Weston LaBar
Advisory Board member, Strategic Growth
We are to introduce Weston LaBar, the newest member of Evolectric’s Advisory Board for Strategic Growth. With his extensive background in logistics and supply-chain management, Weston brings a wealth of experience and a proven track record of building and growing organizations. As we continue to lead the charge towards zero-emission fleet deployment, his insights and strategic oversight will guide Evolectric in harnessing innovative technologies and sustainable practices to reshape the future of electric mobility.
Tell us about yourself, your journey, and professional background.
I’ve always been a builder. Almost every professional opportunity I have undertaken has been to build an organization and create a foundation for sustainability. After spending 3 years as a lobbyist for the Realtors, I moved to Long Beach, CA and started a strategic consulting firm around politics and public affairs. Over the years, the firm took many different twists and turns, but it led me to the world of logistics and supply-chain. In 2014, I was named the first CEO of the Harbor Trucking Association (HTA) which I grew over my seven-year tenure to be the largest association dedicated to companies doing drayage in the United States. At one time, I served as the top executive with more than half a dozen trade organizations. In 2018, I started Ventures 52 and began to focus on helping early-stage freight tech companies with strategic advisory services. Many of those companies have successfully raised capital at least once or have had successful exits. I joined Cargomatic in 2021 running strategy and helped grow the business to being a unicorn following it’s Series-C. Now I serve as the Chief Logistics Officer for InductEV and advise several companies helping to transform the supply-chain to be more efficient and sustainable.
What motivated you to join Evolectric’s Advisory Board for Strategic Growth?
Honestly, it was the people first and foremost. Great companies are built by great people and great culture. Evolectric has that in spades, starting with the founders and executive team. Beyond that, I loved the business model and the innovative approach to zero-emissions fleet deployment through the CircularEV conversion model.
As the Chief Logistics Officer at InductEV and with your extensive experience in early-stage freight technology start-ups, what unique insights could you share with us?
Success starts with building a solid foundation that takes friction out of scaling and growth process. I am a builder by nature and helping companies overcome common hurdles, such as early stage fundraising, product development, go-to-market, and so many other issues that hinder growth is the best way to help create a solid platform for sustainable scalability.
Having managed trade associations and led advocacy projects, how do you foresee leveraging your expertise to contribute to Evolectric’s strategic growth initiatives?
Connecting Evolectric with my network of fleet owners and operators, as well as government officials, to help create awareness and overcome bad public policy that hinders fleet transformation is key. In addition to that, it will be the 15+ years as an entrepreneur, executive, and investor to help be a sounding board and catalyst for strategic vision that will help the Evolectric team get another perspective on the successful development of a roadmap for the future.
With your involvement in local, state, and federal policy-making on goods movement and international trade, how can Evolectric benefit from your insights in navigating regulatory landscapes?
Infrastructure limitations and conflicting public policy are the two biggest issues with the ability for fleets to transition to ZE. My experience here will help educate key public and government officials on what they can do to help this transformation, as well as helping the Evolectric team understand how to best advise customers on these issues for faster and more successful fleet conversions.
As the founding President and CEO of Ventures 52, a Private Equity Advisory focused on early- stage freight technology start-ups, what strategies do you believe are essential for Evolectric Inc. to scale and thrive in the market?
It’s all about foundational tools to attract strategic investors and pathways to profitability. Finding the right capital partners that create more value than just the money they invest and always looking at what the goals and opportunities are several steps ahead will help inform the best strategies to implement today.
In your opinion, what are the most significant challenges and opportunities facing the EV industry / the retrofit solutions in the current market landscape, and how do you propose addressing them?
Infrastructure limitations and conflicting public policy are the initial challenges. It starts with diagnosing this issues and educating public officials and utilities on what how they can de-risk and remove friction from fleets trying to achieve zero emissions.