Forward Air Chooses Ohio to Unify and Centralize Distribution and Office Operations

Company Name: Forward Air, Inc.
Location: Groveport
Industry Sector: Logistics and Distribution
Company Profile: Forward Air Corporation (NASDAQ: FWRD) is a leading asset-light freight and logistics company. They provide less-than-truckload (“LTL”), final mile, truckload, intermodal drayage and pool distribution services across the United States and in Canada. Headquartered in Greeneville, Tennessee, Forward Air operates 93 terminals across the country and employs more than 5,200 people nationwide.
Company Website: www.forwardair.com

Project Summary:

• Type of Project: Expansion
• Jobs
  • Jobs committed: 50
  • Jobs retained: 403
• Capital Investment: $31.8 million

Company Need:

Forward Air has grown significantly through strategic acquisitions in various markets. The company operates a cargo hub at Rickenbacker International Airport where it currently uses six buildings. There is a desire to centralize office functions. Forward Air sought a location that would provide a central location and a platform for long-term headcount growth.

Testimonial:

“The Groveport terminal is our largest national hub, and this redevelopment project allows us to increase capacity and centralize operations. The ongoing support we have received from JobsOhio and the state of Ohio has accelerated our expansion in the area. We are excited to grow our local workforce once the new campus is complete.” – Tom Schmitt, president, chairman and CEO, Forward Air

Why Ohio?

Forward Air will expand within the Rickenbacker industrial complex, including the redevelopment of an industrial facility into a unique 120,000 square-foot office space.

Ohio is the company’s biggest hub and has its largest concentration of distribution operations. The state has become a distribution hotspot because of its central geographical location, just a one-day drive from more than 60 percent of U.S. and Canadian populations. For logistics companies where market reach is critical, Ohio’s location is ideal.

Support from the state and JobsOhio will benefit Forward Air and accelerate their investment and growth strategies in Ohio by freeing up capital that would have otherwise gone to construction and building costs. Forward Air will be able to invest their dollars into expanding their workforce, which has the potential to grow to over 600 employees, due to the added space from this project. 

Collaborators:

One Columbus, JobsOhio, the city of Groveport and the Ohio Development Services Agency