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90 Years of Excellence: A Story Still In The Making

This year, NFI celebrated its 90th Anniversary, a milestone only made possible by the dedication of our people and partnerships with our customers. Since 1932 we’ve worked to build a culture that empowers employees, embraces innovation, and reinforces our commitment to customers. We thank those who have joined us on this journey and have helped make NFI what it is today — a leading third-party logistics provider serving all of North America.

A Culture of Caring

Since our founding, we have been committed to improving the communities where we live and work. We believe that by building these relationships and providing valuable resources, we can serve as an example for the business community and create environments that inspire others.

To kick off anniversary celebrations, local leaders and employees selected 10 organizations to donate $9,000 (totaling $90,000) to celebrate our 90 years in business. These organizations include:

Big Brothers Big Sisters Inland Empire (Inland Empire, CA)
Cancer Pathways (Seattle, WA)
Chicago Coalition for the Homeless (Chicago, IL)
Give Kids the World, Inc. (Orlando, FL)
The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (Savannah, GA)
Make a Wish Foundation of Greater LA (Long Beach, CA)
Nationwide Children’s Hospital (Columbus/Groveport, OH)
Pediatric Cancer Foundation of Lehigh Valley (Lehigh Valley, PA)
SickKids Hospital (Toronto, Canada)
Treasured Vessels Foundation (Dallas, TX)

NFI’s Growing Portfolio of Solutions

Introducing NFI eCom
In October, NFI expanded its offerings in the eCommerce space with the launch of “NFI eCom” – an end-to-end fulfillment solution designed to address the challenges faced by growing brands. NFI brings operational excellence to mid-market companies by packaging the tools and services necessary to scale their businesses.

Enhancing Port Service Solutions
NFI also announced the acquisition of MCO Transport in October, a provider of port service solutions in the southeastern United States. With the acquisition, NFI’s port solutions and export drayage services expand our network footprint in the growing regions of Wilmington, NC, Norfolk, VA, Charleston, SC, Savannah, GA, and Atlanta, GA.

5 Years of NFI Cal Cartage
Five years ago, NFI welcomed the California Cartage Company into the family. Together, we have expanded our capabilities in the port services space, better connected our domestic and international platforms, and designed comprehensive end-to-end solutions for our customers.

Growing in Georgia
The Georgia Ports Authority (GPA) is funding an expansion of the Port of Savannah with a new transload facility which will be operated by NFI. The 325-door Savannah transload facility is slated to be completed in April 2023, transloading ocean cargo coming through the Port of Savannah. Our team is excited to be at the forefront of this operation in the growing supply chain hub. We look forward to continuing the expansion of our existing presence within the region.

Powering a New Path

Having already operated more than 750,000 miles with battery-electric tractors (BETs), our team has made continuous strides in its commitment to operating the nation’s first 100% zero emission drayage fleet. The JETSI Project, of which NFI is a key partner, reached an agreement with the Long Beach harbor commission to deploy its electric trucks to the twin ports of LA and Long Beach. In addition to the 60 combined electric tractors NFI is operating through JETSI, the company made a separate investment to add another 30 Volvo VNRs to its fleet in May, and later announced the order of 10 Hyliion Hypertruck ERXs in July.

In total, NFI will welcome 100 BETs to its fleet through 2023, leading the industry in the sustainable goods movement.

As NFI continues to break into new sustainable territory, our team has welcomed its first Director of Sustainability in Alexa Branco. Alexa will serve as NFI’s sustainability expert both internally and externally to customers, calculating and reporting on NFI’s emissions, and managing a coordinated ESG plan. Her measurements will help NFI outline our future sustainability targets and continue our leadership in the charge to a zero-emission supply chain.

Pioneering Innovative Solutions

NFI’s team of engineers consistently evaluates the latest innovative technologies in the supply chain and allows NFI to deliver higher-quality service to its customers. This year, NFI made investments into two cutting-edge technologies: Boston Dynamics’ Stretch robots, which will be used to unload containers, lessening repetitive and physically-demanding work for employees and shifting their focus to more fulfilling activities; and Phantom Auto’s remotely-driven warehouse equipment, which will allow customers to increase productivity and safety in their warehouses.

Building a Better Future

NFI Cares Celebrates 5 Year Anniversary
Since its launch five years ago, NFI’s hardship assistance program, NFI Cares, has made a tremendous impact in the lives of our employees and their loved ones when facing financial distress or hardship due to a catastrophic event. This program was designed by owners Sid, Ike, and Jeff Brown to foster NFI’s culture of caring and supporting employees in times of need. To date, our colleagues have raised over $375,400, helping nearly 575 employees.

Record-breaking Fundraising for Heart Health
Sid Brown, CEO of NFI, served as the American Heart Association’s 2022 Chair of the Philadelphia Heart Ball and raised a record-setting $3 million. Sid’s personal experience with heart health led to his involvement with the organization, and his dedication was felt throughout NFI.

Introducing Paid Parental Leave
Families come in all shapes and sizes. This year, NFI was proud to begin offering Paid Parental Leave as a part of employee benefits. With the new policy, all employees, regardless of gender, have up to four weeks of paid bonding leave for the birth or adoption of a child. Any employee that is eligible for maternity leave is also eligible for parental leave.

A Supportive Workplace for All
We take great pride in the individuals who choose to work at NFI; our people are the heart of the organization. This year NFI was recognized as a Forbes’ Best Employer for Women in 2022 and Top Ranked Logistics Company, a Delaware Valley Top Workplace by The Philadelphia Inquirer, a 2022 Top Company for Women to Work For in Transportation by Women in Trucking, and one of Dallas Business Journal’s Largest Employers.

Diversity and Inclusion Executive Hired
In April, Kristie Maciolek Small joined NFI as its first Vice President of Diversity and Inclusion. In her role, she provides stewardship for the company’s diversity and inclusion strategy, leading efforts to advance a more inclusive and equitable workplace in alignment with NFI’s values. Her addition to the team helps expand upon the work NFI’s D&I Council has laid since its inception in 2019.

Employee Resource Groups Launch
September brought the launch of NFI’s Employee Resource Group (ERG) program, which is committed to creating a more diverse and inclusive culture that embraces equal employment opportunities, broad perspectives, and engagement in our communities. ERGs increase the inclusion of our diverse workforce by strengthening and amplifying the voices of different employees within our workplace. Since the program launched, ERGs for women and veterans in the workplace have already been established, with various other groups are being developed

Celebrating Safety & Driving Excellence

Safety Heroes

This year, NFI honored 268 Safety Heroes for achieving 10 or more years of safe work. The distinguished Safety Heroes have worked safely for a combined 8.4 million hours. They have displayed our value of safety while consistently choosing safe behaviors for themselves, their families, and their coworkers. Plaques naming each Safety Hero were placed at each hero’s site, memorializing their place in NFI’s safety history.

2022 Haul of Fame Awards

Twenty-five company drivers across North America were inducted into NFI’s Haul of Fame in our fourth annual ceremony. Recognized drivers have worked for NFI for at least 20 years or have driven at least 2 million consecutive accident-free miles.