AIT Worldwide Logistics acquired WorldFresh Express, a Los Angeles-based freight forwarder that handles perishable food products, in a deal completed Oct. 17.
Terms were not disclosed.
AIT, based in Itasca, Ill., is a global operator, providing air and ocean freight forwarding, customs brokerage, warehousing, and truck and rail transportation services in the United States, Europe and Asia.
Vaughn Moore, CEO of AIT, said in a statement that the acquisition of WorldFresh brings additional volume and a team of “highly skilled subject matter experts” to the business, along with a 13,800-square-foot, temperature-controlled warehouse on the West Coast to handle frozen, refrigerated and fresh produce and meat products.
“This acquisition propels AIT’s cold chain operations to a new level of world-class service,” Moore said.
He added that AIT will continue to evaluate other cold chain forwarders around the world for potential acquisitions.
“Firms that handle distinct commodities with diverse service portfolios are the best fit for our cold chain business model,” Moore said. “We are also pursuing firms with a broader logistics scope to support the company’s long-term strategic growth plan.”
AIT was started in 1979 by Dan Lisowski and Steve Leturno, who led the company for more than three decades. Lisowski and Leturno sold a majority ownership in the business to Moore and a group of other AIT executives in 2012.
AIT, which is an abbreviation for Air It There, ranks No. 47 on the Transport Topics list of top airfreight forwarders.
