wild Out Entertainment, Tampa Bay Lightning alumni Bryan Bradley, Thunderbug and the Lightning Girls.
Being the preferred shipper of the Tampa Bay Lightning has its perks.
“Our partnership with the Lightning has provided us with some incredible opportunities for our employees, customers and vendors, and having Tampa Bay hockey legend Bryan Bradley draw up a hockey play on our white board, was probably one of the coolest things about the Open House,” said Adam White, Director of Marketing at BlueGrace Logistics.
Welcome to BlueGrace Logistics
Guests were welcomed into the new, state-of-the-art reception lobby that tripled in size since the buildout.
Photo Cred: Dosia White Photography & BlueGrace Employees Social Media Posts
“We didn’t just usher our guests to the party, we wanted to show them our growth with an exclusive tour of the newly expanded, 55,000 sq ft building,” said Whitney McKay, Marketing and Brand Manager at BlueGrace Logistics. “Our conference rooms, collaborative spaces, and breakrooms have unique names and we wanted to explain to our guests, what these rooms meant to us and our culture.” McKay, continued.
The tour started in the “OG” breakroom appropriately named “Comfortably Numb” where guests were offered to partake in a BlueGrace culture staple “Free Beer Friday”.
“Our leadership allows us to endulge after a long, hard week at work. Every Friday at 3 o’clock, our employees participate in ‘Free Beer Friday’ and are allowed to drink some beer at their desk to close out their work week,” said Beth Clark, Content Manager at BlueGrace Logistics. “This culture is something we needed to share with our guests to understand the machine that is BlueGrace.”
Humane Society of Tampa Bay Adoptables
Photo Cred: Dosia White Photography & BlueGrace Employees Social Media Posts
Groups of 10-15 guests were taken through the brief, yet extremely successful history of BlueGrace as they walked through the expansive office space. Halfway down the nearly eighth-of-a-mile long office building, they were greeted by the Humane Society of Tampa Bay and their adoptable animals.
BlueGrace Logistics Loves Animals and the Partnership with HSTB is always top-of-mind so they were a perfect addition to the Open House event.
Our Culture is Unmatched
Collaborative spaces, state-of-the-art training and conference rooms, and free beer isn’t all we offer our employees. The final stop on the tour for our guests — Paradise City.
The final stop on the tour for our guests — Paradise City.
“This breakroom is a space for our employees to take a break during the work day and either relax in an oversized bean bag, play a game of ping-pong or to shoot some corn-hole.” said McKay.
Photo Cred: Dosia White Photography & BlueGrace Employees Social Media Posts
When walking into the breakroom, Paradise City, guests were cheerfully greeted by some of the Tampa Bay Lightning Girls, TB Alumni Bryan Bradley, and their famed mascot, Thunderbug.
“You could feel the energy. The event was supposed to show our guests what it’s like to work at BlueGrace and to Celebrate our Growth; I feel like we nailed it.” said White.
Food, Fun and Entertainment
When planning an event, there are boxes that need to be checked, and food comes to the top of that list. Datz, a Tampa Bay staple, was the perfect business to partner with for this exclusive Open House event.
“If you haven’t eaten at Datz and you live in the Tampa Bay area, you are missing out.” said Clark.
The menu was filled with some of their best dishes, including their famous Mac N Cheese bun burgers. BlueGrace and Datz also worked together to create a signature drink for special guests, the Blueberry Mule.
“The Blueberry Mule was such a hit with everyone. They were so refreshing and the perfect addition to the event menu.” said Tracy Guida, Catering Manager at Datz Tampa.
The other amazing food and beverage vendors included the Coffee Divas Mobile Catering and one of BlueGrace’s very own Sarah Sweeney, Supervisor of Credit & Billing.
“Before BlueGrace, I was a pastry chef at Jackson’s and other local bakeries.” continued Sweeney. “I have sort of become the in-house baker and I love every second of it.”
While the food and drinks were definitely a hit, we can’t forget the musical tracks that kept the party going.
Photo Cred: Dosia White Photography
“DJ Papi of Wild Out Entertainment came to us as a recommendation and he did not disappoint. Our playlist in the office on a normal day, was brought to life and he did a fabulous job.” said Clark.
A Huge Thank You to Our Guests
While we certainly love throwing a party, we couldn’t do any of this without you. BlueGrace Logistics believes that we can make any business better and by providing a unique and fun space for our employees and a culture that encourages them to provide unmatched service, we can do just that.
Thank you to everyone who made it out to our headquarters office in Riverview, Florida. To our vendors, customers, employees, and partners — Thank you for all that you do!
Want to Work at BlueGrace Logistics?
Our shipments aren’t the only things going places! BlueGrace employees strive to excel at every opportunity. So we surround them with the kind of fun, positive, and creatively stimulating experiences that’ll further ignite their ambitions. If you Pursue Outrageous Goals and are Caring of All Others, apply for a career at BlueGrace Logistics.
APPLY HERE – Today!
Open House Event Photos >> Courtesy of Dosia White Photography.
