Welcome to our series celebrating the incredible women in Supply Chain and Logistics! In a traditionally male-dominated field, it's important to shine a light on the inspiring women who are making a significant impact. Through a mix of insightful and fun questions, we’ll explore their journeys, challenges, and successes. While we acknowledge the contributions of everyone in this industry, this series aims to elevate the voices and stories of women who often get missed. Angela Armonda is our next feature.
ANGELA ARMONDA
Angela Armonda is one of the hardest working women I know in supply chain, and I say that as someone who has never met her in person and couldn’t pick her out of a lineup. She keeps her face off the internet, which is completely her call, and the more you read about her the more it makes sense for a woman who takes her safety as seriously as her business. Angela owns and runs Valkyrie Delivery LLC, a courier and last-mile company covering Wisconsin and Illinois, and when I say runs, I mean every single part of it, from finding customers and building the schedule to securing the cargo and making the drop herself. She’s also loud about the things a lot of people tiptoe around, like small carriers waiting 60 days to get paid for work they already finished, and women having every right to protect themselves on the road without being called scared for it. What I love most is how hard she backs other women doing the same job, because she clearly wants more of us building businesses with our own names on the door.
What is your current role and company?
I’m the owner and sole operator of Valkyrie Delivery LLC, an asset-based courier and last-mile delivery business serving Wisconsin and Illinois. I handle everything from customer outreach and scheduling to securing cargo and making deliveries.
How did you end up in the world of supply chain?
Before starting my delivery business 10 years ago, I worked in road construction, where I saw firsthand the challenges delivery vehicles and truck drivers faced. But my connection to supply chain goes back much further—it’s part of my family history.
In the 1930s, my grandpa operated his own produce truck in Chicago, heading out to the countryside to collect fresh produce and bring it back for families’ kitchen tables. He believed that if you wanted a job done right, you did it yourself. Today, as the sole owner-operator of Valkyrie Delivery LLC, I’m proud to carry on his one-truck legacy: doing the work myself and delivering something people depend on.
What is your favourite part of your work day?
Having the independence to run my business according to my standards, with my name and reputation behind the service.
What is the least favourite part of your work day?
Every day ends in Y—and usually gives me a reason to ask why: why is someone driving like paying attention is optional, and why did a state give someone a driver’s license when they park across four to six spaces like the entire lot came with their registration? Then there are unsolicited pitches from people who haven’t researched my business, followed by the exhausting task of reinforcing boundaries with people who think no means try again tomorrow. Thankfully, AI call screening has kept unwanted calls from interrupting my day for over a year. Otherwise, no two days are the same—just as no two cows have the same spots.
What is a systemic issue in your part of the supply chain that concerns you currently?
Two connected issues concern me: accountability in freight transactions and how carriers get paid. As more work moves through apps and digital platforms, I’m concerned about opportunities for unauthorized double brokering and freight passing through multiple hands without clear visibility into who is actually transporting it. A platform listing should never replace properly vetting the business handling someone’s cargo.
Payment practices are another concern. Carriers are expected to cover fuel, insurance, maintenance, and their labor immediately, then wait 30 or 60 days for payment—or surrender a percentage through quick-pay fees to receive their earnings sooner. I don’t accept the idea that a small carrier should finance someone else’s transportation needs and then pay extra to collect for completed work.
How would you address it if you had the power, money, or influence?
I would push for direct relationships between shippers and properly vetted, legitimate carriers, with clear disclosure of every party involved. If a broker is involved, the shipper should still know who is actually moving the freight. Technology should support verification and accountability, not create more places for responsibility to disappear.
I would also push for prompt payment upon verified completion, without percentage-based fees simply for paying the carrier promptly. Shipment requirements, rates, and payment terms should be agreed upon before the vehicle moves, with a clear process for resolving legitimate disputes.
My position is simple: if you can authorize the transportation service, you should have a plan to pay for it promptly. Independent carriers are businesses—not interest-free lenders.
What is one piece of advice you have for young women entering your field?
Learn your operation, know your numbers, and take your boundaries seriously. You do not have to underprice your work or tolerate disrespect to prove you belong. Being professional does not mean being endlessly accommodating.
What are your top 3 podcasts? (do not have to be industry related)
Podcasts aren’t a "regular" part of my routine, so I’d rather admit that than manufacture a favorites list. In the last two weeks I had frequently listened to Do You Even Freight?, Road Dog Coffee, and Double Broker Bounty Hunter.
Who are your top 5 women in supply chain to follow on LinkedIn?
Note - *Each of these women is a true driving force in supply chain. I value their firsthand experience doing the work—not just discussing it from behind a computer screen. There’s a difference between seeing a delivery on a dashboard and being the person responsible for getting it there.
Office work has its place, but it doesn’t replace understanding what happens on the road, at the dock, or when a plan falls apart and you still have to deliver. These are the women whose perspectives I want more people to hear. If they haven’t already been featured, I’d love to see them recognized.
How do you deal with creeps you encounter in your work day?
I limit personal information, keep communication focused on the job, and disengage when someone won’t respect my boundaries. I don’t have to say everything on my mind to make my position clear—sometimes walking away says enough. My safety comes before someone else’s comfort, and I won’t apologize for taking it seriously. That includes choosing to be armed for self-protection. I reject the double standard that calls a man prepared for carrying protection but calls a woman afraid for doing the same.
What is your favourite way to unwind?
Exercise and a nap. Taking care of my health is part of maintaining the personal and professional standards I set for myself. I can’t expect to deliver my best if I don’t give myself time to move, rest, and recharge.
What have you recently changed your mind about?
I’ve changed my mind about how much power ordinary people have to change things. I think we give too much of it away through our attention, time, money, and loyalty to people who haven’t earned it.
A Bug’s Life captures the idea: the grasshoppers depend on the ants never recognizing their collective strength. That’s the comparison that sticks with me—not one political party against another, but people realizing they don’t have to keep supporting a system that isn’t serving them.
I’m less interested in defending a party label and more interested in accountability, competent leadership, and a better quality of life. Having information isn’t enough. Change takes people organizing, participating, and being deliberate about what—and whom—they support.
Must haves to get you thru the day?
Water—starting my day hydrated and keeping it that way.
Meditation and manifesting—getting myself focused before taking on the day. I can’t control everything, but I’m accountable for my own actions, so keeping myself in check comes first.
Proper nutrition—giving my body the fuel to do the work, rather than running on fast food and wondering why I feel drained.
A sense of humor—there’s enough darkness and trauma in the world. Sometimes you need to flip the script and find something to laugh about.
A vehicle ready for the job—my pre-trip inspection matters just as much as preparing myself. Both my body and my vehicle need to be ready for the work ahead.
Social media for : Angela
