ROAR LOGISTICS BROADENS STRATEGIC SERVICES WITH ACQUISITION OF LEGEND TRANSPORTATION GROUP

May 5, 2014 | Industry News, Locations

Deal Between Third-Party Logistics Leaders Adds Key “Less Than Truckload” Freight Services and Managed Solutions Expertise to ROAR Repertoire

BUFFALO, N.Y., May 5, 2014 – With today’s announcement of its purchase of Phoenix-based Legend Transportation Group (LTG), third-party logistics leader ROAR Logistics Inc. is adding a significant new dimension to its global service offerings.

The acquisition folds the distinct strengths of LTG – including its managed solutions model and its online, Less Than Truckload (LTL) shipment solutions – into ROAR’s far-reaching transportation logistics services repertoire.

The purchase by ROAR includes LTG’s headquarters location in Phoenix, giving ROAR two western U.S. operations.  Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Founded in 2003, ROAR Logistics offers a full spectrum of Rail, Ocean, Air, and Road transportation logistics services to a diverse array of local, national and global customers.  The company is a subsidiary of global food company Rich Products Corp., headquartered in Buffalo.

Legend Transportation Group is a full-service, third-party logistics (3PL) provider focusing on managed freight solutions.  The company boasts more than 100 years of combined staff experience in project logistics over multiple industry segments, including retail store openings, mining, high-tech plant movement, gas and oil, and the energy industry.

Legend was established in 2008 by longtime industry veterans Bob Russell, the company’s president and chief operating officer, and Rick Mueller, the company’s president of business development.  The two are joining ROAR’s strategic management team – Russell as vice president of managed solutions and Mueller as vice president of supply chain solutions.

Bob Rich III, ROAR Logistics’ founder and president, said the agreement between the two non-asset-based transportation providers strategically will help take ROAR to the next level as a full-service, world-class 3PL provider – enabling it to offer a wider variety of services to even-larger clientele.

“While ROAR has been a very competitive logistics provider, we’ve been looking for that certain piece of the equation that can help transition us from specialized boutique service to a more-comprehensive solution featuring very personalized, high-touch customer service,” Rich explained.

Perfect Complements

“Since ROAR’s inception, we’ve continually sought opportunities to grow our business both organically and through strategic acquisitions of companies that share the same vision and excitement about the transportation industry as we do,” said Rich.  “ROAR Logistics and Legend Transportation Group are the perfect complements to each other – our transactional freight model meshes seamlessly with Legend’s managed solutions model.  We’re each very strong at what we do, and we also share the same business processes, which is a big plus.

“The integration of Legend into the ROAR network creates greater opportunities to serve the existing customers of both companies, while making us more attractive to a broader range of prospects.  Customers will find they can benefit greatly from our augmented service offerings.”

“We believe the synergies from combining ROAR and Legend fill in all the gaps and will result in an unparalleled offering of logistics services,” agreed Russell.  “Customers will realize they’re being served by a financially strong logistics provider staffed by high-caliber transportation associates.

“LTG brings a lot of intellectual capital from the LTL and managed solutions side of this business, and we’re very excited about being able to leverage these skill sets within ROAR’s existing customer base, as well as with new prospects,” Russell added.

Legend is highly regarded for Web-based transportation management programs that significantly reduce both hard and soft costs in client transportation budgets, while ensuring total transparency – from initial procurement through final payment.  The company’s transportation management solution for customers includes the outsourcing and day-to-day management of supply chain operations, while its state-of-the-art technology promotes full visibility of customer transportation programs.

Meanwhile, Legend’s online, LTL freight solution “is the type of LTL service we have wanted to feature at ROAR for several years,” Rich pointed out.

“Less Than Truckload” is used to identify shipments that do not require a full 48- or 53-foot trailer.  In addition to a truckload brokerage database that includes 14,000 carriers on all types of equipment, Legend contracts LTL carriers with volumes leveraged to help emerging companies keep shipping costs down, so they can vie in an increasingly competitive marketplace.

Cultural Fit

Legend’s ease in assimilating into the culture of the family owned Rich’s network of companies was another key selling point in the acquisition, all parties admit.

