Logistics & Distribution Acquisitions in Illinois

OTR Solutions, a Roswell, Georgia-based logistics-focused fintech, has acquired Peruse Technology, an AI-powered document automation platform built for the transportation and logistics industry. The acquisition will expand OTR's AI-driven capabilities across document classification, audit, fraud detection and data extraction—delivering reported operational gains such as a 32% reduction in cost per invoice and more than 70% no-touch invoice processing.

PX Holdings Inc. (parent of Pure Freight Lines) has acquired Freight Exchange of North America from Redwood Logistics and announced an expanded strategic partnership with Redwood. The deal adds asset-backed capacity and operational density to Pure Freight while enabling Redwood to continue providing 4PL orchestration and managed transportation services across Midwest and U.S.–Mexico border lanes.

Shipfusion, a national e-commerce fulfillment provider, has completed the acquisition of Chicago-based Boxtrot LLC and integrated Boxtrot merchants into Shipfusion’s North American warehouse network. The deal expands Shipfusion’s capacity and capabilities to support high-volume DTC and omnichannel brands, contributing to a record year of growth for Shipfusion.

The Integration Group (TIG), a portfolio company of Maxwell Street Capital Partners, has acquired North American Warehousing Company (NAWC), a Chicago-area provider of specialized warehousing and hazardous materials handling, blending, and container filling. The add-on expands TIG's Midwest footprint and adds regulated, high-value logistics capabilities that complement prior acquisitions (PDM and Matrix Management).

Chicago-based private equity firm Wind Point Partners has acquired Buske Lines Inc., a contract warehousing and supply chain services provider serving food, beverage and CPG customers. Wind Point is partnering with Buske management (led by CEO Nick Heinz), which retains a meaningful ownership stake, to invest in technology, infrastructure and organic and M&A-driven growth across the company’s 37 facilities in the U.S. and Canada.

Logistics Plus, Inc. has acquired LoadDelivered Logistics, a Chicago-based freight brokerage, to enhance its North American transportation management capabilities. LoadDelivered will continue operating under its legacy brand while integrating with Logistics Plus's North American Division to provide expanded coverage, technology and back-office synergies.

The Integration Group (TIG), a Maxwell Street Capital Partners portfolio company, has acquired Chicago-based Matrix Management to expand its aftermarket assembly, kitting, and e-commerce fulfillment capabilities. The deal is an add-on to TIG's buy-and-build strategy to broaden end-to-end aftermarket supply-chain services for OEMs and distributed dealer networks across agriculture, construction, lawn-and-garden and industrial markets.

AFC Industries, a PE-backed industrial distributor, has acquired Cavanaugh Government Group, a Chicago-area supplier specializing in parts and logistics for military and defense applications. The acquisition expands AFC’s aerospace and defense capabilities and adds vendor-managed inventory and government-focused distribution expertise to its platform; terms were not disclosed.

Cambridge Capital has combined its portfolio company Everest Transportation Systems with Simple Logistics, a St. Charles, Illinois-based freight brokerage specializing in refrigerated truckload freight. The deal positions the combined asset as a larger, tech-enabled, asset-light freight brokerage focused on scale, cross-selling, and expanded refrigerated logistics capabilities backed by Cambridge's supply-chain-focused private equity capital.

Edessa Growth Partners, a search fund led by Resit Melik, has completed the acquisition of Thillens, the Midwest's largest independent armored service provider. Thillens, founded in 1932 and headquartered in Chicago, operates seven branches across Illinois and Wisconsin and serves customers in financial services, gaming, and retail; terms were not disclosed.

Source Logistics has acquired LaGrou Distribution's warehousing business in Northeast Illinois, adding eight Chicago-area facilities and over 2 million square feet of refrigerated and frozen storage to its platform. The deal expands Source Logistics' national network into the Midwest (bringing its footprint to 23 locations and 5+ million sq ft) and introduces cold-chain capabilities to its service offering; LaGrou's non-warehousing and transportation divisions remain with prior owners.

Hidden Harbor Capital Partners has made a strategic growth investment in Coast to Coast Logistics, a Deerfield, Illinois–based non-asset third-party logistics provider specializing in drayage freight brokerage. The deal will provide capital and resources to support the company's growth and market expansion while CEO and founder David Fishbein remains as CEO and an equity holder.

