FitzMark Acquires Trade Show Logistics Broker United Transportation Services
Key Takeaways
- •FitzMark acquired trade show logistics specialist United Transportation Services, with the deal closing Tuesday and financial terms undisclosed.
- •UTS, founded in 1998 and based in Aurora, Colorado, provides truckload, warehousing, packaging and white-glove delivery services for retail and hospitality clients.
- •The acquisition is FitzMark's 11th since the company was founded in 2006, aligning with its Calera Capital-backed tuck-in acquisition strategy.
- •FitzMark serves more than 3,000 shippers and 25,000 carriers with brokerage services and a proprietary TMS.
- •The deal reflects a broader freight industry trend of brokers scaling through consolidation during the prolonged market downturn.
Freight brokerage FitzMark has announced the acquisition of United Transportation Services (UTS), a broker specializing in trade show logistics. The deal closed on Tuesday, and financial terms were not disclosed.
Founded in 1998 and based in Aurora, Colorado, UTS is a full-service third-party logistics provider focused on the retail and hospitality industries. Its service offerings include dry van, refrigerated, flatbed and specialty truckload transportation, along with packaging, warehousing and white-glove delivery. Trade show logistics is a demanding niche within freight: exhibits typically move on tight, event-driven schedules with precise delivery windows, so shippers place a premium on brokers with specialized handling and coordination expertise rather than cost alone.
"Today marks an exciting new chapter — with the national support and strength of the FitzMark platform, we look forward to expanding capacity and service offerings while growing our shipper community together," said Bruce Parsons, CEO and president of UTS.
Indianapolis-based FitzMark (fitzmark.com) provides brokerage services and a proprietary transportation management system (TMS) to more than 3,000 shippers and 25,000 carriers. The company is backed by private equity firm Calera Capital, whose support underpins a buy-and-build strategy of serial tuck-in acquisitions.
The UTS transaction represents FitzMark's 11th acquisition since the company opened in 2006.
"We are excited and fortunate to welcome Bruce and the UTS team to FitzMark," said Scott Fitzgerald, founder and CEO of FitzMark, in a news release. "UTS and FitzMark have built businesses around many similar core values and we look forward to supporting UTS as it continues to grow."
The acquisition diversifies FitzMark's 3PL portfolio by adding high-touch trade show logistics and expanded warehousing capabilities. The move also reflects a broader industry trend of freight brokers scaling through consolidation, which has accelerated during the prolonged freight market downturn as brokers seek volume, scale and specialized capabilities to compete with larger platforms. Further FitzMark add-ons targeting adjacent niches would be consistent with the company's acquisition track record.
Source: FreightWaves
