Bradley Jackson's journey from a temporary second-shift picker at Dorman Products to director of operations for a 1.3-million-square-foot Dorman Products warehouse in Portland, Tennessee, has been rooted in curiosity.

That inquisitive mind has led to his career success and helped him build a reputation for strengthening the company and its customer relationships through steady, results-driven leadership. It also led him to win the 2025 Dorman Leader of the Year award.

By asking questions, Jackson has gained knowledge that has helped him champion process improvements and cross-functional initiatives that boost efficiency, elevate the customer experience, and support business growth—consistently turning operational challenges into opportunities for stronger long-term performance at Dorman.

Like many, Jackson's journey began with a simple entry point into the aftermarket. But it only grew as he took advantage of every new opportunity the industry offered him.

Jackson's Aftermarket Journey

Jackson started in the aftermarket after leaving the military. He became a picker on the second shift as a temp at Dorman Products in 2010.

"When I first came to Dorman, I didn't know what I didn't know," Jackson says. "I learned quickly about distribution and fulfilling orders, picking orders, and shipping them out. That was really all I cared about at first. That's all I knew."

As new products came into the warehouse, Jackson wanted to understand the broader picture. He didn't want to do his job and go home; he wanted to understand how the company functioned.

"New product lines would come down to the warehouse with new opportunities and designs, and that started piquing my interest. It got me asking questions. Where does this all come from? Who's the who behind the scenes pulling strings?"

As he dug deeper into those questions and sought conversations beyond the warehouse floor, doors began to open. First, to new responsibilities, then to opportunities that led him to his promotion to senior operations supervisor at Dorman.

"I started getting involved a little bit with different sides of the business, and discovered that there's demand planning for our customers," Jackson says. "I also learned that Dorman has a fleet of engineers whose job is to simply go out to repair shops and understand what's failing on cars, how we can improve those parts, and how we can redesign them."

This team identified what was failing and how Dorman could offer customers more robust solutions to better protect its investments and keep its cars on the road longer.

"I also started getting involved with cross-functional groups, joining our corporate team and helping train employees in all our warehouses to build a broader understanding of what Dorman is and what we do," Jackson says. "I also got pulled into projects to help build a new WMS (Warehouse Management System). This was to help assist us in fulfilling orders for our retailers and customers faster, more efficiently, and more accurately."

Beyond his work with the corporate team and warehouse employees, Jackson has played a role in helping Dorman strengthen its presence in the aftermarket.

"A little bit of my time was spent helping our marketing team build marketing suites so that we could go out and be amongst the other aftermarket companies and our customers," Jackson says.

While still working for Dorman, Jackson also managed to go to school to learn more about supply chain management and leadership.

Education Feeds Curiosity

In 2014, he started school at Volunteer State Community College. He graduated with an associate degree in business, logistics, materials, and supply chain management in 2016.

That same year, Jackson started his bachelor's degree at Lipscomb University, located in Tennessee. In 2018, he graduated with a bachelor's degree in organizational leadership.

After graduating, Jackson was offered the role of operations manager at CEVA Logistics, located in Mount Juliet, Tennessee, and he left Dorman.

A year into working at CEVA Logistics, Jackson was promoted to senior operations manager and stayed in that role for four years and six months.

The experience outside Dorman gave Jackson a broader perspective on the aftermarket and prepared him for the opportunity to return to the company.

Expanding His Perspective

In 2025, Jackson was contacted by Dorman and recruited back as director of operations to run its warehouse in Portland, Tennessee.

"Since I've been back this time, I've been able to join the enterprise and sit in as a senior leader on the team and help revolutionize the way that we're going to transform our supply chain," Jackson says. "To transform it into one that is at the next level. One that is a better strategy for the aftermarket."

By bridging day-to-day operations with how the company shows up in the market, Jackson has positioned himself at the center of Dorman.

Leading Through Change

As Jackson's responsibilities have expanded, so has his role in helping Dorman navigate the changing aftermarket.

He has had to adapt to the times and help his company build a better strategy for the aftermarket.

"We're in a weird economic environment where—for a while—tariffs were scaring us, and now the threats are removed, and we must ask ourselves, 'How does Dorman better diversify our portfolio and our suppliers, and keep the product coming in?'" Jackson says. "That brings me to the current day, where, you know, sitting here as director and running essentially a 1.3-million-square-foot warehouse, and strategizing amongst the other warehouses on how we run better?"

To answer these questions and help his company remain successful, he has found that remaining curious helps guide him to the best decisions.

Finding His North Star

By remaining curious, Jackson has been able to gain a more knowledgeable understanding of his company and the challenges it faces in the aftermarket.

"Remain curious about everything you do. Ask the questions and work to understand what it is you're doing and why you're doing it. Find your why."

Finding his why has helped Jackson understand what inspires him and, in turn, inspires those on his team.

"You've got to establish your north star as a leader," Jackson says. "You have to keep hold of that north star; you have to use it to create your vision, so everybody can head in the same direction together."

Seeing the Best in People

Jackson also finds it important to operate with rose-colored glasses.

"You've got to see the best in everybody's intentions because the majority of people don't come in with an intent to fail or to do bad or to set something off the rails," Jackson says. "So, look at it with your rose-colored glasses and understand that if you work to find the best potential, you're going to give these people an opportunity to fulfill it to a level that they never thought they could."

By leading with curiosity, vision, and rose-colored glasses, Jackson has become a successful leader and reliable partner at Dorman Products.