Odyssey Logistics has acquired OctoChem, Inc., a Vandalia, Illinois-based chemical sample fulfillment provider founded in 1995. The acquisition expands Odyssey’s chemical sample fulfillment, hazardous-materials handling and warehousing capabilities, strengthening its multimodal logistics and regional/international fulfillment network.

Rent-A-Container, a portfolio company of Kinderhook Industries, has acquired Stuff-It Storage, a portable storage container and container office provider based in Springfield, Illinois. The deal marks RAC's 10th branch location and expands its Midwest footprint; Stuff‑It founder Harvey Horton will remain with RAC post-close to support growth.

RXO (NYSE: RXO) has completed the acquisition of Coyote Logistics from UPS for $1.025 billion, making RXO the third-largest provider of brokered transportation in North America. The deal expands RXO's customer base, carrier network and market scale while integrating Coyote's people and technology into RXO's asset-light, tech-enabled brokerage platform.

Astira Capital Partners, a Boston-based private equity firm, has acquired ConData Global, a market-leading freight post-audit and transportation spend management provider. The acquisition — sourced from NextGen Growth Partners — will support ConData's continued investment in technology and human capital as Astira's inaugural investment.

Wagner Logistics has acquired the contract logistics division of Dawson Logistics, adding one million square feet across four warehousing operations in Danville, Illinois; Cincinnati, Ohio; and Nashville, Tennessee. The transaction brings roughly 90 employees into Wagner, expands its national footprint to more than 8 million square feet, and strengthens Wagner's contract logistics and apparel/industrial capabilities.

Lawson Products, the operating company of Distribution Solutions Group (DSG), has completed the acquisition of S&S Automotive, a Midwest-based automotive and industrial parts distributor headquartered in Woodridge, Illinois. The transaction — funded with DSG cash and its credit facility — will combine S&S with Lawson's Kent Automotive division to expand product offering, vendor-managed inventory (VMI) capabilities and geographic reach; S&S reported approximately $40 million in annual revenue and the deal is expected to be accretive to DSG's adjusted EPS and EBITDA margins.

Norwest Equity Partners has made an investment in Nationwide Organ Recovery Transport Alliance (NORA), a St. Charles, Illinois–based provider of specialized air, ground and courier transportation services for the organ and tissue transplant industry. Northborne Partners served as exclusive financial advisor to NORA; financial terms were not disclosed. NEP's investment is intended to support NORA's continued growth, capability expansion and service delivery to organ procurement organizations, transplant centers and perfusion technology providers.

TruckPro, LLC acquired Whatever It Takes Repair, Inc., a family-owned heavy-duty truck and trailer parts distributor and repair shop located in Dixon, Illinois. The sellers, Mark and Kristi Reiss, will transition ownership while Mark Reiss continues to lead day-to-day operations; TruckPro expects to expand customer offerings and capabilities, including eCommerce solutions and broader product access.

Truckstop acquired FreightFriend's AI-powered, cloud-based freight matching and carrier relationship management platform to enhance its freight marketplace and capacity-matching capabilities. The acquisition integrates FreightFriend's CRM and intelligent matching technology into Truckstop's freight lifecycle solutions to improve broker-carrier relationships and matching efficiency.

Graybar has completed the acquisition of CX Connexion, an electrical distributor based in Buffalo Grove, Illinois. CX Connexion will continue to operate under its existing name and leadership as a subsidiary of Graybar, which said the deal will accelerate its growth in the Chicago market.

Red Arts Capital acquired FLEX Logistics (Eastvale, CA) and combined it with its existing Partners Warehouse platform (Elwood, IL) to create Partners Warehouse Holdings, a national 3PL/warehousing platform. Graycliff Partners provided a unitranche debt financing to support Red Arts' acquisition and the merger, enabling cross-selling and expansion of warehousing and transloading capabilities.

Larry's Cartage, a Chicago-area drayage and intermodal services provider, was acquired by U.S. MultiModal Group, Inc. The business becomes the sixth drayage operation under ARC's platform (ARC Industries/US MultiModal Group), with ARC and several undisclosed investors taking minority stakes to expand the group's intermodal footprint and provide additional capital.

Echo Global Logistics, a Chicago-based provider of technology-enabled transportation and supply chain services, acquired Fastmore Logistics, a Chicagoland non-asset-based transportation broker focused on serving international freight forwarders. The acquisition expands Echo's access to expedited brokerage capacity and provides entry into the international freight forwarding market while preserving Fastmore’s existing operations and team.

