Matt Weiss served as COO of eShipping, helping grow the company from 12 employees to over 600 across every major transportation mode. He then launched eShipping Distribution Services — the company's warehousing arm — alongside Luke and Brad, scaling from 2,500 square feet in Kansas City to six-figure facilities in the Inland Empire, Chicago, Dallas, and beyond before a private equity acquisition in 2022.

TOPICS COVERED:

- From ocean freight analyst at Fritz LynnCo to UPS Supply Chain Solutions to building eShipping's managed transportation business

- Why eShipping rejected transactional freight and built a managed trans product — and how that decision paid off

- Treating each mode (LTL, truckload, international) as a standalone business inside one company

- Launching eShipping Distribution Services: from 2,500 SF pole-to-pole in Kansas City to 370,000 SF in months

- The financial hardship: how a "thousand levers" retreat with Luke and Brad pulled the warehousing company out of the red

- Contract structure: minimums, banded pricing, and why transparent agreements keep customers honest

- Why filling half the building before signing the lease was the threshold — and why you still lose year one

- Multi-client vs. dedicated warehousing and the Moneyball metrics that made the business repeatable

- Camaraderie among independent 3PL operators: referrals, shared deals, and the IWLA network

- Matt's leadership principles: work on yourself, meet people where they're at, and care for them

CHAPTERS:

0:00 Introduction

4:30 eShipping Early Days: From 12 People to a Managed Transportation Company

9:52 Building Each Mode as Its Own Business: LTL, Truckload, and International

13:40 All Things Warehousing: Launching eShipping Distribution Services

33:52 Camaraderie Within the Industry: Referrals, 4PLs, and Operator Relationships

38:42 Growth Through Exit: PE Acquisition and Lessons from Scaling

43:30 Matt's Leadership Principles: Work on Yourself, Meet People Where They're At

46:25 Love of the Game: What Makes Logistics Worth a Career

53:36 Advice for Young Professionals: Faith, Habits, and the Five People Around You

59:36 Parting Thoughts: Building Teams and What Comes Next

ABOUT THE GUEST:

Matt Weiss is the former COO of eShipping and president of eShipping Distribution Services. He spent 15+ years building eShipping's transportation and warehousing operations before the company's PE acquisition in 2022. He is now at Herzig Engineering in Missouri.

KEY TERMS:

eShipping, eShipping Distribution Services, managed transportation, 3PL, LTL, truckload, international freight, ocean freight, warehousing, multi-client warehouse, dedicated warehouse, private equity acquisition, warehouse lease, contract structure, warehouse pricing, Moneyball metrics, leadership principles, team building, 4PL, IWLA

Supply Chain Saga is produced by Mark Taylor, CEO of Warehouse Republic, a 3PL serving omni-channel e-commerce brands that sell through marketplaces like Amazon, Walmart, and Shopify, as well as retail partners like Nordstrom, Scheels, and Bass Pro Shops.

Website: warehouserepublic.com
Podcast: supplychainsaga.com
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/warehouse-republic
Host: linkedin.com/in/marktaylor

Have a logistics question? Email [email protected]

Tom Cook, CEO of Blue Tiger International, has 30+ years in global trade and has written 19 books on the subject. He explains how companies can reduce their landed cost through foreign trade zones, tariff inversion, nearshoring to Mexico, and supply chain restructuring — and why 3PLs should consider becoming FTZs.

TOPICS COVERED:

- Why companies are reluctant to diversify away from China despite 25% surcharges on 40% of imports

- Section 232 and 301 tariffs: what they cover and why they're still here

- Strategies for reducing landed cost: FTZs, freight optimization, and friendshoring

- Trade compliance risks: tariff misclassification, denied parties lists, and penalties up to 13x merchandise value

- Forced labor and social compliance: goods seizures and 14-day export deadlines

- Bonded warehouse vs. foreign trade zone: manipulation rights, time limits, and merchandise processing fees

- How one LA warehouse hit 95% capacity in six weeks by becoming an FTZ

- Tariff inversion: how BMW cuts duty from 5-9% to 2.5% in a 3M SF FTZ in South Carolina

