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SPECIAL SERVICE FREIGHT

Special Service Freight Company is a multi-location, asset-based, ground freight and air-cargo company. We are headquartered in Charlotte, NC, and have been in business for over thirty years.
Our Mission Statement is "To treat our customers as 'Primus inter pares' (first among equals) in a mutually beneficial, respectful and ethical business partnership".
The Company operates thirteen full-service warehouse terminals offering coverage in over two thousand five hundred zip codes centered around twenty cities in the Southeast. Our major operational and handling hubs are Atlanta, GA and Charlotte, NC.
Warehousing facilities and vehicle fleets are located in five states:
Florida - Orlando, and Miami (who also service Ft. Myers, Key West, Palm Beach and Ft. Lauderdale), - 1171 zip codes serviced.
Georgia - Atlanta and Savannah, - 300 zip codes serviced.
North Carolina - Asheville, Charlotte, Greensboro, Raleigh and Wilmington, - 680 zip codes serviced.
South Carolina - Charleston, Columbia (also services Augusta, GA and Myrtle Beach) and Greenville, - 250 zip codes serviced.
Tennessee - Nashville, – 102 zip codes serviced.
We partner with other quality focused companies to provide another nine full service warehouse locations servicing thirteen cities and fifteen hundred zip codes in the Southeast, including:
Alabama - Birmingham, Dothan, Huntsville, Mobil, Montgomery and Tuscaloosa
Florida - Pensacola
Tennessee - Chattanooga and Knoxville (which also services the Tri-City area of Bristol, Johnson City and Kingsport).

Our network is not only linked in a physical way, but is on a common EDI capable Communication and Freight Tracking system, so customers can receive instant EDI messaging updates, Email status updates or, through a secure web portal, view freight location, charges and documentation anywhere in the Southeast at a single glance.
In addition to first/last mile Pick-up and Delivery services, and line hauls from/to Atlanta throughout five Southeastern States we offer many other services inclusive:
Multi-city retail roll-outs;
White glove delivery/asset recovery;
Convention/exposition support, and;
Time-critical hotshots and air charter support.
We operate Customs Bonded Container Freight Stations in Atlanta and Savannah GA, Charleston and Greenville SC, Charlotte, Greensboro and Raleigh NC, and the entire network fleet is a bonded 'common carrier' for movement throughout the 48 states.
The majority of the fleet consists of air-ride twenty-six Straight Trucks with lift gates, Cargo and Sprinter Vans, and many Stations also operate tractor/trailer units.
All locations are one hundred per cent TSA compliant.
Over the past few turbulent years many large and small cartage companies have suddenly pulled out of a market causing major service failures in their withdrawal, but we have the longevity, experience, broad coverage, asset critical mass and financial sustainability to respond to changes, and be available when you need us.
Use Special Service and you will be secure in the knowledge that you and your customers will not be let down that way.
Call any of our Terminals for Rates and quotes or further information…….Our staff is waiting.

OUR HISTORY

June 1987: Special Service Freight Company, Charlotte, was established as an agent location for Special Freight Service Company, who operated in the Tri-State area, headquartered in Newark, New Jersey.
Within months of establishing the Charlotte location, the two local managers were forced to incorporate as a new and separate company when the ‘parent’ NJ operation closed down, and so, in August 1987 Special Service Freight Company of the Carolinas, Inc. was born.
Initially servicing the Charlotte air cargo market with just a couple of vans and trucks, the Company began to broaden its presence by establishing licensee locations throughout the Carolinas.

Wilmington, NC opened in October 1988, followed by Greenville, SC and Greensboro, NC the following month, November, 1988.
Five years later, October 1993, Special Service opened an office in Asheville, NC and Columbia, SC began operations in June 1994.
The final expansion under the original owners was the opening of Charleston, SC in July 2003.

Special Service continued operating exclusively in the Carolinas until October 2005 when it was sold by its founders to the current Owner.

The Company now operates 13 terminals offering service in twenty cities spread across Florida, Georgia, North and South Carolina and Tennessee. The Carolinas and Georgia operations are all linked with a dedicated nightly line haul service operated by the company, as are Miami and Orlando.

We have also established a partnership network with other local cartage providers that extend our customer service into Alabama, and deeper into Tennessee and the Florida panhandle. These are also serviced by line hauls out of the main Atlanta hub.