Chicago-based private equity firm CIVC Partners has made a growth investment in OTR Transportation, a Chicago-headquartered technology-enabled freight broker, in partnership with founder and CEO Jon Braun. The deal leaves the OTR management team in place (Braun retaining a significant stake) and will support accelerated organic growth and pursuit of strategic acquisitions; Dan Para is participating as a co-investor and will join OTR's board.

48forty Solutions, a portfolio company of Audax Private Equity and Summit Partners, has acquired CALco Pallets from Strength Capital Partners. The add-on expands 48forty's footprint in the northern Midwest, adding CALco's manufacturing, recycling and mulch-production capabilities and nearly 300 employees across facilities in Illinois and Wisconsin.

Star Leasing Company, a portfolio company of I Squared Capital, has acquired Cooling Concepts, LLC, a refrigerated semi‑trailer leasing company serving customers in over 30 U.S. states. The acquisition expands Star’s refrigerated trailer fleet, geographic footprint and product offerings (rentals, leasing, maintenance and trailer sales) and is accretive to its core business as part of I Squared’s larger transport and cold‑chain platform.

Shipfusion, a Chicago-based eCommerce fulfillment and order management platform, secured a $40.0 million growth equity investment from Kayne Partners (the growth private equity group of Kayne Anderson Capital Advisors) to accelerate growth, expand strategic warehouse locations, and enhance its proprietary technology. As part of the financing, Leon Chen of Kayne Partners will join Shipfusion’s board to support the company’s continued expansion across North America and product development.

Fourshore Partners has acquired Buske Logistics, a third-party logistics provider with over 4.5 million square feet of warehousing across more than 20 locations in the U.S. and Canada. The deal establishes Buske as a Fourshore platform to support its next stage of growth across packaging, food & beverage, and automotive end markets.

Arrive Logistics has acquired the cross-border business and proprietary platform of Forager Group to strengthen its cross-border services and technology offerings across the U.S., Canada and Mexico. The deal brings Forager's cross-border specialists and platform into Arrive's transportation management system to expand capabilities and scale Arrive's cross-border footprint.

Becker Logistics LLC acquired Trek Freight Services, LLC effective December 31, 2021. The Lincolnwood, Illinois-based 3PL adds ~125 customers, 25,000+ carriers, 35 employees and Trek's proprietary TMS to Becker's operations as part of Becker's continued growth and capability expansion.

An affiliate of private equity firm The Jordan Company completed the acquisition of Echo Global Logistics, Inc. for $48.25 per share in cash, taking the Chicago-based logistics provider private and suspending its Nasdaq trading. The Jordan Company said it will partner with Echo’s management to invest in the company’s technology and accelerate its long-term growth strategy.

Leonard Green & Partners has made a significant growth investment in Parts Town in a recapitalization in which existing investor Berkshire Partners retained its majority stake and reinvested alongside management. The capital will be used to accelerate Parts Town's technology, supply chain and e-commerce capabilities and support rapid international expansion and entry into adjacent parts categories.

Vertical Cold Storage, a Platform Ventures‑sponsored developer and operator of temperature‑controlled distribution centers, has acquired Liberty Cold Storage in Bolingbrook, Illinois from West Liberty Foods. The deal—terms not disclosed—gives Vertical Cold a nearly 300,000 sq. ft. facility with intermodal access and strengthens its plan to build a national cold storage footprint while West Liberty Foods will remain a major customer.

Ryder System, Inc. has acquired all outstanding equity of Midwest Warehouse & Distribution System, a Woodridge, Illinois–based 3PL that operates 17 multi-client and dedicated warehouses totaling about seven million square feet and a company-owned truck fleet. The acquisition, completed Nov. 1, 2021, expands Ryder's multi-client warehousing capability in the Chicago distribution hub and is expected to add roughly $135 million of annual revenue in 2022.

Alliance Ground International (AGI) has acquired MIC Cargo (Maestro), a Chicago-based air cargo and ground handling operator at Chicago O'Hare (ORD). The deal expands AGI's warehouse footprint and aircraft parking capacity at ORD — including Maestro's WHO‑GDP certified cold‑chain pharmaceutical capabilities — as AGI grows its North American air cargo and below‑the‑wing services.