- The skilled labor shortage for reshored manufacturing

- What a maquiladora is and how it works under USMCA

CHAPTERS:

0:00 Introduction

6:16 China: Why Companies Are Reluctant to Diversify

14:07 232 and 301 Tariffs: What They Are and Why They're Still Here

16:15 Strategies for Dealing with Tariffs: FTZs, Freight Optimization, and Demand Planning

24:46 Trade Compliance: Harmonized Tariffs, Denied Parties, and Record Keeping

30:01 Social Compliance: Forced Labor Laws and Goods Seizures

36:27 Bonded Warehouse vs. Foreign Trade Zone: Key Differences

42:45 Qualified Skilled Labor: The Reshoring Bottleneck

48:20 3PLs and Reshoring: How Warehouses Can Become FTZs

1:02:20 Becoming an FTZ: Security, Compliance, and Product Accountability

1:06:18 Other FTZ Resources: NAFTZ and the Section 321 E-Commerce Loophole

1:09:14 What Is a Maquiladora: Mexico Manufacturing Under USMCA

ABOUT THE GUEST:

Tom Cook is CEO of Blue Tiger International, a supply chain consulting firm founded in 1982. He has written 19 books on global trade, directs the National Institute of World Trade, writes for Global Trade Magazine, and advises US Customs and the Department of Commerce.

KEY TERMS:

foreign trade zone, FTZ, bonded warehouse, tariff inversion, landed cost, Section 232, Section 301, trade compliance, harmonized tariff, UFLPA, forced labor, maquiladora, nearshoring, friendshoring, reshoring, USMCA, NAFTA, merchandise processing fee, Section 321, de minimis, denied parties list, NAFTZ, Blue Tiger International

Supply Chain Saga is produced by Mark Taylor, CEO of Warehouse Republic, a 3PL serving omni-channel e-commerce brands that sell through marketplaces like Amazon, Walmart, and Shopify, as well as retail partners like Nordstrom, Scheels, and Bass Pro Shops.

Website: warehouserepublic.com
Podcast: supplychainsaga.com
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/warehouse-republic
Host: linkedin.com/in/marktaylor

Have a logistics question? Email [email protected]

Courtney Folk, co-founder and CEO of Renewal Logistics, built one of the leading fulfillment companies in the fashion and apparel industry — starting from a family dry cleaning business and an insurance restoration company in Columbia, South Carolina. In 2013, a top-five US apparel company called with an impossible ask: 300,000 pairs of mold-damaged jeans had to be cleaned, retagged, and shipped to a major wholesale club in two weeks. Courtney and her husband Brian said yes — despite never having processed more than 5,000 units in a day — and hit 27,000 units per day by day two. That project became the foundation for everything that followed.

TOPICS COVERED:

- From selling Alltel wireless to running a dry cleaning and fire restoration business in South Carolina

- The 300,000-pair jeans project: going from 5,000 units per day to 27,000 in 48 hours with 200 temp workers

- Why execution and relationships — not contracts — won the business (the deal was signed on a whiteboard photo)

- Why apparel fulfillment is so hard for traditional 3PLs: high SKU density, mixed-size pallets, and complex value-added services

- "Bring Relief" as a core value: the symbiotic relationship between operator, customer, and employee

- Recommerce and sustainability in fashion: how Best Buy turned returns into a strategic weapon and why Patagonia and Levi's are leading

- How Calvin Klein and Tommy Hilfiger run best-in-class omnichannel distribution by shifting inventory across channels daily

- Retail compliance and chargebacks: why wrong labels cost $800 each and how one error can crater a brand's retail relationship

- Why smaller apparel brands should find right-sized 3PLs instead of chasing big-name automation-heavy operations

- Billion-dollar advice: let your biggest customer educate you, seek feedback constantly, and check your ego at the door

CHAPTERS:

0:00 Introduction

5:08 Entrepreneurship: From Alltel Sales to Dry Cleaning and Fire Restoration

10:35 The Big Break: 300,000 Pairs of Mold-Damaged Jeans in Two Weeks

15:10 Execution: How They Hit 27,000 Units Per Day by Day Two

23:08 Building the Momentum: From One-Off Projects to a Full Apparel Fulfillment Operation

