World Group announces acquisition of Pacific Cascade, bolsters service footprint in Pacific Northwest

Today, World Group, an American-owned global transportation and logistics organization, announced the acquisition of Pacific Cascade, comprised of Pacific Cascade Distribution, LLC, and Pacific Cascade Trucking, LLC, both headquartered in Sumner, Washington.

Pacific Cascade, founded in 2005 by Jeff Roulst, is an asset-light provider of 3PL services including drayage, warehousing, transloading, fulfillment, and more. They operate over 50 trucks and have garnered multiple motor carrier of the year honors from customers in 2016, 2020 and most recently in 2021. Additionally, in 2015, they were the first drayage provider servicing the ports of Tacoma and Seattle to become fully compliant with updated clean air regulations.

Pacific Cascade CEO Jeff Roulst offered the following comments: “This agreement really made sense for both organizations. World Group’s operating companies have a robust presence east of the Rockies, and their recent significant investments in the Pacific Northwest, including a new distribution facility and an express ocean service, demonstrate a commitment to long-term growth in this region. Our leadership teams share a similar vision, and we are excited to see where this journey takes us together.”

World Group CEO Fred Hunger shared the following: "We are thrilled to welcome Pacific Cascade to the World Group family. Their commitment to customers and focus on core values aligns perfectly with our vision and culture. They bring invaluable experience, a proven track record of success, and deep knowledge of the Pacific Northwest market. Having them in the fold will help us expand the breadth and scale of our existing offerings."

"This is part of our strategic vision to utilize the Pacific Northwest as a transportation corridor for our customers and do it using all World Group companies," added Hunger. "Housed within our portfolio, we now have the perfect trifecta of capacity for our customers in the PNW - ocean, warehouse and distribution, and trucking.”

Just this year, World Group’s top-10 U.S.-owned NVOCC and freight forwarding brand, UWL, in collaboration with Swire Shipping, launched a direct ocean express service with guaranteed capacity and market-fastest transit times between Southeast Asia and the U.S.

Hunger continued, “In addition to the launch of the Sun Chief express service, we also recently opened a distribution facility in Tacoma just a short 20-minute drive from Pacific Cascade’s 267,000 sq ft distribution facility and headquarters. We have quite the synergy within our offerings for this region and we believe it will be the next big thing for customers looking for alternative transportation corridors to LA/Long Beach.”

World Group’s distinct operating companies span the spectrum of supply chain and logistics, including:

• ContainerPort Group (CPG®), a national top 10 intermodal drayage company that operates 29 terminals and provides nationwide coverage at every port and every rail with its three trucking brands: ContainerPort Group, Bristol Transportation and Middle Bay Transportation.
• UWL, a top-10 U.S.-owned NVOCC freight forwarding organization that offers ocean and air freight solutions, customs house brokerage, and more.
• World Distribution Services (WDS), providing warehousing and distribution across eight facilities totaling nearly two million square feet.
• World Shipping, Inc., which provides vessel husbandry services for ships sailing the Great Lakes.

“Having Pacific Cascade as part of our roster will truly boost World Group’s strength,” added Hunger. “They will help us build on the momentum and investments from the last 12 months in the Pacific Northwest, and together we can continue to accomplish incredible things for our customers.”