Total Quality Logistics Announces 97-Job Office In New Orleans

NEW ORLEANS — Today, Gov. John Bel Edwards highlighted the announcement by Total Quality Logistics President Kerry Byrne of a new 8,125-square-foot facility in New Orleans on Gravier Street. A third-party freight brokerage firm, Total Quality Logistics – or TQL – will create 97 new direct jobs at the facility over the next 10 years, with an average annual salary of $50,000, plus benefits. LED estimates the project will result in 39 indirect jobs, for a total of more than 135 new jobs in Louisiana’s Southeast Region. 

The new TQL office is the company’s first location in Louisiana and 59th office overall. As a third-party freight brokerage firm, the company connects freight shipment requests from customers to a network of independent carriers with available capacity. For the launch of New Orleans operations, TQL will relocate a founding team of approximately five associates from other locations to establish the new office and begin hiring immediately. The new office is set to begin commercial operations at the site in June 2017.

“We proudly welcome Total Quality Logistics to Louisiana, and we are thrilled they have identified New Orleans as a strategic addition to their list of office locations,” said Gov. Edwards. “With its bustling ports and unrivaled shipping logistics, New Orleans is an ideal location for TQL’s freight brokerage office. Additionally, TQL’s generous spirit of community involvement will find itself at home in this legendary city and the unique culture of Louisiana. On behalf of our people, I extend best wishes for TQL’s success as the company begins this new chapter.”

As a brokerage firm, TQL does not handle tangible properties at any point during the coordination or shipping process, and 75 percent of the company’s workforce serves as sales brokers making inbound and outbound calls, connecting customers and their respective freights to available carriers. In total, the company generated sales exceeding $2.3 billion in 2016.

“Our new office on Gravier Street puts us in the heart of the Big Easy. Not only will the location help attract prospective employees but it gives Total Quality Logistics a chance to contribute to the prosperity of this historic city,” Byrne said. “TQL’s culture is very similar to the culture, diversity and energy that is associated with the city of New Orleans. Our employees are also highly engaged in giving back to their communities, and look forward to making many positive contributions as our workforce there continues to grow.”

Founded in Cincinnati in 1997, TQL is the second-largest freight brokerage firm in the U.S. The company’s network of independent carriers includes 60,000 drivers who operate one truck or a fleet. The 97 new jobs created with this project will be added to the company’s overall headcount of 4,200 employees located across 26 states. Millennials comprise 80 percent of TQL’s total workforce, and the company was named to Fortune’s Best Places to Work for Millennials in 2015 and 2016.

“I am thrilled to welcome Total Quality Logistics, the second-largest freight brokerage firm in North America, to New Orleans,” said New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu. “This announcement is yet another sign of the continued growth of the New Orleans economy.”

To secure the company’s new investment in New Orleans, the state offered TQL a competitive incentive package that includes the services of LED FastStart® – the nation’s top-ranked state workforce development program. The company also is expected to utilize the state’s Quality Jobs program.

The company encourages employees to become engaged in their local communities, with TQL and its staff investing more than $1.6 million per year toward philanthropic and charitable organizations, at both the corporate and grassroots level under its philanthropic arm, TQL Cares.

“GNO Inc. is pleased to welcome Total Quality Logistics to New Orleans,” said President and CEO Michael Hecht of GNO Inc. “TQL’s decision to open an office in New Orleans is indicative of the strength of our region as a leader in trade and logistics. We look forward to working with TQL to ensure their continued success.”

About Total Quality Logistics
Total Quality Logistics, one of the largest freight-brokerage firms in the nation, operates 59 offices in 26 states. TQL connects customers needing to move truckload freight shipments with carriers having capacity to move them. TQL is headquartered in Cincinnati. Its 2016 sales topped $2.3 billion and it employs more than 4,100 people nationwide. For more information, visit www.tql.com.