The parent company of drayage provider and terminal operator ContainerPort Group, World Group, acquired Pacific Cascade, an asset-light 3PL based in Sumner, Washington, the companies announced last week.
The terms were not disclosed.
Founded in 2005, Pacific Cascade runs a 50-truck fleet that provides drayage, warehousing, transloading, fulfillment and other services. A decade later, it was the first drayage fleet at the ports of Tacoma and Seattle to achieve full compliance with updated clean air regulations, according to the company.
World Group is investing in capacity in the Pacific Northwest, betting that it will serve as an alternative for the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, the country’s biggest port complex. World Group’s assets include a new distribution facility and an express ocean service in the region, as well as Bristol Transportation and Middle Bay Transportation.
“This is part of our strategic vision to utilize the Pacific Northwest as a transportation corridor for our customers and do it using all World Group companies,” World Group CEO Fred Hunger said in a statement. “We now have the perfect trifecta of capacity for our customers in the PNW – ocean, warehouse and distribution and trucking.”
The conglomerate’s freight forwarding business, UWL, launched a direct ocean express service in April with Swire Shipping between Southeast Asia and the U.S. And its new Tacoma distribution facility is 20 minutes from Pacific Cascade’s 267,000-square-foot distribution center.
Pacific Cascade expects the purchase to augment the former company’s offerings east of the Rockies. CEO Jeff Roulst said in a statement that World Group’s commitment to long-term growth in the region made the deal appealing for his company.
“Our leadership teams share a similar vision, and we are excited to see where this journey takes us together,” he said.
Other freight carriers are also growing their Pacific Northwest footprint in pursuit of more business. J.B. Hunt, which launched and rapidly expanded its transloading footprint this year, opened one of its new facilities in Tacoma.
