Gebrüder Weiss, a 500-year-old international transport and logistics company, has announced the acquisition of Cargo-Link, a fully family-owned, non-asset-based freight forwarding company based in Salt Lake City, Utah. Cargo-Link specializes in less-than-container load (LCL) shipping and imports from Asia to mid-west-based customers in the U.S. The acquisition is a component of the Gebrüder Weiss plans for continued growth in North America, including further development of LCL services in its Air & Sea division.
With Cargo-Link, Gebrüder Weiss will offer specialized weekly LCL service from North and South China ports directly into Salt Lake City. Gebrüder Weiss, the North American division headquartered in Wood Dale, Illinois, will leverage Cargo-Link’s strategic location and its leadership team’s expertise to open new LCL routes to Asia and Europe. Salt Lake City is a fast-growing market that values local presence, and the acquisition provides a new regional market entrance. Gebrüder Weiss will retain Cargo-Link’s management team and integrate its employees into the newly merged organization.
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“We are thrilled to bring Cargo-Link under the Gebrüder Weiss umbrella,” says Mark McCullough, CEO of Gebrüder Weiss North America. “There are tremendous synergies between the two companies, and we mutually benefit from the agreement. We look forward to partnering with the Cargo-Link leadership team to enhance our customers’ LCL and Intermountain West-based opportunities.”
Cargo-Link was founded in 1976 in Salt Lake City and grew to become a renowned freight forwarder and Customs House Brokerage (CHB) in a secondary market. Operationally, the majority of the business is comprised of sea freight imports, with air freight, domestic freight forwarding, and export business making up the remainder. CEO and Owner Scott Ogden has managed Cargo-Link since its inception and has developed an extensive network of client relationships and overseas partners.
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“This acquisition significantly upgrades our service potential and broadens customer access, seamlessly blending Cargo-Link’s expertise with the expansive capabilities of Gebrüder Weiss,” says Scott Ogden, CEO of Cargo-Link. “The two companies are a cultural fit as well as a business fit. Cargo-Link is a family-owned, family-focused company with a philanthropic culture, and we sought those same values in a corporate partner.”
In addition to Gebrüder Weiss’ greater coverage in the Intermountain West geographic area and establishing Salt Lake City as its 15th North American location, the company also gains access to a 22,000-square-foot warehouse attached to the Cargo-Link office and optimally positioned near the Salt Lake City airport. Gebrüder Weiss North America has opened operations in all major U.S. markets and is now focusing on regional markets with location-specific experience and operations.
