Going Greene.

• Author: Leggett, Page
• Position: NC TREND: Game changers

GREENE GROUP CEO TANA GREENE TURNS HER JOB-MATCHING BUSINESS TO THE TRUCKING INDUSTRY. BUT THAT'S JUST PART OF THE STORY.

From Greene Group's Davidson headquarters, about 20 miles north of downtown Charlotte, Tana Greene oversees offices in the Carolinas, California, Illinois, Indiana and Arizona. Staffing is her specialty--she has placed maritime laborers, clerical workers and, now, truck drivers. Greene, 57, began matching workers with permanent jobs in 1988. Her newest venture is an online marketplace to find extra work for drivers and the carriers who need them. It's paying off--Greene Group added 4,574 workers between 2014 and 2016, in which time revenue increased 65%.

SO, A TRUCKING COMPANY? THAT SEEMS UNLIKELY.

* I describe my latest venture as 'Uber for truckers.' We have a call center in an old hosiery mill in Hickory. There are 18 employees there, but last year we had 8,500 W-2 employees all across the country. I know what your next question is. And no, I don't sleep.

HA! CLEARLY. HOW IN THE WORLD DID YOU GET INTO THE TRUCKING BUSINESS?

* Everyone wonders the same thing. And it's a long story. The short answer is: It's about creating jobs and opportunity.

WHAT'S THE LONG ANSWER?

* It goes back a long way. I was married at 15, had my son at 16 and left my abusive marriage at 17.

Yes, I've been at the very bottom. I learned the importance of setting goals and going for them. I've come to understand that life is amazing.

WHAT HAPPENED WITH YOUR MARRIAGE AT 15? WHERE DID YOU GROW UP?

* I lived in Virginia, and my father was in the Coast Guard. It was a time and place that, when you found out you were pregnant, getting married was just what you did.

But it quickly became clear that [her husband] was very controlling. I didn't know the signs then of a potential abuser. But if a man is asking, "Who were you with?" and "What did you spend your money on?" that is not normal.

WOW. BUT I STILL DON'T KNOW HOW THIS LEADS TO TRUCKING.

* I decided I would not be a victim. After I left [her spouse], I made a list of four things I wanted to accomplish: finish school, own a house by the time I was 25 (I did by 22), marry a knight (we've been married for 31 years) and own my first business by the time I was 30. (I did at 29.) [Note: Greene and her husband, Mike, were business partners as well before his recent retirement.]

YOU DIDN'T HAVE A PARTICULAR BUSINESS IN MIND?

* No. I just knew it had to be about helping people.

AND SO ...

* I bought a...