29:10 The Next Few Years: Expanding Into Returns Management and Value-Added Services

35:15 Diversifying the Business: Apparel Fulfillment for Fashion Brands of All Sizes

41:25 Bring Relief: The Core Value That Drives Renewal Logistics

46:48 Sell-Through, Recommerce, and Sustainability in the Fashion Supply Chain

1:00:40 Picking the Right 3PL: Why Apparel Brands Need Right-Sized Partners

1:20:42 Advice I'd Give to My Younger Self: Build Your Network and Ignore Bad Advice

1:23:05 Billion-Dollar Advice: Let Your Customers Educate You

ABOUT THE GUEST:

Courtney Folk is the co-founder and CEO of Renewal Logistics, a fulfillment company specializing in the fashion and apparel industry. She and her husband Brian built the business from a family dry cleaning and insurance restoration operation in South Carolina into a full-service apparel fulfillment, returns management, and value-added services provider serving some of the largest fashion brands in the US.

KEY TERMS:

apparel fulfillment, fashion logistics, 3PL, third-party logistics, value-added services,

Supply Chain Saga is produced by Mark Taylor, CEO of Warehouse Republic, a 3PL serving omni-channel e-commerce brands that sell through marketplaces like Amazon, Walmart, and Shopify, as well as retail partners like Nordstrom, Scheels, and Bass Pro Shops.

Website: warehouserepublic.com
Podcast: supplychainsaga.com
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/warehouse-republic
Host: linkedin.com/in/marktaylor

Have a logistics question? Email [email protected]

Parth Pethani, founder of whserobotics.com, is a mechanical engineer who has spent a decade at the intersection of WMS consulting, industrial engineering, and warehouse robotics. He walks through the step-by-step thought process operators need before investing in automation — starting with maximizing your existing WMS, understanding invasiveness scores for brownfield implementations, and knowing when pick-assist AMRs, goods-to-person systems, or robotic arms actually make financial sense for your operation.

TOPICS COVERED:

- Why operators should maximize their WMS before investing in robotics: slotting, batch picking, wave picking, and pick path optimization

- The invasiveness score: how to evaluate automation for brownfield warehouses that can't stop shipping orders

- Pick-assist AMRs (Locus, 6 River Systems): least invasive option that doubles or triples picking productivity from 60 to 120-180 UPH

- Goods-to-person solutions (Geek+, AutoStore, Exotec, GreyOrange): why concrete leveling, fire safety, fencing, and network connectivity add hidden costs

- Why robotics likes constant but warehousing is dynamic — and why 3PLs face different automation challenges than retailers

- Boston Dynamics Stretch and truck unloading robots: the most versatile use case for small and mid-size operators

- Auto baggers, automated packaging machines, and robotic arms for palletizing and unit sorter induction

- Why only 18-20% of warehouses have any form of automation and what that means for adoption timelines

CHAPTERS:

0:00 Introduction

6:15 Use What You Have First: Maximizing Your WMS Before Investing in Robotics

17:11 Robotic Automation: Pick-Assist AMRs and Where to Start

22:45 Invasiveness: Why Brownfield Implementations Require a Different Approach

29:45 Benchmarking Returns: UPH Baselines and Productivity Gains from AMRs

32:30 Beyond AMRs: Goods-to-Person Solutions Like AutoStore, Geek+, and Exotec

43:47 Invasiveness vs. End Goals: The Real Trade-Offs for 3PL Operators

50:00 Automation and Consistency: Why Amazon Can Dictate Terms That 3PLs Cannot

1:04:20 Other Types of Robots: Stretch, Robotic Arms, Auto Baggers, and Automated Packaging

1:20:33 Recap: Step Zero Through Step Two for Automating Your Warehouse

ABOUT THE GUEST:

Parth Pethani is the founder of whserobotics.com and a mechanical engineer with a decade of experience in warehouse technology spanning WMS consulting, industrial engineering, and robotics solution design. He has designed robotic implementations for multi-tenant warehouses and e-commerce fulfillment operations, and actively educates the industry through LinkedIn and his website.

