Celebrating 35 Years: A Letter of Gratitude and Appreciation from TA Services’ CEO Scott Schell

This letter is the first of many reflections that you will see from TA Services during Q4 2021. We recently reached a huge milestone – our 35th Anniversary – and one way we are celebrating is by highlighting some key achievements on our journey throughout the years. In 2021’s 4th quarter we will be sharing stories with topics ranging from customer appreciation to the evolution of technology to fun facts about our people.

35 years in business is something I am very proud to announce. This journey has been a team effort, a team that spans across all TA offices and sites. I am very proud of everyone who has made TA Services into what we are today. Together, We Make Ship Happen! 35 years could not have happened without the dedication and hard work of our employees, carriers, and customers working together to make it a success. I am extremely blessed to be a part of this team and I look forward to a very bright future.

I’d like to reflect on a few milestones and fun facts about the company’s history and talk about our vision for the future.

The 80’s: A Trailer and a Handshake

This company was founded in 1986 on a handshake between 4 partners: Dale Hughes, Jackie Askelson, and Pat and Joann Porritt. With a small investment in a trailer (which became their office), the 4 partners were in business and the company was named ‘Team America.’

The first goal was to service Chaparral Steel, a very large-scale steel mill in Midlothian, Texas. Team America’s biggest job was to provide incremental truck capacity at the right economics so Chaparral could continue to grow their business. There were a lot of logistics companies out there to choose from. In choosing Team America,little did they know that this commitment would grow into the 500M+ company that it is today.

The 90’s: Name Change(s) and the Beginning of a 35-Year Partnership

In the early years during Team America’s growth, the company was approached in 1995 by a lawyer representing a film company with the same name. In an effort to avoid unnecessary costs and litigious delays, the difficult decision to rename the company was made. The partners landed on “TA Services” and the rest, as they say, is history.

In the late 90’s, TA Services was asked to assist Chapparal Steel (now known as Gerdau) with starting a sister mill in Petersburg, VA. The TA Services’ leadership team was on the site selection committee for the new mill, and they played an integral role in transporting finished steel to customers even prior to the mill being completed. It was the beginning of a long-lasting partnership that is still in full force today. Currently, TA Services provides Gerdau with a variety of added 3PL services in addition to in-plant mill services.

The 2000’s: A Glimpse at TA Services in Action and a ‘Forever’ Memory Created

In 2009, I was an employee of Gerdau. TA Services was a supplier, and I was a customer. (Little did I know that I would have the opportunity to join the TA Services organization in the near future.) That same year, I met Patrick Porritt in Tampa, FL. This was a tough year for the economy. Pat brought his TA Services’ leadership team to Tampa to help us at Gerdau solve some problems we were experiencing due to the poor economy. I will never forget their commitment to success and their relentless focus on creating value. It moved me. Not all logistics companies stood out to me like TA Services did. The TA Services brand at that time was something very different than any other supplier of their nature and that was immediately noticed.

2010: Worlds Collide

In 2010, I decided to leave the steel industry and join P&S Transportation as the President of the organization. P&S Transportation is an asset-based transportation company. Our goal at P&S was to continue to evolve our model and strategy and to diversify our business. To diversify our model, we needed a services entity that provided non-asset services. Sure enough, that service was fulfilled with the acquisition in 2014 of TA Services! My worlds collided in a very cool way that day. P&S Transportation purchased TA Services in 2014 and the company has continued to evolve into what it is today – a multi-functional, multi-modal logistics company of which I am currently the President and CEO.

2020: Moving America in Every Way

Today the company stands over 700+ people strong. We generate over 500M+ in revenue. We have 4 pillars of services: multi-modal brokerage; large-scale warehousing; a cross-border service that allows us to service customers into and out of Mexico and Canada; and a managed transportation business that offers an extension of our services and technology, support, and visibility to small to midsized customers.

Since the acquisition in 2014, I have watched our team outperform in all types of market conditions and our company is a team that never quits. The hard work that our people invest into the company every day is the reason we see the growth that we have seen over the last 6 years and have become one of the most trusted logistics companies in the market. It’s a testament of each TA Services employee in their commitment to our values and our core competencies and quite frankly, just doing what we say we are going to do.

We have completed multiple acquisitions that have helped us grow and expand our services. In 2019 we acquired Celadon logistics. In 2020 we acquired Top Gun Freight. And in 2021 we acquired Toronto-based Scout Logistics. These acquisitions were successful because of the value that has been created by each and every one of our key team players; our shareholders, our stakeholders, our customers, and our carrier network, while improving our culture, market presence, and brand every step of the way. And it is something that not many in our industry can compete with.

The Future: Momentum, Service, and Hard Work

The momentum we’ve built up for over 3 decades helped us get to where we are today. We will continue to grow our services, our teams and our customer and carrier relationships. We will continue to provide the best service to our customers. We will continue to forge partnerships that endure 35 more years and beyond! I am so blessed and thankful to be a part of the TA Services team.

Thank you to each and every TA Employee for all that you do to Make Ship Happen. Thank you to everyone in our carrier network for helping us to Move America and Beyond. And thank you to all the customers and vendors who trust us to help run your businesses every day. We appreciate all of you.

– Scott Schell President and CEO, TA Services