TransAm Trucking acquires James Helwig & Son, Inc.Expands capacity by nearly 250 trucks and adds 350 trailers
Olathe, Kansas –TransAm Trucking recently
announced it will acquire James Helwig & Son, Inc., a
refrigerated long-haul trucking company based in Rockwall, Texas,
in a deal expected to close on February 28, 2005. The acquisition
will expand the resources of TransAm, a leading refrigerated
long-haul trucking
company serving the Midwest and East Coast, by adding lane
capacity and additional tractors and trailers to serve the
collective, growing customers base. The combined company will
operate in the 40 states between the Eastern seaboard and the Rocky
Mountains. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
“TransAm Trucking continues to expand,” said John
Jacobson, Jr., president. “This acquisition gives us added
capacity and the ability to accelerate our growth to meet the
ever-increasing needs of our customers. Helwig is a great fit for
TransAm because it serves the same geographic region and allows us
to immediately increase out service to the combined customer base
by accommodating the 10-15 percent growth we’re seeing in
shipments.”
TransAm plans to keep the Rockwall, Texas, facility open and will
retain James Helwig to lead that operation. “In 20 years,
we’ve built James Helwig & Son into a premier
refrigerated carrier and I’m proud of the company’s
success,” said Helwig. “As a family-owned business, our
priority has always been on preserving the interests of our
customers and employees. Our integration with TransAm ensures this
personal focus will continue.”
Russ McElliott, chief operating officer of TransAm, agrees.
“I’m confident all of our customers and employees will
benefit from the combined resources of our expanded
operation,” McElliott said.
Helwig has more than 290 employees and nearly 250 tractors based at
its Texas facility.
TransAm Trucking now has more than 1,400
employees, 1,200 tractors, and 2,400 refrigerated trailers. The
headquarters in Olathe, Kansas, includes a state-of-the-art
maintenance facility, as well as driver dispatch and training
operation. It also has an operation in Rocky Mountain, N.C.