KEY TERMS:

warehouse robotics, warehouse automation, AMR, autonomous mobile robot, pick-assist AMR, goods-to-person, AS/RS, automated storage retrieval system, WMS, warehouse management system, Locus Robotics, 6 River Systems, AutoStore, Geek+, GreyOrange, Exotec, Boston Dynamics Stretch, Kiva Systems, brownfield implementation, greenfield implementation, invasiveness score, slotting, batch picking, wave picking, cluster picking, pick path optimization, UPH, units per hour, truck unloading robot, robotic arm, auto bagger, 3PL automation, warehouse cube utilization, VNA, very narrow aisle

Supply Chain Saga is produced by Mark Taylor, CEO of Warehouse Republic, a 3PL serving omni-channel e-commerce brands that sell through marketplaces like Amazon, Walmart, and Shopify, as well as retail partners like Nordstrom, Scheels, and Bass Pro Shops.

Website: warehouserepublic.com
Podcast: supplychainsaga.com
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/warehouse-republic
Host: linkedin.com/in/marktaylor

Have a logistics question? Email [email protected]

Ward Richmond, Vice Chairman at Colliers International, spent four years touring as a honky-tonk bass player — 200 shows a year, no electricity at home, rolling burritos at Freebirds between gigs. At 27, he pivoted to industrial real estate, cold-called two zip codes in Dallas, and landed the Dynamex account — 100 facilities across the US and Canada — after meeting a bartender at a Slobber Bone reunion show. That single account became the foundation for a global logistics brokerage practice now serving companies like TFI International and spanning six continents through Colliers' 500 offices.

TOPICS COVERED:

- From bass player to commercial real estate: why Ward chose industrial over office because it felt more blue collar

- How a bartender connection at a concert led to the Dynamex account — 100 facilities in the US and Canada

- The value and volume framework: why showing 1,000 completed deals wins clients like a surgeon showing 1,000 successful surgeries

- Building a target list of the top 50 transportation and logistics companies and calling it relentlessly

- Tony Robbins Business Mastery: paying $10,000 and tripling revenue by following through on every lesson

- Grant Cardone's 10X Rule: paying $120,000 for coaching, daily sales meetings, and scaling from 5,000 to 15,000 contacts

- Core values for hiring: discipline, 10X mentality, loyalty, humility, and gratitude

- Texas industrial market: DFW surpassing 1 billion square feet, 80M SF under construction at peak, and why rates won't go down

- Port shifts from West Coast to East Coast: Savannah, Charleston, Richmond, and Miami on fire

- Nearshoring to Mexico and why cross-border trade is reshaping logistics real estate

CHAPTERS:

0:00 Ward Richmond: Aspiring Musician to Industrial Real Estate Broker

5:55 Introduction to Commercial Real Estate Through Summer Internships

8:37 Choosing Music Over Real Estate: Starting a Record Label and Getting Signed

10:49 200 Shows a Year: Touring, Poverty, and Rolling Burritos at Freebirds

16:09 The Pivot to Industrial Real Estate at Age 27

22:45 The Big Break: How a Bartender Led to the Dynamex Account

31:22 Building on the Momentum: From Dynamex to TFI International and Colliers

34:50 Value and Volume: The Sales Framework That Changed Everything

43:26 Tony Robbins Business Mastery: Investing $10K and Tripling Revenue

51:15 Grant Cardone's 10X Rule: $120K Coaching, Daily Sales Meetings, and Scaling

1:01:10 Core Values: Discipline, 10X Mentality, Loyalty, Humility, and Gratitude

1:05:58 Texas Industrial Market: 1 Billion Square Feet and What's Next

1:09:45 The Broader Market: Port Shifts, Nearshoring, and Where Industrial Is Heading

ABOUT THE GUEST:

Ward Richmond is Vice Chairman at Colliers International in Dallas, Texas, where he leads a global industrial real estate practice specializing in transportation and logistics companies. He hosts the Truckin' On podcast and writes the supplychainrealestate.com blog. His clients include TFI International and other major transportation and logistics firms across six continents.