“Over the course of our negotiations, we realized that this is more than just a perfect strategic fit,” Rich stated.  “It’s a complete cultural fit, too, which is very important in this kind of acquisition.  Legend’s mission statement stresses associate empowerment to drive results and customer satisfaction on every transaction.  They are a great group of people and their way of doing business with their customers — very collaborative, very hands-on – is especially consistent with the level of collaboration we encourage between ROAR associates and our customers.  People have been the key to making ROAR what it is today: a leader in the global logistics industry.”

“Both our company cultures put a high degree of emphasis on hiring proper, well-qualified associates that will fit into the team,” Russell echoed.  “We not only give our associates the autonomy to make decisions, we also agree that providing associates the proper tools, compensation, support and positive work environment results in a solid organization.  Regardless of the products or services you offer, ultimately it’s the people who make the difference.”

West Coast Presence

In January 2013, ROAR Logistics announced the opening of its first office on the West Coast.  The Temecula, Calif., addition has helped ROAR extend its reach into Mexico and position the company in proximity to some of the most-active ports in America.  Legend’s Arizona base of operations will reinforce that western presence.

“Moving forward, Legend’s existing customers will continue as a very important piece of the overall puzzle for ROAR,” Rich explained.  “We’ll continue to build very distinct service offerings for them.”

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About ROAR Logistics Inc.

Based in Buffalo, N.Y., ROAR Logistics is a leading third-party logistics (3PL) provider specializing in domestic truckload and intermodal “piggyback” transportation services and international ocean freight forwarding.  True to its name, ROAR delivers Rail, Ocean, Air, and Road (truck) transportation and logistics solutions to a diverse clientele.  Through its unwavering commitment to world-class customer service, ROAR has raised the bar for other transportation service providers and captured widespread attention within the industry.

Founded by Bob Rich III in 2003 as a subsidiary of Rich Products Corporation, ROAR has grown consistently, adding operations in Atlanta, Ga., Peoria, Ill., and Temecula, Calif.  ROAR began with three full-time associates and now has more than 60 associates nationwide.

For more information about ROAR Logistics, visit roarlogistics.com, Facebook, or Twitter.

About Legend Transportation Group

Founded in 2008, Phoenix-based Legend Transportation Group (LTG) is a full-service, third-party logistics (3PL) provider focused on managed freight solutions.  Legend’s customer-centric philosophy allows it to take a hands-on approach with customers and collaborate toward sustainable solutions.  Legend customers benefit from a 100-percent-free, innovative Transportation Management System designed to maximize logistical efficiency while reducing transportation spending.

LTG’s core philosophy is built around the slogan, “Visibility + Control = Efficiency.”  As an established industry cost-control expert, it has developed best practices that can significantly reduce transportation spending processes and freight expenses.  The company’s transportation management solutions allow customers to track and measure the entire transportation process, from procurement to payment.  The visibility provided by the Legend system is vital to helping clients gain control and implement efficient systems.  Armed with detailed tracking and reporting systems, LTG delivers services that can turn customer logistics departments into profit centers, instead of loss leaders.

Legend was established by managing partners Bob Russell and Rick Mueller.  The primary LTG operation is located in Phoenix, where Russell presides, while Mueller works out of his home office in Fond du Lac, Wisc.

Russell is a noted expert in the Less Than Truckload (LTL) industry.  He has nearly 35 years of experience in operations management and direct P&L responsibility and is known for his keen comprehension of how asset-based transportation companies operate.  This has allowed him to deliver creative results at the lowest cost available to customers in the 3PL industry, while still meeting their stringent demands.

Mueller has roughly 25 years of experience in all modes of transportation – as a regional sales manager, national account manager, and director of special projects for both asset-based and non-asset-based transportation companies.  He has an intimate understanding of transportation software applications and has been at the forefront of implementation of these useful solutions for companies of all sizes.  Mueller also has a historically ferocious appetite for sales and marketing.

In 2013, Legend Transportation Group earned a B2B Smart 25 Award for its consistent hyper growth in sales of 20 percent year over year since 2008.  Presented by B2B CFO®, the Smart 25 Awards recognize the smartest small businesses in the United States.

For more information about Legend Transportation Group, visit legendtransgroup.com.