Women & Business Profile: Justine Russo

“You can be humble without downplaying the value you bring.”

When Justine Russo started answering phones at PITT OHIO in 1992, she could not have predicted the path her career would take. More than three decades later, she has helped guide the company’s approach to business intelligence and sustainability, playing a role in initiatives ranging from advanced analytics to renewable energy projects.

Russo is director of sustainability and business intelligence for PITT OHIO, a freight solutions provider that serves customers throughout the Mid-Atlantic, Midwest and New England. Her work focuses on helping teams make informed decisions through data while also measuring and communicating the company’s environmental impact.

“I like to think that I am a strategic problem solver with a tactical mindset,” Russo said. “The information is there; we just need to find it and shape it to help others achieve their results.”

Founded in 1979 with three trucks and a small warehouse in East Liverpool, Ohio, PITT OHIO has grown into a regional transportation company with more than 25 terminals and operations extending through its sister companies in the Midwest and New England. Russo’s own journey at the company has included roles in safety, finance, costing and information technology before she combined her interests in analytics and strategy. In 2016, she was promoted to director of sustainability and business intelligence.

Someone looking at her résumé might assume she spent her career standing still, Russo said, but she sees it differently. Working for a company that values innovation allowed her to take on new challenges, develop analytical tools and contribute to projects that continually expanded her skills. Among her proudest accomplishments are helping develop predictive models for the business and contributing to communication efforts surrounding the company’s sustainability initiatives.

Russo recalled the advice from a mentor that has guided her career: “Get out onto the thin ice.” Learning to embrace uncertainty and take risks, she said, helped build confidence and opened doors to new opportunities.

Russo also played a role in projects involving renewable energy, electric trucks and LEED-certified buildings, helping connect environmental initiatives to the company’s broader business goals. Her work has earned recognition through patents related to shipment carbon emissions calculations, a Pittsburgh Earth Day Model Citizen Award and the opportunity to represent PITT OHIO when it received a Carnegie Science Center Innovation Award.

For women in business, Russo encourages confidence in the skills they bring to the table. “Know, appreciate, and talk about your skills,” she said. “You can be humble without downplaying your skills.”