Magellan Transport Logistics, the nation’s largest Service Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) is setting down solid roots in Jacksonville with a significant expansion of its North American logistics headquarters.

Tom Piatak, owner and chief executive officer, confirmed Sunday the company has acquired a 47,000 square foot facility at 8505 Baycenter Road in Baymeadows, to create a new logistics control tower. The company also intends to hire an additional 100 logistics employees over the next five years as it carries out aggressive growth plans, he said.

Piatak said the new facility will provide additional office space as well as the ability to diversity solutions to include warehouse and cross-dock operations.

“The purchase price was $1.55 million,” Piatak said. They’re starting the remodeling process now to tailor the building to their operations, he said.

“We think it will be up and running with a complete remodel and moved in by an August/September time frame,” Piatak said.

Dana Higginbotham, company chief financial officer, said the expansion “is a promising opportunity for Jacksonville and the entire state.”

“Magellan’s decision to expand so significantly here demonstrates firsthand that the new U.S. Tax Plan facilitates business expansion, growth and hiring, and Jacksonville is a city that makes investment dollars worthwhile,” Higginbotham said.

Higginbotham described it as an exciting time for Magellan and “marks a huge milestone for the company, its employees and customers who will all benefit from the opportunities this expansion presents.”

Patty Piatak, company co-owner and vice president of marketing and supplier diversity, described the new offices as “an open, collaborative space allowing for a better work environment for current and future staff.”

“It’s also an exciting opportunity for the company to expand into additional products and services,” she said.

The new space reflects the company’s goals of innovation, unique corporate culture, and strong focus upon delivering quality, “best in class” customer service.” The layout has been designed to increase efficiency for all departments,Patty Piatak said.

The building will feature a reception area, state-of- the-art meeting facilities, increased office space, full industrial kitchen, game room, relaxation/sleep rooms, workout facilities and an expanded, dedicated Logistics Operation Center (LOC).

“After more than 10 years of operating in Jacksonville with such positive results, we are now confident about building more infrastructure here,” Piatak said.

He noted the company has “access to an excellent logistics and military workforce in the area, and we’ve built a quality management team.

“Together, we’ve achieved operational efficiencies to better serve our customers, carrier partners and we remain committed to expanding our workforce to ensure we are strategically positioned to assist our customers with managing their freight shipments,” Piatak said.

Citing the current shortage of freight capacity in the North American market, the company anticipates additional logistics support providing increased value for shippers.

Piatak said demand for the company’s services has skyrocketed over the past 12 months, and its forecast shows continued growth over the next 24-36 months.

“We foresee the new freight hauling capacity to enter the market from smaller carriers willing to invest in additional trucks. This increased capacity will continue to drive further demand for our services,” he said.

The company believes the larger trucking fleets will hold off on making capital investments in new capacity, and prefer to pass price increases on to their customer base, Piatak said.

“This is an exciting time to be in logistics! We plan to continue to invest in our infrastructure and capabilities to ensure we are providing the world class logistics experience our customers have come to expect,” he said.

Magellan was built on the principles and high standards of being versatile, reliable, and honest, “while ensuring to move our clients’ freight in a safe and economical manner utilizing rail, truck, air and marine conveyance methodologies,” according to its website.

For more information about Magellan Transport Logistics: 1-866-699-9394 or www.magellantransportlogistics.com