KEY TERMS:

industrial real estate, commercial real estate broker, logistics real estate, Colliers International, TFI International, Dynamex, TransForce, warehouse leasing, le

Supply Chain Saga is produced by Mark Taylor, CEO of Warehouse Republic, a 3PL serving omni-channel e-commerce brands that sell through marketplaces like Amazon, Walmart, and Shopify, as well as retail partners like Nordstrom, Scheels, and Bass Pro Shops.

Website: warehouserepublic.com
Podcast: supplychainsaga.com
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/warehouse-republic
Host: linkedin.com/in/marktaylor

Have a logistics question? Email [email protected]

Chris Shimoda, Senior VP of Government Affairs at the California Trucking Association, breaks down the Advanced Clean Fleets regulation — California's first mandate requiring truck fleets to transition to zero-emission vehicles. Chris explains the two compliance pathways, why 2,000 drayage trucks at the ports of LA and Long Beach face retirement by 2025 with no charging infrastructure ready, and what it would actually take to electrify 400,000 Class 8 trucks in the state. He also covers the Warehouse Indirect Source Rule, AB5's impact on owner-operators, and why every logistics operator in the US should be watching California.

TOPICS COVERED:

- Advanced Clean Fleets regulation: model year schedule vs. milestone tier phase-in compliance paths

- Why 2,000 drayage trucks will age out at the ports of LA and Long Beach by 2025

- Electric truck economics: $450K per truck plus $100K+ per charger with 18-24 month lead times

- The electrical grid math: 30,000 trucks on megawatt chargers would double California's power demand

- Warehouse Indirect Source Rule (ISR): how air districts are regulating trucks through warehouses

- AB5 and the owner-operator crisis: why 70,000 independent truckers face an employment mandate

- Why California's regulations spread to other states and what operators nationwide should prepare for

CHAPTERS:

0:00 Introduction

1:58 California Air Resources Board (CARB): Who They Are and Why It Matters

4:27 Advanced Clean Fleets Regulation: What the Law Requires

5:50 Details of the Law: Fleet Size, Revenue Thresholds, and Scope

7:30 SB 1 Useful Life Provision: The 13-Year Engine Rule

10:06 Milestone Phase-In: The Alternative Compliance Path

14:01 Drayage Exception: Why Port Trucks Face the Strictest Deadline

15:57 Establishing the Numbers: How Many Trucks Are Affected

20:40 Charging Infrastructure: $450K Trucks, $100K Chargers, and 18-24 Month Lead Times

32:23 California's Power Grid vs. What Electrification Actually Demands

43:25 Resources to Understand the Regulations (caltrux.org)

44:28 How Small Operators Are Supposed to Cope

54:23 Wrapping Up the Advanced Clean Fleets Conversation

59:17 What's at Stake for California's Economy and Supply Chain

1:05:02 Warehouse Indirect Source Rules (ISRs): Regulating Trucks Through Warehouses

1:12:14 ISR Compliance for Warehouses 100K SF and Under

1:23:41 AB5 and the Owner-Operator Employment Mandate

1:32:42 How to Get Involved and Advocate for the Industry

ABOUT THE GUEST:

Chris Shimoda is Senior Vice President of Government Affairs at the California Trucking Association, the nation's largest statewide trucking association. He has spent 16 years with the organization as a registered lobbyist, environmental regulatory specialist, and the industry's primary voice in Sacramento on zero-emission mandates, indirect source rules, and worker classification policy.

KEY TERMS:

Advanced Clean Fleets, zero-emission trucks, CARB, California Air Resources Board, drayage, electric truck charging, battery electric truck, EV charging infrastructure, warehouse indirect source rule, ISR, AB5, owner-operator, California Trucking Association, port of LA, port of Long Beach, emissions regulation, fleet electrification, Class 8 truck,

Supply Chain Saga is produced by Mark Taylor, CEO of Warehouse Republic, a 3PL serving omni-channel e-commerce brands that sell through marketplaces like Amazon, Walmart, and Shopify, as well as retail partners like Nordstrom, Scheels, and Bass Pro Shops.

