After helping Steam Logistics grow into Chattanooga's biggest freight broker, Barry Grove and Eric Sisson have decided to help build up another international shipping company by building a sales operation in Chattanooga's growing "freight alley."
Grove and Sisson recently joined Cargo Logistics Network, which has created a sales office in the newly opened Somer Station co-working space in North Chattanooga.
Grove, who is serving as chief revenue officer for Cargo Logistics, and Sisson, the executive vice president of sales, said they are eager to build a freight brokerage sales operation to help Cargo Logistics expand and diversify its 20-year-old business.
"This is a great opportunity to once again build a sales force and help grow a business with great potential," Grove said during an interview Friday at the new CLN office.
Grove was just the fifth employee to work at Steam Logistics when he joined the company in 2014 after previously working at Covenant Transport. Sisson joined Steam two years later out of college.
Steam Logistics has grown to more than 850 employees, and both Grove and Sisson said they were eager to help build another freight broker operation in Chattanooga.
Cargo Logistics Network is a Charlotte, North Carolina-based international logistics company, specializing in air and ocean transportation, customs brokerage, and warehousing and distribution. Last October, Mike Middleton joined the company as CEO to grow the business founded by David Sitton into a global platform.
In an emailed statement, Middleton said he is eager to expand Cargo Logistics' footprint globally to reach $1 billion in revenues within the next five years through internal growth and acquisitions. He said the newly opened sales headquarters in Chattanooga is part of that growth strategy.
"We envision rapid growth of a sales team, under the leadership of Barry and Eric, capitalizing on our unique value proposition that combines exceptional logistics problem-solving capabilities with a very high-touch approach to customer service," Middleton said. "We are at advanced stage discussions with our first acquisition and anticipate a cadence of two acquisitions annually over the next two years to build our founding platform of 4-5 strong companies."
Within the next year, Grove said he hopes to have a new office opened in Chattanooga with several additional sales brokers.
Cargo Logistics joins more than a dozen other freight brokers in Chattanooga, including a couple of others operating internationally. Sisson said he and Grove were eager to stay in Chattanooga and use their experience in the industry working to develop talent to propel Cargo Logistics' growth.
"With record-setting performance in 2022 and a 2023 run-rate that reveals substantial year-on-year growth, CLN is well positioned to achieve its vision for the future," Middleton said in an outlook statement for 2023.
Contact Dave Flessner at dflessner@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6340.