Total Quality Logistics to Bring 70 Jobs to Valley

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio –Total Quality Logistics LLC is targeting summer 2016 for the opening of a location in the Youngstown metropolitan area, a spokesman for the Cincinnati-based company confirmed Tuesday.

The Ohio Tax Credit Authority approved a 40%, 5-year tax credit Monday for the company. The project is expected to generate 70 full-time equivalent jobs and $3.88 million in new annual payroll by the end of 2019.

The estimated value of the job creation tax credit is $229,680, reported Lisa Colbert, public information officer with the Ohio Development Services Agency. The agreement requires Total Quality Logistics to maintain operations at the project location for at least eight years.

TQL is one of the country’s largest freight brokerage firms with 38 offices in 18 states, said Mark Motz, communications specialist. The company “connects customers needing to move truckload freight shipments with carriers having capacity to move them,” he said. It employs 3,200.

According to the scope of work for the project, provided by the tax credit authority, the “potential Youngstown location” was in competition with Michigan and Indiana for the office. “The basic real-estate requirements and the ability to find quality workforce in any of the desired states make incentives critical to the company’s decision on where to locate,” states the document.

TQL began looking at the Youngstown area last year, said Walt Good, senior director, regional business development, for Team Northeast Ohio.

Team NEO and JobsOhio, the state’s economic development agency, had worked with TQL on projects in other parts of Ohio and based on that relationship the company expressed interest in the area, he said.

At that point, we began discussing program assistance available through the JobsOhio network and introduced [TQL] to the Youngstown Warren Regional Chamber,” Good said.

The Youngstown area is “official” as the proposed location but a specific site is not yet in place, Motz confirmed.

TQL is considering sites in both Mahoning and Trumbull counties, said Sarah Boyarko, vice president, economic development, North America, for the Regional Chamber.

“We provided information for the whole local area. They’re taking the time to review the options and go from there,” she said.

“Things look positive for the project to move forward but no final decision [on a specific location] has been made,” Good affirmed. The company may decide to pursue local assistance based on locations that make its short list, he added.

Most of the Youngstown jobs will be entry-level positions, paying $35,000 to start, Motz said. Following what he characterized as a “rigorous” training period” lasting six months, “ logistics account executives have an uncapped earning structure, meaning no limits on their commissions,” he continued.

“For example, an average third-year LAE earns more than $81,000,” he said.

Pictured: Total Quality Logistics LLC’s office in Lexington, Ky.

Copyright 2024 The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.