From the time they were first married, Todd and Kimm Lytle had always dreamed about owning a small business together.
He is risk tolerant and ambitious about creating new partnerships. She is methodical with a gift for relating and connecting to others. However, early in their careers they both found themselves in thriving sales roles instead of entrepreneurship. That is, until the market crashed in 2008 and their once-excelling sales careers suddenly looked grim. While most hunkered down financially during this time, the Lytle’s did the opposite. With the perfect appetite for a new adventure and willingness to embrace the other person’s strengths and shortcomings, they started what was then known as CTE Warehousing Inc.
One of the most common phrases that can be heard around CTE Logistics is the motto, “we’re building this together.”
Team CTE has even embraced it so wholeheartedly that they’ve included it on their email signatures and say it regularly in conversation. This theme is not something that emerged from a brainstorm session; it’s been in the fabric of CTE Logistics from the first moment Todd and Kimm said yes to building something new. Today, that foundation has impacted every important moment in the business to make it what it is today – a place that serves clients with the highest standards and treats every employee like family.
The last 10 years have been filled with excitement, challenges and growth. CTE Logistics grew under the steady leadership of the Lytle’s, even though Todd and Kimm have made several adjustments to their roles in the company.
The Lytle’s didn’t want to choose between a successful marriage or a successful business – they wanted both.
And that meant making some tough decisions at times. Kimm laughs as she explains the time she gave Todd her official resignation and he honestly didn’t seem that upset by it. As I drove home, she thought to herself: Did I quit or did he just fire me? With Todd at the helm as President, overseeing operations and sales, Kimm has since returned to CTE and very much enjoys her role in creating company culture and overseeing the financial health of CTE. In less than 10 years, CTE Logistics has earned a coveted spot on the Inc. 500|5000 fastest growing businesses list seven years in a row, an honor achieved by only one and a half percent of companies. And the Lytle’s marriage is still going strong.
Looking back over a decade of being in business, the Lytle’s are most proud of their constant commitment to excellence (CTE), the service they’ve provided to their clients and their ability to find and nurture some of the brightest minds in the business.