Website: warehouserepublic.com
Podcast: supplychainsaga.com
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/warehouse-republic
Host: linkedin.com/in/marktaylor

Have a logistics question? Email [email protected]

Hal Compton, CEO of Image Microsystems, has owned roughly a dozen companies in 15 years — from durable medical equipment to handicap-accessible vans (which he took public) to commercial furniture. Today he runs a returns, refurbishment, and repair operation in Dallas handling everything from laptops to vacuums to rugs for a major e-commerce customer. Hal explains what happens after a customer hits "return," why 90-95% of returned electronics are perfectly functional, and how he scaled from 60 employees to 850 across three warehouses in three months during the pandemic.

TOPICS COVERED:

- From CompUSA VP to serial entrepreneur: medical equipment, handicap vans, furniture, and reverse logistics

- How to hire 288 employees in 11 days using radio ads and the hiringhal.com campaign

- What actually happens inside a returns processing warehouse: grading, repair, repackage, liquidate

- Why 76% of returned items aren't defective — customers just changed their minds or "rented" the product

- The $250-350 billion e-commerce returns problem and why no one has solved it yet

- Try-before-you-buy models and how companies like NUC are rethinking the returns cycle

- Warehouseman's lien (UCC 7210) and how 3PLs can legally handle abandoned inventory

- How 3PLs can add returns processing as a bolt-on revenue stream

CHAPTERS:

0:00 Introduction

7:24 Serial Entrepreneur: CompUSA to Medical Equipment to Taking a Company Public

21:00 How to Hire 288 Employees in 11 Days During a Pandemic

27:48 Returns, Refurbishment, and Repairs: What Actually Happens

35:36 Funding Rapid Growth as a Bootstrap Entrepreneur

40:50 Dissecting the Returns Problem: A $250-350 Billion Crisis

56:19 Returns Business Models: Liquidation, Try-Before-You-Buy, and Consumer-to-Consumer

1:05:56 Advice for 3PLs Wanting to Offer Returns Services

1:15:27 Wrap Up

ABOUT THE GUEST:

Hal Compton is the CEO of Image Microsystems in Dallas, Texas. He spent 12 years at CompUSA rising to VP of Stores and Operations, then owned roughly a dozen companies including a handicap-accessible van business he took public and grew to $100 million before selling. He now runs returns, refurbishment, and 3PL operations.

KEY TERMS:

reverse logistics, returns processing, refurbishment, e-commerce returns, 3PL, third-party logistics, Image Microsystems, liquidation, B-Stock, re-commerce, warehouseman's lien, UCC 7210, Amazon returns policy, return rate, serial entrepreneur, warehouse scaling, CompUSA, Reverse Logistics Association, RLA, try before you buy, consumer behavior

Supply Chain Saga is produced by Mark Taylor, CEO of Warehouse Republic, a 3PL serving omni-channel e-commerce brands that sell through marketplaces like Amazon, Walmart, and Shopify, as well as retail partners like Nordstrom, Scheels, and Bass Pro Shops.

Website: warehouserepublic.com
Podcast: supplychainsaga.com
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/warehouse-republic
Host: linkedin.com/in/marktaylor

Have a logistics question? Email [email protected]

Evans Richards, CEO of eVend and reVend, started selling Lego on his mom's eBay account at 11 years old and racked up $39K in PayPal before his dad found out. Now 30, he runs a million-square-foot fulfillment operation in North Carolina shipping over a million orders a year across Amazon, Walmart, eBay, and dozens of niche marketplaces. Evans explains how he went from retail arbitrage to direct manufacturer purchasing, why he built his own trucking fleet after $140K in collectibles disappeared in transit, and how his niche 3PL for toys and collectibles grew to serve over 100 vendors.

