Her Story
About Ann
Ann Hurley, MBA, is an experienced Operations Manager based in the Los Angeles Metropolitan Area with a strong background in logistics, warehouse management, and continuous process improvement. She currently serves as Operations Manager at Crown Prince, Inc., where she has spent the past five years overseeing freight operations, inventory control, and compliance readiness. In this role, she is responsible for ensuring the organization achieves a 100% annual audit score, a critical factor in maintaining product placement with major retailers such as Walmart, Trader Joe's and Costco. She also leads training and operational readiness across a small, tightly connected team, helping maintain efficiency and consistency in a fast-moving supply chain environment. Ann began her career in logistics in 2006 after initially working in workers’ compensation and disability fraud investigation, followed by a role in collections at United Rentals. A pivotal transition came when she joined Vons, where she was mentored by a seasoned warehouse supervisor who introduced her to the field of warehouse operations. Encouraged to choose between transportation and warehouse management, Ann selected warehouse operations—intentionally stepping into a field with fewer women and greater opportunity for growth. That decision aligned with her strengths and the demands of California’s major logistics landscape, supported by one of the world’s largest port systems in Los Angeles, where supply chain operations drive significant economic activity. Alongside her civilian career, Ann has served with distinction in the United States Navy Reserve as a Logistics Specialist Petty Officer First Class, with 20 cumulative years of service and a planned retirement in June 2027. Her military career includes a year-long deployment to the Middle East in 2019, returning shortly before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. She also previously held roles at United Rentals, building early experience in structured operational environments. Ann holds an MBA from the University of Phoenix and is recognized for her leadership in building strong teams, improving operational systems, and fostering a culture of accountability and collaboration. She values working in a close-knit, family-oriented company environment where long-standing relationships, mutual support, and hands-on engagement with vendors and suppliers define success.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Ann
01What do you attribute your success to?
I love to create, and I think that helps so much with policy writing. I love the challenge of using AI for my work - using it to make my job smarter and better. I love the pull-up that you get from using AI, and it's kind of thrilling for me because it's fresh and new. I also really enjoy teaching people how to use AI and sharing that knowledge with others. That creative aspect and staying on top of new technology like AI has been a big part of what's helped me succeed.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
I once had a warehouse manager mentor who told me something that really stuck with me when I told her I was thinking about applying for a position within the company. I was self conscious and worried about my competition. She said, 'everytime I took a new position, I was absolutely terrified." I was shocked because I didn't ever think my great mentor would have ever second guessed herself and she admitted she was nervous everytime she took a promotion!
What I learned is that with every new role, there's an element of fear, and that's natural. We must embrace the unknown and not let it stop us from moving to our next level. It's okay to be a little afraid - it doesn't mean you're going to fail.
With growth comes fear sometimes, but acknowledge it and keep going!
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
The logistics field is wonderful - you can do so much with it from specializing in regulatory compliance, HR, Safety, transportation, routing, warehousing, hazmat, customer service, training, inventory or recycling. People who do not work in logstics do not realize the posibilities are limitless especially working near the port of Los Angeles. To those just starting out and looking for a career field with business. I would absolutely recommend getting your foot in the door, put your nose down and learn the work while you find your passion. If your creative and like to write, offer to design a training program or write an SOPs. If you enjoy leading and people warehouse management is a great place and always in need of potential leaders to step up. If you enjoy numbers almost every department has scorecards, P&Ls, and KPIs to guide the business and continually improve. Depending on the size of the business you may wear one hat or a few! I thrive on goal setting and enjoy teamwork and Operations is the place to do it!
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
I would say the biggest challenge is staying relevant in a new world that's very AI-focused. Technology is changing everything, and you have to keep up with it. Its wise to stay in the know as there are always companies competing to do it faster, better.and cheeper! But what I love about what I do is that we're a family-run company with our own label and our own ground-built business. That's something we've lost touch with in this world of massive corporations where you're just another number. In a small company, everybody's got their own piece of the pie, we cover for each other, and people who have been here for so long really know the business. That personal touch and deep knowledge is what helps us stay competitive.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
People first - that's my number one value. I can't do the job alone, I rely on my team. I'm lucky because I have an honest, hard-working team that's been there for a long time, and I really respect that. I respect their time, their longevity, and their knowledge of the business. They're the subject matter experts, and I'll go to them and say, 'You're the subject matter expert, I need to know why this works like this or how does this work?' I treat people like colleagues instead of a boss - we work together on an even playing field. I'm not afraid to ask them to do anything I won't do myself. I've offloaded containers, I've picked orders, I've done everything I ask my team to do. You learn best what it takes to do the job when you go out and work in the heat with no air conditioning in the warehouse and do the job they're doing. I roll up my sleeves and try it myself, and then I know. The other value that's important to me is family. Take care of your family so that you can be able to come to work.
Keep Exploring
More Influential Women · California
Join Influential Women and start making an impact. Register now.