It’s only been three weeks since I joined the leadership team here at Source Logistics but I really wanted to share with you the reasons I accepted the offer. And, let me tell you, the last weeks have only confirmed what a great decision that was.
The best kept secret in the industry
I’d be lying if I told you that in my 25+ years in the business, that Source Logistics was a name that I’d come across before. The business has grown organically and with very little marketing, from a 21,000 sq ft unit in 1999 to the 2.3 Million square feet of technology-packed SQF certified warehouse space strategically located throughout the U.S it is today. You only achieve that kind of success by serving your customers really well, keeping satisfaction high, KPI’s met and exceeded, and customer churn low.
All great indicators of a well run business and motivated team.
At Source, it’s about the people
It was on meeting founders Marcelo and Raul though, that the “Source DNA” really became apparent. Our mission is to “Be the Best Logistics Partner for You”. In the 3PL industry more broadly, what that would normally solely be measured by hitting customer KPIs at any cost and by any means.
That’s just not the case at Source.
There’s a culture of mutual respect that pervades every relationship in the business. Partnership here is defined by how we treat each other, our own vendors and our customers. Just walk the floor with Marcelo or Raul and you see it – greeting every member of staff by name and engaging with them. And just to be clear, it’s not that meeting and exceeding KPIs isn’t important. It sure is – but they become the result not the target.
Specialization when it matters
Source Logistics are experts in the northbound import and related distribution services for goods from Mexico and Latin America more generally, into the US. We focus today on Food and Beverage, CPG and Health and Beauty markets, though within our 100+ active customers you’ll find other industries represented too, along with customers like Deoleo from Europe and Asia, who also appreciate the way we do business.
While the behemoths in our industry operate on these routes too, the knowledge, organization and specialization that we offer enables us to create an experience that better serves our customers. And it shows, with KPI’s and retention rates some of the best in the industry (95%+ in H1,’24), in spite of the more complex operating environment in which we operate.
This specialization in serving Hispanic vendors bringing their goods to the US hasn’t gone unnoticed by some of the biggest consumer brands in the industry too, with household names like Coca-Cola within our customer base, alongside smaller, more artisan brands with a strong following in the US market.
For a seasoned seller like me, it’s a perfect proposition and is already making talking to customers old and new, representing what we do, a pleasure.
Storm Beryl hits our Houston operation
Just a few days into my tenure here Storm Beryl landed in the Greater Houston area. It’s a significant point of entry for many of our customers, and a location where we operate a vast warehouse facility. In spite of many, if not all of our team losing power and communications at their own homes, they were still showing up for work, trying to keep supply lines open and moving. It’s at times like this the Source DNA really shows through, even though I’m new on the team, it made me truly proud to be one among them, doing whatever I could remotely from my Northern Maryland home to support them and, in turn, our customers.
…and we’re only just beginning
My appointment at Source Logistics is part of the beginning of a new chapter here. Our customers are seeing rapidly increasing demand across the US for the products they produce. It’s a demand that we need to respond to and be able to increase both our geographic reach and breadth of offering. Our vision is to be the leading logistics partner to the Food & Beverage, Consumer Packaged Goods industry for U.S. cross-border logistics specialized in Latin American products. The recent injection of capital by Palladium Partners, part of a wider related $1.3Bn range of investments, will provide the rocket fuel needed to achieve just that.
If Source Logistics has been one of the best kept secrets in our industry for the past 25 years, you can bet it won’t be for very much longer. And I couldn’t be happier to be on that journey.