The freight and logistics industry has been around for a long time, but as more companies adopt e-commerce strategies and global supply chains, it is more relevant — and ripe for innovation — than ever. Chicago-based Loadsmart wants help build that future of freight, but in order to do that it’ll have to grow.
Loadsmart uses artificial intelligence, machine learning and strategic partnerships to automate freight operations, from booking to pricing, shipping and more. On Thursday, the company announced that it’s hiring for 200 new positions in the second half of 2021, which represents a 152 percent jump in employee headcount when compared to the year before.
“We’re growing exponentially — from 167 employees at the end of 2019 to 500 today,” Loadsmart co-founder and co-CEO Felipe Capella said in a statement. “The expansion of our employee base coincides with our business success, as reflected by our 232 percent year-over-year revenue growth.”
The company already has dozens of open jobs listed on its website for positions across all sides of the company — including roles in customer success, sales, engineering, marketing, HR and more. Loadsmart has already grown significantly in 2021, increasing its headcount by 140 percent in the first half of the year alone.
In order to accommodate this company growth, the company plans to open a new 40,000-square-foot office in Chicago. It also recently hired Bradford Wilkins as the company’s first chief people officer. Wilkins has previously led people teams at several other large tech companies, like at Altisource where he led global people solutions at a 7,500-person company. At Loadsmart, he’ll be responsible for managing employee recruitment and retention, while maintaining a positive employee culture.
“I was drawn to Loadsmart by its core values of results, curiosity and clarity,” Wilkins said in a statement. “We’re witnessing a revolution unfold in the transportation industry that is impossible to ignore, as evidenced by Loadsmart’s considerable revenue growth, and I couldn’t be more excited to join the team in shaping the future of freight during this pivotal moment.”