Steve Perriman

President Corporate/Charlotte, NC

Steve has forty years of leadership, capital raising, advisory, building business and decision making experience across a range of industries and professions. He has substantial entrepreneurial experience within the logistics industry, and an extensive knowledge of the detail and inter-dependency of operations, finance, sales & marketing, HR, compliance, and legal issues. Steve served as a British Military Officer for eleven years before moving into International Finance. He worked at a number of Global Financial Institutions, advising and raising capital for many Companies and projects. He was then recruited to be COO of two tech start-up companies, after which he acquired Special Service Freight Company. Steve likes sports, motorcycling, hunting and general traveling.

Ciprian ‘Chip’ Popovici

Senior Vice President Operations & Compliance Corporate/Charlotte, NC

Chip has been a transportation professional since 1999 working in various capacities for shippers, carriers, and 3PLs. This has given him a broad understanding of the challenges faced by all participants of the transportation equation. When not ‘firefighting’ or looking for efficiencies and improvements in the day to day operations and compliance of the Special Service network, you can find him enjoying a soccer game or visiting historical sites.

Denise Horstmann

Vice President Accounting/Controller Corporate/Charlotte, NC

Denise has almost twenty years accounting and finance experience, and in leading diverse teams of individuals to new levels of success in a variety of competive industries. She has strong analytical and technical business qualifications and a proven ability to successfully analyze an organization's critical business requirements, identify deficiencies and potential opportunities, and develop innovative and cost-effective solutions for enhancing competitiveness, increasing revenues, and improving customer service offerings.

Mike Ritter

Vice President, Regional Sales Corporate/Charlotte, NC

Mike brings 20 plus years’ executive management and sales experience in logistics, warehousing and distribution. He has a strong background in the international import / export logistics market. Mike is originally from the northeast, but saw the light and relocated to the North Carolina over a decade ago with his wife and three sons. Mike enjoys sports, backyard barbecuing, carpentry and spending quality time with his family.

Charles ‘Tony’ Kelley

Vice President Atlanta & Linehaul Atlanta, GA

Tony started in the airfreight industry in 1985. He has both managed and owned several trucking companies over his 30 plus years in the airfreight and transportation industry. Tony’s sales, operations & management experience includes local PU&D, hotshots, truckloads, refrigerated freight, flatbeds, brokerage, LTL, and managing a CFS warehouse. Tony sits on several industry boards and is active within the airfreight and transportation community. Tony volunteers in his off time helping his community, and is involved in several organizations. He helps to raise money for the Masonic Children’s Home in Macon, GA, and is very proud of his involvement with Shriners International, and helping fund the Shriner Hospitals.

Jorge Colon

Operations Manager, Atlanta, GA

Originally starting in logistics in JFK, Jorge has over 15 years of experience in the cargo world, and has been with Special Service ATL for eight of those years. Twelve years ago Jorge picked up and moved his family to Atlanta. His experience includes breakbulk (five very full years), local PU&D, hotshots, truckloads and managing a CFS warehouse. He enjoys all sports. He's coaches youth sports (baseball, football and softball) in his community, and he enjoys getting to serve in his church.

Conrad Taylor

Operations Manager, Asheville, NC

Conrad has over 20 years of management and leadership experience. Starting out in hotel and restaurant management, which somehow morphed into the realm of graphic design for screen and print, and then upward into logistics. Conrad has spent the last 5 years with Special Service and has been part of three different teams in Raleigh, Wilmington and for the past two years, Asheville, NC. His experience and daily involvement covers all facets of the business from warehouse management, dispatching, delivery, customer service, billing and running the fleet and drivers for the day to day operations of our Asheville NC terminal.

Matt Christian

Manager and Owner, Columbia, SC

Many years ago, Matt started with Special Service driving a cargo van during the summer months while attending Clemson University. A few years after graduating he returned to the fold, and opened the Columbia, SC station for the company. Now, twenty five years later, his team continues to provide excellent service to the CAE and surrounding area of SC with a customer-first approach. Matt enjoys spending time with his wife Susan and two children, Lindsey and Matthew.

