RJW Logistics investment to support area operations

BusinessNorthwest Arkansas

by Talk Business & Politics staff ([email protected]) ago 0 views 

Chicago-based RJW Logistics Group recently received an investment from Boston-based private equity firm Berkshire Partners. The investment amount was not disclosed, but it will benefit area operations as the company looks to grow.

RJW Logistics Group, which has a Bentonville office, provides transportation and warehousing services for consumer packaged goods (CPG) companies.

CEO Kevin Williamson said the company’s regional presence is “a strategic hub for cultivating important relationships with key industry stakeholders … This investment will enable RJW to further build and nurture these relationships and its valued local team, enhancing its logistics capabilities and expanding its role as a strategic partner in the Northwest Arkansas region. The investment will also allow RJW to invest more into the vibrant NWA community.”

RJW has six employees in Northwest Arkansas and plans to hire two or three additional staff “to support strategic relationships with key stakeholders,” Williamson said.

The company also plans to expand its warehouse operations in the Chicago and Dallas areas and grow into new areas, including the coasts. The Chicago region expansion is expected to open in the first quarter of 2025, and a new location will open in mid-to-late 2025. Depending on capacity, the company will hire about 225 employees for each new warehouse.

With more than 7.3 million square feet of consolidation warehouse space in the Chicago and Dallas areas, RJW serves more than 850 CPG brands and delivers to more than 180 retailers nationwide. The company has 1,900 employees.

“Kevin and the entire RJW team have built an exceptional business,” said Blake Gottesman, managing director at Berkshire Partners. “We are excited to partner with them to help RJW achieve its ambitious growth aspirations.”

Williamson and other members of RJW management will continue to be significant investors in the company. Private equity firm Mason Wells, which invested in RJW in 2019, will maintain a minority investment in the company.