With a focus on providing resources for our associates to succeed, we're proud to offer them many different career opportunities, from over the road and local driving, to dock work and leadership. One of our most unique offerings is our production and event group, On Tour Logistics.
OTL has certainly been a hit with our associates, growing exponentially since its creation in 2012. Drive time is typically at night following the conclusion of individual concert stops. And the length of tours varies widely, giving team members plenty of options.
"One of my favorite things about touring is I know where I'm going to be every day," explains Ed Cowart, a 20-year Averitt driver who has been with OTL for 10 years and is currently a lead driver for the Chris Stapleton tour. "In OTL, we have a yearly calendar app that shows our tour schedule, so I know where I'm going to be every single day once the tour starts.
"I can plan my year," Ed says with a laugh.
Lead driver Tina Mayfield-Green has been with our team for 10 years, including about nine with On Tour Logistics. She's grown to love the camaraderie of the tour teams she's been part of.
"I like meeting different people," says Tina, who has been part of the Brandi Carlile tour for three years. "I like our team culture. We're like a family away from family. If we're at a stop for a couple days, sometimes we'll have picnics and bring out our lawn chairs. Somebody will bring out a grill, and we'll grill up some food out there. The tour also feeds us three meals a day, which is nice."
Enjoying the Experience
Ed has been part of close to 40 tours, including his current assignment, Styx, Joan Jett, Drake and more. As part of his schedule, Ed says downtime is possible.
"With Chris Stapleton and a number of the country tours, they're weekend warriors," Ed explains. "They do shows Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights, so I've got 3-4 days to get somewhere before the next weekend starts."
Because of that schedule flexibility, both Ed and Tina have been able to enjoy some sightseeing opportunities that they wouldn't have otherwise had.
"One tour I did, we were at Madison Square Garden in New York City for 10 days," Ed recalls. "We were able to take an 8 a.m. bus right into New York City, and we'd come back to the truck around 9 p.m. We just went and saw New York. We've done the same thing in Los Angeles. It's a lot of fun, it really is."
Tina, who has also worked on tour with Styx, Joan Jett, REO Speedwagon, and The Weeknd, has had a similar experience.
"In New York, they give you parking passes to put in your windshield," Tina says. "If you're in the city and the show lasts three days, that's about two days you have off that you can see the city. You can take the subway. I've watched a Broadway show before. You can go shopping, sightsee or be a tourist."
Building Memories
Having been part of the Brandi Carlile tour for several years, Tina has been able to build some lifelong memories.
"I'm into Legos, and they know I like Legos so much that as my going-away gift after one of the tours, they gave me custom-made Legos," Tina says. "They had somebody design a set with the whole roadie crew, they had my truck, and they had me as a little Lego person. It was pretty cool, and it was really nice of them to do that."
Working as a Team
Regardless of where their tours take them, Ed and Tina agree that teamwork is the most important part of making sure the show is ready to roll.
"Not including the band, Chris and his wife Morgane, our team has a crew of 37 people," Ed says. "We have to get along. We load and unload trucks together, and we're out here for seven months working every single weekend together."
Tina adds, "You have to be a team player," she says. "That's very important, especially when you've got 10-15 trucks, and you've got to get them in the dock. You can't just sit in your truck and wait your turn. Get out of your truck, help swing doors, and watch the front of truck while we're backing them in. It's a team affair. We're not individuals. We watch out for our fellow brothers and sisters on the tour."
Ready to Join the Team?
Are you ready to join the team and get the show on the road? Visit AverittCareers.com/OTL to learn more about our production and event team, including a testimonial video, more highlights of this division and how to get started.
To read more from Averitt, visit https://blog.averittcareers.com.