Wilbert Funeral Services, Inc. (Overland Park, Kansas) has acquired certain assets of Continental Casket Company, a Watseka, Illinois–based regional distributor of metal and wood caskets that operates three warehouses serving Illinois and parts of Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky and Missouri. The asset purchase expands Wilbert's Casket Division and adds regional warehousing and distribution capabilities to support funeral professionals across the Midwest.

ArcBest (Nasdaq: ARCB) has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire MoLo Solutions, a Chicago-based truckload freight brokerage, for $235 million in cash with potential additional contingent consideration. The acquisition expands ArcBest's asset-light truckload brokerage capabilities, increases access to carrier partners and shippers, and is expected to be accretive to earnings.

Harvestone Group has acquired Gateway Terminals LLC, a bulk liquid terminal complex in Sauget, Illinois with 400,000 barrels of tank capacity and multimodal truck, rail, and barge capabilities. The purchase expands Harvestone’s marketing, logistics and trading platform and strengthens its position in key biofuels and commodity supply chains.

Architect Equity has acquired The Mail Group (TMG) from bpost group in a corporate divestiture. TMG is an asset-light third-party logistics provider offering full-service mail, packet, parcel and publication delivery across North America and globally; Architect plans to support the company's growth through operational and corporate-development resources.

Consolidated Hospitality Supplies Holdings (CHS), a platform backed by HCI Equity Partners, acquired the inventory and select North American operating assets of American Hotel Register Company — including the Registry brand. The deal combines CHS's Amtex business with American Hotel assets to create a larger hospitality supplies platform, expanding product range, national fulfillment capability and market share; financial terms were not disclosed.

Stellex Capital Management acquired Go To Logistics from HCI Equity Partners on May 4, 2021; financial terms were not disclosed. Go To Logistics, headquartered near Chicago in Northlake, Illinois, is a regional transportation and logistics provider focused on freight consolidation and less‑than‑truckload (LTL) services with a strong food and beverage customer base.

The Jordan Company has agreed to recapitalize AIT Worldwide Logistics in a transaction valued at over $1.2 billion, acquiring Quad‑C Management's stake while AIT management remains significant shareholders. AIT, a Chicago‑based non‑asset‑based global freight forwarder offering air, ocean, ground and customs services, will continue to be led by President and CEO Vaughn Moore and his senior team.

Forward Air Corporation agreed to acquire the assets of Proficient Transport Incorporated and Proficient Trucking, Inc. for $15 million to expand its intermodal drayage footprint. The Chicago-headquartered Proficient Transport generates approximately $23 million in annual revenue, operates with 32 employees and ~130 independent contractors, and the deal is expected to close in February 2021.

Ridgemont Equity Partners has completed a majority recapitalization of SEKO Logistics, a global third-party logistics provider. Greenbriar Equity Group, SEKO's majority shareholder since 2015, will retain a significant equity stake alongside SEKO management; financing for the transaction was provided by Barings, Blackstone Credit, Churchill Asset Management and Manulife Investment Management.

Terra Worldwide Logistics (parent company of American Global Logistics) has acquired Downers Grove, Illinois-based Connect Global Logistics. Connect Global Logistics will operate under the American Global Logistics tradename and founder Kim Malloy has joined TWL as President of the CGL division; the deal is an add-on to TWL/AGL's logistics platform to expand capabilities and customer reach.

Investment funds managed by Alinda Capital Partners and the Universities Superannuation Scheme have agreed to acquire PECO Pallet, Inc., a leading North American provider of pooled rental pallets. PECO operates a network of more than 80 facilities and manages roughly 21 million pallets across the United States and Canada, providing recurring, asset-backed logistics services.

A&R Logistics, a Wind Point Partners portfolio company, has acquired First Choice Logistics, a provider of bulk liquid transportation and logistics services to the chemical industry. The add-on expands A&R's chemical supply chain platform by adding liquid transportation and ISO intermodal capabilities previously operated as an independent unit of Ozinga Bros. Inc.

Tower Arch Capital has completed a recapitalization investment in OSM Worldwide, a tech-enabled global parcel management and logistics services provider, partnering with the company's founding management team including CEO Gaston Curk and President Jim Kelley. The transaction provides capital and strategic support to fuel OSM's next phase of growth, including organic investments and acquisitions; terms were not disclosed.