TOPICS COVERED:

- How an 11-year-old turned eBay Lego sales into a multi-marketplace e-commerce operation

- The shift from retail arbitrage to wholesale purchasing and why RA is dying on Amazon

- Building seller-fulfilled operations across Amazon, Walmart, and eBay simultaneously

- Why he started his own trucking fleet after high-value shipments disappeared in transit

- Amazon Warehousing and Distribution (AWD) as a threat to traditional 3PLs

- Re-commerce and the returns crisis: why billions in returned goods get trashed

- Carrier diversification lessons from COVID when USPS collapsed under volume

- What the ideal 3PL of tomorrow looks like: WMS integration, trend awareness, and adaptability

CHAPTERS:

0:00 Introduction

12:25 Know Thy Product: From Retail Arbitrage to Direct Manufacturer Purchasing

19:10 Early Shipping Processes to Shipping a Million Orders a Year

31:52 Relationships and the Power of Time in E-Commerce

40:00 What If You Had to Start Over with $25K?

42:30 Building a 3PL Out of Necessity

47:12 The E-Commerce Landscape: Amazon, Walmart, eBay, and Shopify

1:04:10 Re-Commerce and the Returns Crisis

1:10:05 Who Is Winning the Shipping Wars: USPS, FedEx, UPS, DHL

1:12:35 The 3PL of the Future: WMS, Tech Stacks, and Adaptability

1:19:49 Wrapping Up

ABOUT THE GUEST:

Evans Richards is the CEO of eVend and reVend, running a million-square-foot fulfillment center in the Greensboro, North Carolina area. He has 19 years of e-commerce experience starting from age 11, ships over a million orders annually, and operates a licensed motor carrier fleet alongside his 3PL and direct-to-consumer businesses.

KEY TERMS:

e-commerce fulfillment, Amazon FBA, Walmart marketplace, eBay, retail arbitrage, 3PL, third-party logistics, re-commerce, reverse logistics, returns processing, Amazon Warehousing and Distribution, AWD, WMS, warehouse management system, Finale Inventory, Ship Station, multi-marketplace selling, carrier diversification, collectibles fulfillment, DTC fulfillment, seller fulfilled prime

Supply Chain Saga is produced by Mark Taylor, CEO of Warehouse Republic, a 3PL serving omni-channel e-commerce brands that sell through marketplaces like Amazon, Walmart, and Shopify, as well as retail partners like Nordstrom, Scheels, and Bass Pro Shops.

Website: warehouserepublic.com
Podcast: supplychainsaga.com
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/warehouse-republic
Host: linkedin.com/in/marktaylor

Have a logistics question? Email [email protected]

Jordan Brown is the oldest fourth-generation member of the family behind NFI Industries, a logistics company that started with one coal truck in 1932 and grew into a multi-billion-dollar operation spanning trucking, warehousing, and real estate. Jordan shares how he went from unloading trailers at a HanesBrands facility in Perris, California, to running Amazon operations, launching an intrapreneurial solar energy division, and helping steer NFI through multiple economic cycles.

TOPICS COVERED:

- How a family business survives to the fourth generation when less than 2% statistically do

- Starting an internal solar energy division at NFI and what going too early on renewables taught him

- NFI's "Bleed Blue" culture and why company values drive retention

- Working with Amazon as both a customer and a potential competitor to 3PLs

- The 2008 recession vs. today's market and how Trader Joe's saved NFI during the downturn

- Why NFI's vertical integration of real estate and operations is a competitive moat

- Southern California industrial vacancy, rent growth, and where the market is heading

- Warehouse automation economics: why the labor-vs-robot inflection point hasn't arrived yet

CHAPTERS:

0:00 Introduction

8:45 Intrapreneurship: Launching a Solar Division Inside NFI

19:00 Back to Distribution and NFI's "Bleed Blue" Culture

23:30 NFI's First Amazon Operations

28:38 The 2008 Recession vs. Today's Market

35:35 NFI Origin Story: One Coal Truck in 1932

46:20 Amazon Warehousing & Distribution: Threat or Opportunity for 3PLs

58:50 Industrial Real Estate: Why NFI Owns Its Warehouses

1:09:50 Warehouse Automation and the Labor Gap

1:17:12 Biggest Opportunities: Sustainability and Labor

1:21:10 Advice for Growing a 3PL: Stay Patient, Master Your Niche

ABOUT THE GUEST:

Jordan Brown is the oldest fourth-generation member of the Brown family at NFI Industries, a 90-year-old logistics company operating across trucking, warehousing, real estate, and renewable energy. He has held roles across commercial real estate, distribution operations, Amazon account management, and solar energy development.

