Spartan Logistics

Spartan Logistics is a family-owned logistics, warehousing, and transportation company headquartered in Columbus, OH. It operates industrial real estate as a contract third-party logistics company combined with asset-based freight services. Spartan serves over one hundred supply chain customers in eleven cities and seven states. The company’s sales focus has been handling food-grade materials, glass, paper, and fragile/high-value products.

Spartan operates its nearly four million square feet of warehouse space strategically placed throughout Ohio, Indiana, South Carolina, Missouri, Kentucky, Texas, and Arkansas with a team of more than four hundred warehouse professionals.

Overview

Spartan offers supply chain solutions, including warehouse space for lease, rail access, distribution center management, cross-docking capability, and detailed order fulfillment from pick/pack pieces to palletized truck loads. Spartan Logistics currently operates twenty warehouses across the United States, focused on the Midwest and Southeast. The integrated, family-run company also provides full-service supply chain and industrial real estate solutions, which includes the NAI Harmon Group and Logan Creek Construction.

Focusing primarily on the food-and-beverage industry, Spartan offers a wide range of warehouse services, including storing and shipping commercial goods for its customers. In addition to third-party, public warehousing, Spartan Logistics provides contract warehouse and fulfillment services, full-service transportation, industrial real estate brokerage, and warehouse construction. The company’s asset-based business model allows for controlling long-term costs for customers with enhanced quality control, regardless of the market’s climate. Its investment illustrates its long-term commitment to the industry, allowing Spartan to hire the best possible people to deliver the best supply chain solutions to customers.

Spartan has invested in custom-designed inventory management software that offers warehouse management, billing, electronic data transmission, label generation, and online tracking abilities. The company continuously improves the supply chain flow for its customers by providing quality service and value-added contributions, including packing, quality control, co-packing, EDI integration, and inventory management. Spartan is a member of the IWLA and the Columbus Regional Logistics Council.

History

Spartan was founded in 1988 by Ed Harmon as a warehouse and distribution provider in Columbus, OH. The firm began with three employees and one location.

In 1996, Steve Harmon joined Spartan as Chief Financial Officer. In July 2010, he became President and Managing Director of the company when his father stepped down after running the company for 22 years. Steve Harmon is currently the CEO of the company.

In 2002, Spartan Logistics first expanded to South Carolina with its operations in Laurens, S.C., and then to Anderson, S.C., in 2008.

In May 2014, Spartan purchased a Whirlpool distribution facility in Fort Smith, AR, to provide a modern distribution center to local manufacturers in the 619,508-square-foot facility.

In October 2016, the firm expanded into the Kansas City market, opening its new location at 4700 Deramus Avenue within the Kansas City Power and Light Industrial Center in Kansas City.

In July 2017, Spartan appointed Josh Ledford as the Executive Vice President to oversee the operational strategic plan and establish guidelines and procedures for managing business units.

In May 2018, Spartan was inducted into the first-ever Central Ohio Family Business Hall of Fame.

In May 2019, Spartan leased 257,000 square feet of industrial warehouse space in Lockbourne, OH. The space was Spartan’s first near the Rickenbacker Global Logistics Park, bringing Spartan’s portfolio to over three million square feet. With building owner Plymouth Industrial REIT, Inc, the three-year lease transaction filled Boston-based Plymouth Industrial’s largest vacancy in its portfolio and raised its leased rate to 76%.

In May 2020, Spartan acquired the 236,000-square-foot former Wal-Mart Distribution Center at 8100 S. Zero St. The same month, Nick Harmon joined Spartan Logistics as a Logistics Sales Representative, and Logan Howell joined Logan Creek Construction as an On-site Project Manager. Both are the grandsons of Ed Harmon and marked the beginning of third-generation management for the family business.

In April 2021, Spartan promoted Josh Ledford to the role of President and Craig Recker to the role of VP of Operations.

Spartan continues to focus on growing its current customer base and has added two new locations in 2022.