Freight management business thriving

While many companies scuttled to scale back and cut costs in 2009, Bobby Harris' business was shifting into high gear.

BlueGrace Logistics, a freight and transportation management company that Harris founded in Apollo Beach in 2007, moved its headquarters in January from a 2,000-square-foot office in Apollo Beach to a 12,000-square-foot facility on Falkenburg Road in Riverview. The company also has satellite offices in Salt Lake City and Chicago.

"We quadrupled in size over the last year," Harris said. "We were practically sitting on top of each other." Now that his staff of 35 has room to grow, Harris wants to bring 50 new hires onboard.

Companies like his can thrive during a down economy, when so many others are searching for ways to save money, Harris said.

"We go in and show them ways they can immediately cut costs" by streamlining their supply chain, reducing inventories and trimming transportation costs, he said.

Technology plays a big part in the company's success, Harris said. Its focus has shifted from helping clients move goods to using cutting-edge technology to help them reduce costs. "At our core we're a shipping company, but we're driven by technology," he said.

The company recently launched BlueGrace Mobile Freight Optimizer, billed as the first iPhone application that provides instant access to freight rates and transit times from multiple carriers such as FedEx and UPS Inc.

"The iPhone app ties to our much bigger Web-based system," Harris said. "It's like a world that processes everything, stores address books, tells you if a carrier is a compliant shipper. ... There is data as far as the eye can see."

The services BlueGrace offers are valuable, he said, because shipping charges are part of the cost of goods, and the freight industry traditionally has been complex. "Simplicity is the future," Harris said. "We remove the difficulty factor and show you how to cut costs with functional and efficient solutions."

JOB OPENINGS

BlueGrace Logistics wants to fill 50 new job openings for inside and outside salespeople, operations management employees, customer support services personnel and technology analysts. The company is at 2846 S. Falkenburg Road in Riverview. For information or to apply for a job, go to www.mybluegrace.com and click on the Career Center link, or call 1-800-697-4477.