As CEO of CDL PowerSuite LLC, Andrew Hite sets the pace for the Spokane Valley-based company by defining business goals, establishing initiatives, and creating a supportive team environment.

Hite, 37, ensures his team is aligned and has the tools, resources, and clarity needed to find success for themselves and the company. Founded in 2023, CDL PowerSuite is a software provider for truck driving schools and commercial driver's license training, management, and compliance.

Previously, Hite co-founded Spokane-based Tribe Media Lab SPC, which was acquired by CDL PowerSuite in late 2024. Following the acquisition, Hite was hired as CEO of CDL PowerSuite.

What makes you good at your job? I have been fortunate to have great mentors, family, and leaders in my life who have helped shape the way I think about business, relationships, and leadership. Because of that, I have developed a perspective that is both entrepreneurial and people-centered.

I believe deeply in servant leadership. My job is to give our team the resources, tools, support, and honest feedback they need to succeed. Sometimes that means encouraging people, and sometimes that means challenging them to dig deeper than they thought they could. I care about helping people grow in ways they are proud of, not just professionally, but personally.

What makes me good at my job is my ability to help people understand what it takes to be part of a winning team and to buy into something bigger than themselves. One of the principles I try to lead by is the African proverb, “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” That reflects how I view company building. Success is not about one person; it's about creating a team that is aligned, accountable, and committed to a shared mission.

There is no place I would rather be than leading, operating, and growing a company. It is what I believe I was born to do.

Have you been influenced by any mentors in the Inland Northwest business community? Andy Barrett, Tom Simpson, and Jason Boudreau have each helped me in different and meaningful ways. Without their guidance, perspective, and support, I can say with complete certainty that I would not be where I am today.

I believe mentorship is one of the greatest advantages a person can have. It's almost like a cheat code in life because it allows you to learn from someone else’s experience, avoid mistakes, see opportunities more clearly, and grow faster than you could on your own. The mentorship I have received has supercharged my personal and professional growth, and it's one of the reasons I feel so strongly about giving that same support back to others.

How did your skills from Tribe Media Lab translate over to this new position? I learned how to be a hunter rather than a gatherer. Having an ad agency, you’re wearing so many different hats. I was sales, I was marketing, and then once we sold the service, we had to screenwrite, scriptwrite, and had to produce. I actually had to do the work since I was selling, and in that I learned to wear many, many different hats.

I think that helped me going into CDL PowerSuite — being able to focus on what the problem is and how to solve it. (It helped me understand) all the different facets that you have to as a CEO.

What new skills or areas of development are you pursuing? As a first-time CEO, I am continually developing as a leader. One of my biggest areas of growth is learning how to better empower others, create clarity, and help people unlock their full potential. Leading an explosively growing company has taught me that my job is not to have every answer, but to build the right team, ask better questions, remove obstacles, and create an environment where talented people can do their best work.

I am also focused on learning how to better utilize artificial intelligence from both a business and development perspective. AI is the most powerful tool available to companies today, and I want to understand how to use it responsibly and effectively to improve our operations, our product, and the way we serve customers. For me, this season of growth is about becoming a stronger CEO while also helping our company adapt to the future.

What drives your commitment to your industry? We are helping one of the most heavily regulated and important industries in the country train people better. CDL training directly impacts the safety of our roads. When schools, carriers, and instructors have better tools, better systems, and better visibility into student progress, they can produce better-trained drivers. That matters because every one of us shares the road with commercial drivers, including our friends, families, and communities.

For me, CDL PowerSuite is not just a software company. It's a way to improve training, support the people responsible for developing the next generation of drivers, and contribute to safer roads for everyone.