“Yes, in all my research, the greatest leaders looked inward and were able to tell a good story with authenticity and passion. “
— Deepak Chopra
In July of 2010 Michael Eshelby took a long hard look at his life. While sitting in a rest stop outside of Portland, Oregon, Eshelby came to the realization his only asset of any real value was his small hatchback car. And his passion for driving. He put the two together and decided to give it a go.
A friend guided him through the administrative steps of opening a business and helped him print-up business cards. Armed with a handful of the business cards and a heart full of passion Michael set off on a door-to-door business development campaign. A strategy he doggedly pursued for well over a year. Then, at the end of another long day of doing ad-hoc deliveries and hearing thanks but no thanks on the sales side of the business, Eshelby tentatively entered a non-descript office building expecting more of the same.
But he was wrong. This would be the day he had been waiting for. The day his first big break in building his courier service would come. There he encountered what would be his first and longest-tenured client (the relationship endures until this day). A pharmacy-related executive who was frustrated with the performance, or lack thereof, of his current courier service.
The requirements were stringent. Product had to be delivered every day—including weekends—via a route of some 600 miles roundtrip. And there could be no room for delays or missed deliveries. The cargo was mission-critical and would have a tremendous impact on the lives of those the client served. Michael assured his new-found client if it would fit in his car he would get it there on time, without damage, and with the white glove service MMS Courier has come to be known for. And he kept that promise.
Today MMS Courier primarily serves clients throughout the Pacific Northwest—Oregon, Washington, and Idaho—although there are some outlier services provided that end up in faraway destinations. Yet despite the incredible growth and success of the organization, you are still more likely to find Michael behind the wheel of a car rather than an office desk. “I think better behind the wheel,” he says. “Until I got into this business, I didn’t realize just how much I love to drive. So I just keep doing that. We also look for that same passion and authenticity in our independent contract drivers. That shared value is what makes our partnership a win-win proposition for both parties.”
What started as a drive in search of purpose culminates with a drive for delivering the most reliable, time-sensitive courier services. Which is why organizations in the healthcare, pharmaceuticals, logistics, professional services, education, printing, and many other fields count on MMS Courier to get their parcels and packages where they are going on time, intact, and with the highest degree of safety, efficiency, and value.