Uniquely Successful, Barb Bakos, Powersource Transporation

Barb Bakos, Powersource Transportation

Barb Bakos took the helm as president of Powersource after the death of her husband and company founder, Skip Bakos. Powersource has a fleet of over 130 trucks. Bakos was recognized with Top Woman-Owned Businesses Awards in 2019 and 2020.

Powersource Transportation was founded in 1994. Upon the untimely passing of my husband in 2014, I had a decision to make: take the helm or sell the company.

Coming from a construction and interior design background, I had zero knowledge of this industry. With the help of dedicated employees, webinars, conferences, and the determination to advance this company with goals that I set yearly, Powersource is a thriving, stable business.
My dreams and goals were set. Move the company from Lake to Porter County so that I could start giving back to the community that has nine generations in my history. A new building was constructed in 2019 in Porter County, complete with a driver’s lounge. I reached my revenue goal and increased the driver count by 30 percent. All of these accomplishments are possible by having a dream, making a goal, and giving your employees the right appreciation and tools to succeed.

I believe in open and honest communication. My employees and owner-operators need to know that I have their best interests at heart. We are all in this together. It’s not done by me alone. We move music concerts, Disney on Ice shows, huge over-dimensional and overweight loads, and everything in between. I stay diversified! It’s a very time-sensitive business. If you have taken your children or grandchildren to Chicago for a night of entertainment, chances are that Powersource has moved it.

Covid, in some ways, has actually been a positive for a lot of businesses. We have learned how to work remotely, start a Zoom session, and then adjust when returning to work with new procedures put into play. We have learned to take a two-day driver orientation down to one day. This is just one way that the shut-down has made our team put on our thinking caps. One thing I’ve learned in life is that change is inevitable. I chose to grow and prosper. The alternative is something that I never let enter my mind or my future.

I grew up in Valparaiso. It has always been a thriving, close-knit community, with all its citizens in mind while growing. I am so proud of how this community supports small businesses. How wonderful it is to walk downtown where many of my high school peers have businesses. I feel that Valpo supports their community first. It is definitely like one large family!