2026 Business Leaders of the Year: Jared Flinn

Jared Flinn, who came from a blue-collar background, started a business from the ground up.

His company, called Bulk Loads Now LLC, supports “thousands of businesses across the bulk freight and agriculture industries,” he says.

“What began as a simple idea to better connect truckers, shippers and brokers has grown into an ecosystem of companies serving transportation, logistics, finance, insurance and technology needs across the country,” Flinn says.

He also describes a white-knuckle approach to establishing his business in the early days.

“Early on, I didn’t have connections, investors or a road map,” Flinn says. “We bootstrapped the business through hard seasons, industry downturns and constant change.”

Bulk Loads has a good culture, he says, something he’s most proud of beyond business growth.

“Through our conferences, media platforms and daily interactions, we’ve created a network where people in the trucking and agriculture industries feel connected, encouraged and valued,” Flinn says. “Seeing our team create opportunities for others, support small businesses and help strengthen an industry that often goes unnoticed has been the most rewarding part of the journey.”

Influenced by Springfield industrial leader Jack Stack’s open-book management system, Flinn says his mentors include his late father-in-law, Robert Voss. According to Flinn, Voss worked under Sam Walton. Those leadership teachings trickled down.

“Many of the leadership principles Sam taught him were passed down to me,” Flinn says. “One idea that stuck with me was trusting people with responsibility, giving them room to grow and allowing them to make meaningful decisions.

“I genuinely enjoy seeing employees succeed, develop confidence and create opportunities for themselves and others.”

Flinn says he also sets high expectations because that’s what he expects from himself.

“While that environment can be demanding, I’ve found that people are often capable of far more than they initially believe when they are trusted, supported and challenged to grow,” he says.

Flinn also works to build his community, which he says starts inside Bulk Loads.

“When you invest in employees, support them well and help create opportunities for them to grow, that impact naturally extends into their families, churches and communities,” he says.

When he has the chance, Flinn himself has supported and served various Christian organizations and industry groups.

“One thing I’ve learned is that community involvement requires intentional time,” Flinn says. “As a business owner, it’s easy to stay consumed by the day-to-day demands of work, but whenever I’ve made time to invest in people and our local community, I’ve seen the long-term value it creates, even if the results are not immediate.”

Flinn says most of the company’s media and content outreach is targeted toward audiences nationwide, but he believes in the power of being present locally as well.

“Being present, encouraging others, creating jobs and opportunities, mentoring people, and helping strengthen the local community are all responsibilities I take seriously,” he says.