by Megan Venable
Meet Ali Fraley. She’s a wife and mother, Vice President of Learning and Development at Axle Logistics and she’s dedicated to promoting and highlighting the nonprofits in the Knoxville community.
Fraley made her way to Knoxville via her now-husband from Richmond, Virginia. The two share three children, and her family is her motivation to improve herself, her career and the immediate world around her. She came to Axle Logistics as the result of a cold call to the company in 2016 when the were a small, family-centric agency. Still based on collective success, Fraley has helped Axle grow into an employer of 600 individuals.
With her background in interdisciplinary studies, Fraley says she simply fell into logistics and never looked back. She, along with other leaders at Axle saw an industry and thought they could improve upon the status quo. “We wanted to be at the nucleus of business decisions,” she says of Axle management, “and we want to retain and attract fantastic talent. Company culture is at the core of every decision made.” The business is still family run with an additional location in Chattanooga and an interest in one day branching out to other locations. Axel is poised to become a billion-dollar company in the very near future.
“Axle Logistics is very intentional about community philanthropy,” Fraley says about her company, located in Happy Holler. “We are fortunate to have a front seat in that area based on our location. There are incredible nonprofits nearby simply by proximity.” Part of her role at Axle is to bring unique opportunities to the staff – for instance, the American Heart Association recently held a CPR class, and Survivor Fitness gave a yoga class to educate and involve the team. Fraley is dedicated to bringing the best of the region to their headquarters on Central Street and provide a space to have instruction resonate with team members.
Leadership approach to management affords team members to enjoy a ton of autonomy in their day-to-day work environment. “This is an industry that doesn’t sleep. There is always something new to learn,” Fraley says. “There is no ceiling here. There’s so much room to grow.” She works with other leaders at Axle to drive values and create individual runways for people not only to hone their craft, but also to grow as a person and create a better environment for the community.
When Axle leaders decided to occupy the space in Happy Holler, they saw a chance to put down roots and identified this area as the place they want to stay. “Knoxville is a fantastic place to raise a family,” Fraley says. “There’s such great town leadership.” In the meantime, if you don’t find her hard at work on Central Street, you’ll find her on a ball field cheering on her family.