What GHY International does

GHY International (legal entity Geo. H. Young & Co. Ltd.) is a North American customs brokerage and global trade services firm founded in 1901 in Winnipeg, Canada, and operated across four generations of family ownership. The company provides customs clearance for goods entering Canada and the United States under a 'One Border, One Broker' positioning, alongside an adjacent Global Trade Services practice covering duty recovery (drawback, duty relief, duty deferral), free trade agreement assistance, formal customs rulings, and export documentation. GHY serves more than 2,500 clients and facilitates $16 billion of international trade annually, segmented across startup importers, mid-market firms, and enterprises with complex global supply chains such as Toromont Industries and Ten Thousand Villages.

The firm's technology stack is anchored by GHY eBiz, a proprietary web-based portal integrating trade documentation, shipment tracking, reporting and analytics, integrated document management, gateway reporting, and EDI solutions. Layered on top are specialized tools including GHY Classify (an AI-powered HS/HTSUS tariff classification engine adopted by government agencies including Canada's Auditor General and U.S. Customs), the Section 301 Search Tool, a real-time Tariff Tracker, and dedicated Canadian (PARS) and U.S. (PAPS) shipment tracking portals. A 2025 partnership with Amari AI further extends automation into broker-side data entry, paperwork flow, and trade rule tracking.

GHY's revenue model is professional services fees on customs brokerage transactions and trade compliance engagements, delivered through consultative enterprise direct sales with dedicated Client Care Managers and a quote-based pricing approach; pricing is not publicly disclosed and contract cadences are characterized as multi-year. The company received a majority investment from SeaFort Capital in January 2025 to fund organic growth and acquisitions, completed the acquisition of W.G. McKay in 2025-2026, and now operates as a PE-backed, family-influenced platform in the North American customs brokerage sector.

Name

GHY International

Legal name

Geo. H. Young & Co. Ltd.

Website

https://ghy.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1901

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

GHY International is a fourth-generation, Winnipeg-based customs brokerage and global trade services firm providing Canadian and U.S. customs clearance, duty recovery, and AI-enabled tariff classification for more than 2,500 North American importers managing $16 billion in annual trade.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Customs Brokerage & Trade Compliance Services

akta.pro primary industry

Global Trade & Customs / Trade Compliance (BPAHAHAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Duty Optimization & Special Programs (Drawback, FTZ, Bonded Warehouses, Inward/Outward Processing) (TLACAGAF), Country of Origin, Marking & Rules of Origin (FTA/USMCA/UKCA) (TLACAGAE), Cross-Border Duty/Tax & Landed Cost Calculation/Collection (TLACAKAK)

Keywords

• Customs brokerage services
• Trade compliance consulting
• Tariff classification software
• Import documentation services
• Global trade advisory

Headquarters

HQ city

Winnipeg

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Customs Brokerage Services: GHY earns fees for customs clearance services on imports and exports crossing North American borders. Their primary revenue is derived from professional service fees charged to facilitate customs brokerage for North American importers, including Canadian Customs Brokerage and U.S. Customs Brokerage services. The company also earns revenue from trade compliance consulting, tariff classification, and related advisory services under their Global Trade Services umbrella.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

GHY International provides customs brokerage and trade compliance services for North American importers, clearing goods across Canadian and U.S. borders under its 'One Border, One Broker' model. Its offerings include Canadian and U.S. customs clearance, a Global Trade Services suite covering duty recovery, FTA/USMCA assistance, formal customs rulings, and export documentation, supported by proprietary technology platforms GHY eBiz, GHY Classify (AI-powered tariff classification), PARS/PAPS tracking, Section 301 Search Tool, and Tariff Tracker.

Product overview

GHY International is a fourth-generation, family-owned customs brokerage and trade compliance services company that has operated since 1901. The company offers a portfolio of services centered on Canadian and US customs brokerage, supplemented by Global Trade Services (duty recovery, FTA assistance, customs rulings, export documentation), all supported by GHY's proprietary web-based technology platform, GHY eBiz. The eBiz platform serves as the core technology hub, integrating tools for trade documentation, shipment tracking, reporting and analytics, integrated document management, gateway reporting, and EDI solutions. On top of this, GHY has developed specialized AI-powered and intelligence modules including GHY Classify (AI-powered HS tariff classification), the Section 301 Search Tool (product exclusion lookup), and the Tariff Tracker (tariff change intelligence), alongside dedicated shipment tracking tools for both Canadian (PARS Tracker) and US (PAPS Tracking) imports. The company manages over $16 billion in annual international trade and serves more than 2,500 North American clients.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Canadian Customs Brokerage Customs brokerage services providing seamless and reliable customs clearance for goods entering Canada, including document preparation, tariff classification, duty payment, and border release for North American importers.
• US Customs Brokerage Customs brokerage services for goods entering the United States, supporting importers with compliance, entry filing, tariff classification, and border clearance across U.S. Customs and Border Protection requirements.
• Global Trade Services

Quantifiable outcome

• GHY manages $16 billion of international trade annually for 2,500+ clients
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters (CME)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGHY International is a proud partner of Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters (CME), the country's largest industry and trade association, supporting Canadian manufacturers and exporters with international trade services.
• W.G. McKaycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGHY International acquired W.G. McKay, uniting two customs brokerage legacies with a combined 235 years of experience. Clients of W.G. McKay can expect the same trusted team and processes, now supported by GHY's broader resources, smarter tools, and shared commitment to excellence.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• ClearCustoms: Digital-first Canadian/U.S. customs broker targeting SMB importers — an emerging digital competitor for the startup and mid-market segments that GHY's horizontal strategy explicitly targets.
• Avalara: Tax compliance and tariff classification SaaS vendor; overlapping with GHY Classify on cross-border tax/duty determination and a potential substitute in the more software-oriented segments of customs compliance.

Direct peers

• Western Overseas Corporation: U.S./Canada cross-border customs brokerage and trade services firm, comparable in scale and customer mix (mid-market and enterprise North American importers) to GHY.
• Livingston International: Canada's largest customs broker and trade compliance specialist, providing Canadian/U.S. customs clearance, trade consulting, and global trade management — directly comparable to GHY's North American brokerage and Global Trade Services offering.
• A&A Customs Brokers: Canadian customs broker with deep expertise in Canadian/U.S. customs clearance, tariff classification, and trade compliance — overlapping directly with GHY's North American importer customer base.
• Cole International: Western Canada-based customs broker and trade consulting firm offering Canadian and U.S. customs clearance, freight forwarding, and trade compliance — a direct competitor in GHY's core prairie/Western Canadian market.
• OEC Group: Global customs broker and freight forwarder with strong North American customs brokerage capabilities, serving importers with classification, compliance, and supply chain visibility tools comparable to GHY's offering.

Broad incumbents

• Kuehne+Nagel: Global logistics integrator offering customs brokerage and trade compliance as part of a broader supply chain services portfolio — relevant incumbent competitor for enterprise North American import contracts.
• Flexport: Digital-first global freight forwarder and customs broker offering cross-border clearance alongside broader logistics; competes with GHY for importer customs spend even though its primary focus is end-to-end forwarding.
• Expeditors International: Global logistics provider with customs brokerage and trade compliance services; competes with GHY on enterprise North American import brokerage, though as part of a broader forwarding/contract logistics portfolio.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/GHY_Intl

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about GHY International