At Booster, Bold Is in Our DNA

Booster was born from a simple idea: that in a transportation industry historically reliant on dirty, unsustainable, fixed infrastructure for fueling, a mobile solution could be revolutionary.

While the realization that fueling at gas stations is inconvenient and inefficient is an easy one to arrive at, the notion that a century-old industry norm could be completely upended and reimagined is bold, to say the least. And yet, Booster is making it happen.

We’ve been bold from the start, unwavering in the face of complications and obstacles, confident that our moxy and hard work could power us through. Now, as a mature startup bringing our innovative fueling solution to cities across the nation, boldness is one of our six core values, guiding our actions at every step.

As Jonathan Moss, Head of Growth, Marketing and Revenue Operations at Booster, put it: “To us, boldness is taking that extra step to close a deal; going out on a limb to make a dream a reality; knowing that you can make a difference, even when the roadblocks are complex and uncharted. Our value of being bold centers innovative audacity at the heart of our actions, driving us to go above and beyond for our customers and our mission.”

Here are just a few ways we’ve led with boldness to break down barriers.

Optimizing Pathways

Booster’s business model — mobile energy delivery — centers on delivery of fungible products, meaning that the same energy or fuel could be delivered to any customer who ordered that type. This makes our delivery system unique to other delivery systems like that of Amazon, whose products (packages) have distinct owners. While fungibility makes our route planning especially flexible, it can be complicated by the events and challenges that pop up in the real world of fleet delivery, like when a customer requires drivers with security authorization to access their fleet yard.

To sort it all out and plan the most efficient routes for our drivers, Booster had to make a bold choice: develop our own routing software. John Carlsson, a published scholar and professor at the University of Southern California in the Epstein Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering, helped Booster to develop the platform, now known internally as “Kasparov.”

Kasparov overcomes challenges like fulfilling and scoring complicated customers, addressing internal operations needs, and cost optimization for labor. The platform's algorithm uses complex business logic, taking real world factors into account when evaluating possible routes, while the routing team also works to improve the day-to-day experiences of Booster’s service professionals (SPs) and dispatch team members.

Without our proprietary routing software, Booster’s operations would not be as productive or profitable, and we would not be as well equipped to serve our customers. The initiative taken by Booster team members to identify the need for Kasparov and deviate from the norm by working to create a new solution where none was previously available perfectly encapsulates the bold action that we value at Booster.

Opening Access

Another prime example of boldness in action at Booster lies within our policy team. Given the nature of the fueling industry, Booster’s identity has always been rooted in its ability to succeed in a harsh regulatory environment. To accomplish its mission despite the roadblocks, Booster’s robust policy arm drives state and local regulation change across the country, expanding opportunities for mobile fueling and supporting the communities Booster serves.

For example, our policy team advocated to pass bill HB 2873 in Washington state, now signed into law. The bill streamlines the permitting process for mobile fueling within fire districts by establishing a state-wide reciprocity system for fire permitting, which simplifies the qualification and processes required for a permit.

Boldness is rooted in courage and confidence. The ability of Booster’s team members to look at the complicated regulatory landscape of the fueling industry and carve out a space for the disruptive solution that is mobile fueling encapsulates those very principles. Our team members believed in the technology, their ability, and the desire of customers to find a more sustainable way to power their fleets. More importantly, our team members had the confidence to act on those beliefs, and in doing so created the space necessary for Booster to succeed.

Prioritizing Boldness

Boldness at Booster is encapsulated by one of our key mottos: “Be brave and create the future.” To do this, our employees think big and take initiative, combining courage and action to turn big ideas into concrete steps for success. Each day, they ask themselves:

• Did I share a quality idea that challenged the status quo this week?
• What problem did I solve today that I am proud of?
• How did I challenge ideas without being destructive, dismissive or uncollaborative?
• How am I actively focusing on my customers when innovating and problem solving?

Using these questions as north stars, our teams create the future others just predict. Our boldness shines through in every team member, project, and initiative, from the way we get to our customers, to their ability to work with us. Boldness in the face of legacy fueling infrastructures and systems spurred the inception of Booster, and we know it will carry us through as we continue our mission of creating better energy solutions to power the movement of people and things.

At the end of the day, boldness is more to our team members than just a work value. For many, it is a life value, guiding their action both in and out of the office. Our fearless leader, CEO and Founder Frank Mycroft, said it best: “Bold to me is the mindset — it’s really in the DNA of who we are. I think it plays really well into stewardship and having purpose, play and potential in our daily jobs. If we’re all bold, the wonderful, fun thing is we don’t just get better as a company; it makes us all better as people and as team members.”