Logistics Plus Blends Business Investment with Humanitarian Support
By: Karen Torres, Executive Director, Business Magazine
Click to view/download a PDF of the full article.
Logistics Plus, Inc. (LP) is one of the fastest-growing, privately owned logistics providers in the world.
It is also a top 100 3PL company, a top freight brokerage and warehousing firm, a top technology developer, a unique solutions provider for key verticals, such as solar, data centers, and many others, and a certified Great Place to Work®.
But what truly distinguishes LP as a company to watch is its innovative solutions and extensive global network that are impacting both business investment and humanitarian support.
Over the past two and half years, LP has provided a critical lifeline to Ukraine in its rebuilding efforts as the war with Russia rages on. The company has donated and raised more than $1 million worth of relief but also has provided vital transportation and logistics support to assist with Ukraine’s infrastructure and economic stability.
LP’s support for Ukraine is driving meaningful impact on the global stage — a call to action for other businesses to continue to invest in and support the country as more safe zones are created.
“We’re trying to lead by example,” explains LP Founder and Chief Executive Officer Jim Berlin. “I call it the tip of the shovel. We’re willing to go in before others are willing to go in. If others see, maybe they’ll join in and start digging too.”
Logistics Plus and its founder and CEO, Jim Berlin, were featured in the February 21, 2024 issue of Erie Times-News newspaper. Logistics Plus COO Yuriy Ostapyak was also quoted in the article. A reprint is included below, along with a link to the online version.
One of 1,000 truckloads of pipe for Naftogaz delivered in a global operation carried out by Pennsylvania-based Logistics Plus and Vorex USA. (Company photo)
The joint operation between Logis-ukraines-port-of-chornotics Plus and Vorex, LLC, an American oil and gas equipment supplier that won the contract to supply the pipe to Ukrainian state gas producer Naftogaz, entailed $100 million worth of gas pipes, delivering $100 million worth of gas pipes, weighing over 22-thousand tons, to hundreds of sites in Ukraine in a complex effort that involved filling and then offloading four break bulk ships onto 1,000 trucks to avoid anti-ship mines and missile attacks. The entire project took 14 months to order, fabricate, and prepare, then eight months to deliver.
“It’s hard to think of a more complex operation from all my years in the business,” said Fedor Zakusilo, the Ukrainian-American founder and president of Vorex USA, who started out in the oilfield supply business in 2000. “At times, the staff was pushing it dangerously hard, and we had to rein them in – people were actually unloading pipe while a factory just across the road was exploding from a Russian attack. The dedication to getting the job done was off the charts.”
“Everyone was quite on edge throughout this operation,” said Chief Operating Officer Yuiry Ostapyak, a Ukrainian-American who, at 39 years of age, has worked for 20 years for the Erie, Pennsylvania-based Logistics Plus. “This was definitely one of the biggest logistics challenges we have seen – it’s one that a lot of companies would have shied away from.”
“I think the future in logistics will go to the companies that learn to find a way to say ‘yes’ quicker, even as circumstances get more and more difficult,” Ostapyak said. “When the war broke out, many Western companies were running away. We were running toward Ukraine, to help. That attitude will become increasingly essential in the future.”
Ukraine Rebuild Newswire is the brainchild of Adam Brown, a foreign correspondent with 35 years of experience in Latin America, West Africa, Eastern Europe and Southeast Asia for The Associated Press and Bloomberg News. His work has appeared on the front page of virtually every major newspaper in the world and he has appeared on CNN, BBC, ABC, CBS and elsewhere from Afghanistan, Kosovo and many other wounded places.
About Vorex USA
Wherever there’s oil and gas, Vorex USA has the equipment and expertise you need to extract and transport it. They distribute products for more than 40 North American and European manufacturers in more than 15 countries around the world. Its goal is to provide the expertise to help you meet any technical challenge. Their products meet the industry’s highest standards and they deliver them on schedule, at the lowest cost to you. Learn more at usavorex.com.
About Logistics Plus, Inc.
Logistics Plus, Inc. (LP) is a 21st-century logistics company and a leading worldwide provider of transportation, warehousing, fulfillment, global logistics, business intelligence, technology, and supply chain solutions. LP works in the background to help businesses manage their supply chains in an ever-changing world. Founded in 1996, today LP has annual global sales of over $500M with more than 1,000 employees located in 50+ countries worldwide. LP is recognized as one of the fastest-growing privately-owned logistics companies, a top 3PL provider, a top 100 logistics company, a top freight brokerage and warehousing provider, and a great place to work. With a Passion For Excellence™, its employees put the PLUS in LOGISTICS by doing the big things properly, plus the countless little things that together ensure complete customer satisfaction and success.
Logistics Plus, once again, has been profiled as a top third-party logistics (3PL) company by Inbound Logistics magazine for its annual Logistics Planner. In its 32nd year of publication, the 2024 industry planner helps companies find the right technology solutions and transportation and logistics partners to drive supply chain efficiency. With both print and digital editions, the annual issue is updated with profiles of leaders in transportation, technology, logistics, and more who stand ready to help businesses face upcoming challenges to optimize their supply chains.
