‘Austin is known for being the blueberry in the tomato soup of Texas’

Eoin Sorohan, global account manager, Overhaul, Austin, Texas

If Eoin Sorohan’s phone rings in the middle of the night, it’s not good news. His job is to keep expensive freight safe from cargo criminals, and they don’t sleep.

The Longford native, based in Austin, Texas, works for Overhaul, an Irish-founded supply chain software company headquartered there. The company’s elevator pitch is the stuff of movies.

“We track and monitor expensive freight for the world’s leading companies and stop bad guys from stealing it,” says Sorohan.

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“Sometimes, you will get the dreaded phone call to say there is a theft in progress on a customer’s shipment. It can be exhilarating when you are on a call with law enforcement trying to outsmart criminals, enact a recovery and save a customer millions of dollars, justifying our return in investment in the process.”

The theft of high value freight, like pharmaceuticals and electronics, while it’s in transit is big business.

“Cargo crime is a thriving industry. It’s a huge problem for companies that have highly sought-after, fungible products, in high-risk regions like the US, Mexico, Brazil and South Africa,” says the Lanesborough, Co Longford native.

“These cargo criminals are some of the best logisticians you could find. They are highly sophisticated, and it’s our job to stop them from stealing freight.”

Sorohan landed in the Lone Star State capital six years ago, having nabbed a spot on Enterprise Ireland’s international graduate programme.

“My impression before moving to Texas was that everyone was a gunslinging, cowboy hat-wearing Trump fan. To be fair, that is true of a lot of the state, but Austin is known for being the blueberry in the tomato soup,” says Sorohan. “It’s like a liberal oasis in the big red state of Texas.”

On the Enterprise Ireland scheme, he worked with Irish companies aiming to start up, grow, innovate and win export sales in global markets.

“Ultimately, Enterprise Ireland’s goal is to grow Irish exports so it definitely pushed the right buttons where my patriotism is concerned,” says Sorohan. “It gave me a great insight into what companies get right and get wrong when they are trying to export.”

These cargo criminals are some of the best logisticians you could find. And it’s our job to stop them from stealing freight

A meeting with Overhaul’s chief executive Barry Conlon led to a job and coveted visa sponsorship that enabled Sorohan to remain in Austin.

Overhaul was in start-up mode back then and it was all hands on deck. The company has since grown to 650 employees and has become a leader in supply chain risk management.

Austin is a “hive of opportunity”, says Sorohan. “There’s been a huge migration of tech companies out of California to Austin. It’s become a very attractive place to set up from a tax standpoint, but also the University of Texas is here and the city really does have an eclectic vibe.”

The annual SXSW conference and the Austin City Limits music festival bolster the city’s reputation for being a place to convene and talk about big ideas and innovation.

“Way back when Austin developed a reputation for being a liberal oasis, it attracted a lot of artists and musicians, and that creates a cool vibe that everyone wants to be part of. That’s when you get the migration of people and companies into the state that can then dilute the vibe that everyone is looking to obtain,” says Sorohan.

The city is protective of alternative culture and is famed for its slogan, “Keep Austin weird”, he says.

Sorohan has risen the ranks to become global account manager at Overhaul. The company’s software monitors client warehouses, transportation vehicles and cargo, flagging up rogue events.

There is definitely a big work culture in the US that is different to home

“We track products for every major electronics manufacturer you can think of,” says Sorohan. “Products on the back of a truck could be worth $1 to $3 million. Pharmaceuticals could be worth $10 million.”

With pharmaceuticals, it’s not just about theft but ensuring the integrity of the product isn’t in doubt when it reaches the customer.

The area within 200 miles of where cargo originates is where theft is most likely to occur, says Sorohan. This is called ‘the red zone’.

“If we can prevent stoppage in the red zone, we can dramatically reduce the risk of theft.”

Another mantra is that freight at rest is freight at risk. The company collects data about transportation provider performance, enabling manufacturers to hold carriers to account.

When freight does go rogue, it’s often an inside job, says Sorohan. “They’ve got people at the warehouse telling them what’s in the truck,” says Sorohan. “We’ve got a web of global law enforcement contacts who we would deploy to recover stolen freight. There is never a dull moment.

“In many cases, in regions like South Africa and Mexico, you’ll get armed hijackings and you’ll see pictures after the incident and there will be bullet holes through the windscreen.”

Working for an Irish company provides a buffer from US work culture, he says.

“The US has a reputation for being always on, long hours and very much a ‘live to work’ mentality. I’m glad there is a strong Irish current that runs through Overhaul. We’ve got unlimited time off and much more liberal policies, but there is definitely a big work culture in the US that is different to home.”

Austin attracted a lot of artists and musicians, and that creates a cool vibe that everyone wants to be part of

Getting a visa isn’t easy, he says. “The visa landscape is a total minefield. There are hoops you have to go through. My American friends can’t understand how you can live here for so many years and for your position to be still in jeopardy. That’s one thing to really consider,” he says.

“I’ve been lucky that Overhaul has sponsored me but, even with their sponsorship, it was a one in three chance I got the visa. It’s a total lottery.”

His advice to people doing business Stateside is: “Keep politics out of it. It’s just something you don’t speak about any more. You don’t want to get into that conversation. Things are pretty polarised here.”

He adds: “I’ve observed where you have an Irish person meeting an American in a business context and the Irish person will flippantly say, ‘Well, what about Trump?’ It’s not the conversation you want to get into.”

Sorohan has sometimes caught himself saying “y’all”, but involvement with the Cowboys GAA team, a hub for Austin’s tight-knit Irish community, has kept full cultural Americanisation at bay. “Having a strong Irish network here keeps me rooted,” he says.