Steve Howard

Owner, Miami, FL

Steve has been in the expedited delivery business since 1990 and, as well as running the Special Service operations in MIA and the surrounding area and Keys, also operates one of South Florida’s most successful courier and last mile transportation companies. Steve is married to Anita Howard and has three children, Austin, Sydney and Stephanie. He is a consummate volunteer and spends much of his free time working with the Boy Scouts of America. Steve is currently the First Vice President and Board Member of the Customized Logistics and Delivery Association (CLDA) and Treasurer and Board Member of the Florida Messenger Association.

Manny Benitez

Manager and Owner, Orlando, FL

Manny has almost twenty years of experience in the airfreight industry and has strong operational roots having started out as a driver. Quickly gaining on the job experience, and believing he could provide a far superior service than was being offered in the Orlando local cartage market, he started his own company in April 2002. His experience as a driver and with consignees gave him the necessary insight to be able to hire and manage the drivers who would care about the entire delivery experience and customer satisfaction. An attention to detail, excellent communication before and throughout a task, and actually caring about the customer is what has elevated his operation into one noted for consistently providing a shipper, forwarder and end-user a concierge-type experience. Manny enjoys riding his jet ski and spending time with his family.

Daly Morales

Operations Manager, Orlando, FL

Daly was first introduced to the airfreight industry 10 years ago. Prior to being the operations manager in the MCO office, Daly worked as a financial analyst for a large newspaper, as well as a project manager for a restoration company. She brought with her a wealth of experience in management, and an analytical view of the business which drove her to review the structure of the business in the Orlando market as a whole. She recognized the ‘Amazon’ impact on freight at a very early stage, and at a time other local cartage agents weren’t focused on residential deliveries, Daly helped focus an intense effort on servicing this customer vertical. While other companies were attempting to restructure their companies and at a time other local cartage agents weren’t focused on residential deliveries, Daly developed an intense effort on servicing this customer vertical, therby establishing MCO as the 'residential leader' in the area of providing multiple 2-person teams as a standard service.

Bryan Mowry

Manager, Nashville, TN

Bryan, a Florida native, is now settled in a small town North of Nashville, TN with his wife and two children. He has been in the logistics industry for over fourteen years, at one time running twenty five routes teams for Fedex. Wanting to really control his own business and offer a more personalized service Bryan joined Special Service in 2010. This location recently converted to a corporate station in order to take advantage of increased backing in order to grow more rapidly in the expanding Nashville market. He works with his wife Jennifer, and the rest of the Nashville team to assist customers and move freight as effectively and efficiently as possible. Safety and satisfaction are their number one goal. Their fleet includes five straight trucks and one Sprinter van dedicated for their rural area runs. They will be adding tractor/trailer units soon, and are already looking for a larger facility to more efficiently handle new business. Please reach out to our Nashville team for all your freight needs.

Chuck Paul

Manager and Owner, Raleigh, NC

Prior to entering the freight business Chuck had 29 years of leadership and manufacturing management experience with 3 different Fortune 500 companies. In 2005 he decided to step out on his own and acquired a pre-existing expedited freight company in Raleigh, NC. In 2008 Chuck joined Special Service Freight Company as a licensee, and in the past nine years has quadrupled sales as his company continues to expand. His team services RDU and the surrounding area of eastern North Carolina as Special Service Freight RDU. Chuck enjoys sports and travel.

Mike Roush

Manager and Owner Savannah, GA

Mike is the second-generation manager/owner of Savannah, and has a thirty year background in sales, management and operations with small business and Fortune 50 companies. Running SAV over the past ten years, he has grown the business from three cargo vans and a line haul straight truck, to five straight trucks, three vans, two tractor trailers for linehaul, with 300% revenues growth. He is now in the process of opening a new 30,000 square-foot facility, which he hopes to get operational by the end of 2019. Active with his church, the Knights of Columbus, as well as with the well-known Irish community in Savannah, Mike serves on the Executive Committee for the St. Patrick’s Day Parade Committee. He enjoys camping, motorcycling, and most outdoor activities, and of course, spending time with his family.

Mark Robson

Manager Wimington, NC

Mark, has been in Transportation for over twenty-five years. He began a fourteen-year career with UPS by part-time loading trucks, working his way up to supervisor spending time in most parts of the operation before moving to Air Bourne Express. For fourteen more years, prior to joining Special Service in March of 2020, he was the logistics manager at a production plant. He and his wife relocated to the Wilmington area in November of 2018. They have 3 grown children and both enjoy traveling and (of course!) the beach.