KEY TERMS:

NFI Industries, family logistics business, fourth-generation business, 3PL, third-party logistics, warehouse real estate, industrial real estate, vertical integration, Amazon warehousing and distribution, warehouse automation, supply chain sustainability, Southern California industrial vacancy, just in time vs just in case inventory, intrapreneurship, solar energy warehousing

Supply Chain Saga is produced by Mark Taylor, CEO of Warehouse Republic, a 3PL serving omni-channel e-commerce brands that sell through marketplaces like Amazon, Walmart, and Shopify, as well as retail partners like Nordstrom, Scheels, and Bass Pro Shops.

Website: warehouserepublic.com
Podcast: supplychainsaga.com
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/warehouse-republic
Host: linkedin.com/in/marktaylor

Have a logistics question? Email [email protected]

Summitt Hogue, founder of Growe Real Estate Partners, explains why 3PLs are underserved by commercial real estate brokers and how he built a business exclusively around managing warehouse portfolios for logistics companies. Summitt grew up on a farm in West Texas, spent a year going door to door in Grand Prairie with nothing to show for it, then found his edge by niching down on 3PLs and using LinkedIn Sales Navigator to build relationships nationwide. He covers Southern California rent growth, the pandemic's domino effect on warehouse demand, and why tenant leverage is finally coming back across most US markets.

TOPICS COVERED:

- Why 3PLs are underserved by commercial real estate brokers and how Growe fills that gap

- Using LinkedIn Sales Navigator to build a national network of 3PL relationships

- Southern California industrial rents: from 55 cents to $1.60 net in five years

- The Indirect Source Rule (ISR) and how it's adding millions in costs for California warehouse operators

- How the pandemic overstimulated warehouse demand and what the correction looks like

- Dallas-Fort Worth: 92 million square feet under construction and what that means for lease rates

- Innovative warehouse models: Saltbox, Portal Warehouse, and Fillogic's mall micro-fulfillment

- Why automation is pushing fulfillment operators toward longer lease terms

CHAPTERS:

0:00 Introduction

0:46 What Growe Real Estate Does and Why 3PLs Are Underserved

5:01 From a West Texas Farm to Niching Down on 3PLs

8:30 LinkedIn and Sales Navigator as a Business Development Tool

17:15 First Deal: How BJ Patterson Changed Everything

21:13 Meeting Matt Weiss at Chipotle

28:07 Southern California Rent Growth: From 55 Cents to $1.60

33:15 The Pandemic Domino Effect on Warehouse Demand

43:05 Innovative Models: Saltbox, Portal Warehouse, and Fillogic

47:29 Automation Trends in 3PL Warehouses

59:54 Five Pieces of Advice for Breaking Into the Industry

ABOUT THE GUEST:

Summitt Hogue is the founder and managing partner of Growe Real Estate Partners, the only commercial real estate firm focused exclusively on managing warehouse portfolios for 3PL companies across all major US and Canadian markets.

KEY TERMS:

3PL, commercial real estate, warehouse leasing, industrial real estate, Inland Empire, Southern California logistics, triple net lease, tenant representation, warehouse automation, e-commerce fulfillment, LinkedIn Sales Navigator, Saltbox, Portal Warehouse, Fillogic, micro-fulfillment, Dallas-Fort Worth industrial, ISR indirect source rule, supply chain real estate

Supply Chain Saga is produced by Mark Taylor, CEO of Warehouse Republic, a 3PL serving omni-channel e-commerce brands that sell through marketplaces like Amazon, Walmart, and Shopify, as well as retail partners like Nordstrom, Scheels, and Bass Pro Shops.

Website: warehouserepublic.com
Podcast: supplychainsaga.com
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/warehouse-republic
Host: linkedin.com/in/marktaylor

Have a logistics question? Email [email protected]