Hotlanta Means Business
“They used to say all roads lead to Chicago,” says Jeff Lantz, founder and CEO of C.L. Services, Inc. (CLS). “Today we can safely say that about Atlanta.”
CLS is an industry leader in providing over-the-road truckload transportation, intermodal, and drayage services, with additional offerings including warehousing and transloading. The company’s location near the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport serves as an ideal point to dispatch its technology into the field.
“Atlanta is the hub of the South,” Lantz says. “We’re right in the middle of everything.”
Atlanta’s position as a major redistribution hub has been a steady catalyst for company growth. “We have added assets in the form of trucks, something we thought we would never do,” Lantz says. “We are finding more demand for drop trailers in and out of our area to service the southeastern states.”
CLS co-owner Russ Caudell shares his business partner’s enthusiasm. “Aside from the obvious advantages of access to multiple interstate highway systems and close proximity to the ports of Savannah and Charleston, having access to a highly skilled workforce through the many colleges and universities is a definite advantage,” he says. “Many of these institutions offer supply chain/logistics programs.
“C.L. Services contributes by recruiting the majority of our employees from these colleges and universities, thus creating new jobs and opportunities for our state,” he adds.
The partners see only more opportunity ahead. “We are in a prime location to continue our growth,” Caudell says. “With all that Atlanta and the surrounding areas have to offer, it is a great place for people to build their careers and raise their families. Our great weather and four distinct seasons make it ideal.”
“I see us continuing to take advantage of the growth of inbound and outbound freight,” says Lantz. “Our challenge is finding enough qualified people. We have a cultural standard and we do not want to just fill seats and provide mediocre service.”
That emphasis on high standards has enabled the company to be an industry leader throughout its 23 years of service to the Georgia and Southeast markets.
“Whenever we are asked about our competitive advantage, the first thing that always comes to mind is our size,” says Caudell. “While we are not the biggest in the industry by any means, we take pride in being accessible to all our customers and carriers alike. We show our contact information, including cell phone numbers, on all our business cards and web pages.”
Lantz characterizes all members of the company’s team as “outside-the-box thinkers.” The company’s character, along with the advantages of the hot Atlanta market, combine to create an exciting future for CLS and the state.
“We have lots of room to go up,” says Caudell. “More and more, people and companies want to escape the weather north of Atlanta, the high taxes of the Northeast and other areas, and high crime rates that cripple other areas of the country.
“Georgia is a great place to come to,” he adds. “The state offers a business-friendly environment.”