Freight Brokerage Firm Investing $250K to Open Facility in Lowell

Cincinnati-based freight brokerage firm Total Quality Logistics (TQL) announced Sept. 16 it will make an initial capital investment of $250,000 to open an office in Lowell.

The company is leasing about 1,800 SF in the Northwest Arkansas Business Center at 515 Enterprise Drive, near the J.B. Hunt Transport Services Inc. headquarters.

Including the Arkansas facility, which will create up to 50 new jobs, TQL employs more than 2,800 people in 27 offices in 16 states.

TQL is one of the country’s largest logistics companies. The company provides domestic freight transportation and logistics services, and in 2013 moved more than 815,000 loads and brought in $1.6 billion in sales.

Kerry Byrne, executive vice president with the company, said TQL should end the year with $2 billion in sales and approximately 3,000 employees.

“The third-party logistics industry as a whole is in a period of heavy growth, and TQL more so than most,” he said.

The company was founded in 1997 by Ken Oaks, whose experience as a buyer in the industry kept his focus on transporting produce.

Expanding its scope and expertise over the years, TQL today ships fresh fruits and vegetables, meat and poultry, building supplies, machinery and equipment.

Byrne said the company has averaged nearly 30 percent sales growth every year since it opened.