Five Star Logistics

What Five Star Logistics does

Five Star Logistics Inc. is a privately held, Elgin, Illinois–headquartered third-party logistics provider specializing in food-grade warehousing and distribution. Founded in 1984 and operating with 11–50 employees, the company runs SQF-certified food-grade warehouses in Elgin, IL and Denton, TX — a dual-node configuration designed to leverage the Chicago and Dallas trade corridors. Its core products are food-grade warehousing (short- and long-term storage, container devanning, palletization, cross-docking, overflow storage) and distribution services, supplemented by full-service freight brokerage across an extensive network of vetted food-grade carriers and asset-based trucking delivered through a partnership with St. Charles Trucking using 53' dry vans.

The company's underlying technology stack centers on a day-to-day inventory management system and a centralized distribution model rather than proprietary AI or automation platforms; the SQF Food-Grade Warehousing certification, which consistently ranks in the top 1% nationwide, is the primary technical/operational differentiator. Supporting services include order fulfillment, kitting, labeling and barcoding, reverse logistics, drop trailers, pre- and post-shipment lab testing, and analytics and custom reporting. The business also offers LTL, partial truckload, full truckload, temp-controlled, expedited, intermodal, and flatbed shipping modes, broadening the surface area beyond pure food-grade warehousing.

Revenue mechanics are split across three streams: warehousing and managed-services fees, transportation and logistics (brokerage transaction fees), and value-added professional services. Pricing is quote-based and customized by shipment, volume, and service scope — no public pricing tiers or rates are disclosed. The go-to-market is sales-led B2B, with customers acquiring services through a website freight-quote request, a toll-free phone line, or direct email. Customers are primarily food-industry manufacturers, food producers, and adjacent general-freight shippers; no customer logos or revenue concentration is disclosed, leaving customer mix an open diligence question. The company holds memberships in SQF, WERC, the Illinois Trucking Association, the U.S. Department of Commerce, and IWLA. There is no disclosed external investment, parent company, or M&A history.

Name

Five Star Logistics

Legal name

Five Star Logistics Inc.

Website

https://fivestarlogisticsinc.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1984

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Five Star Logistics is a privately held food-grade warehousing and distribution 3PL operating SQF-certified warehouses in Elgin, IL and Denton, TX, serving food-industry manufacturers and general-freight shippers with brokerage, multi-modal shipping, and value-added logistics services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Logistics Services

NAICS

General Warehousing and Storage (49311), General Freight Trucking, Long-Distance (48412)

SIC

Public Warehousing & Storage (4220), Arrangement Of Transportation Of Freight & Cargo (4731), Trucking & Courier Services (No Air) (4210)

akta.pro primary industry

Ambient General Merchandise Warehousing (Dry Storage) (TLAIACAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Customer/Outbound Logistics Management (OTIF, Appointment Scheduling) (TLAIABAL)

Keywords

• Food-grade warehousing
• Refrigerated trucking
• Freight brokerage
• Supply chain logistics
• Warehousing distribution

Headquarters

HQ city

Elgin

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Warehousing & Storage Services: Food-grade warehousing solutions including short and long-term storage, container devanning and palletization, cross-docking, and overflow storage for manufacturers experiencing space limitations or rapid growth.
2. Transportation & Logistics: Full-service freight brokerage with an extensive network of vetted food-grade carriers, asset-based trucking through partnership with St. Charles Trucking, LTL, truckload, temp-controlled, expedited, intermodal, and flatbed shipping services.
3. Value-Added Services: Order fulfillment, kitting, labeling and barcoding, reverse logistics and rework, drop trailers, pre-shipment and post-shipment lab testing, analytics and custom reporting.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Five Star Logistics is a food-grade warehousing and distribution company that provides SQF-certified storage at facilities in Elgin, IL and Denton, TX, along with multi-modal transportation services and full-service freight brokerage. It also offers value-added services such as order fulfillment, kitting, labeling, reverse logistics, cross-docking, container devanning, drop trailers, and pre/post-shipment lab testing, primarily to food and beverage manufacturers and general freight shippers.

Product overview

Five Star Logistics operates as a food-grade warehousing and distribution company offering a unified suite of logistics services. The core offerings include SQF-certified food-grade warehousing (consistently ranking in the top 1% nationwide) and distribution solutions leveraging strategically located facilities in Chicago and Dallas. The company provides asset-based trucking through partnership with St. Charles Trucking, along with comprehensive freight services including LTL, temp-controlled, expedited, partial truckload, flatbed, truckload, and intermodal shipping. Warehousing services encompass short and long-term storage, pre/post-shipment lab testing, reverse logistics, drop trailers, order fulfillment, kitting, analytics and custom reporting, container devanning and palletization, cross-docking, full-service freight brokerage with vetted food-grade carriers, and labeling and barcoding. The company emphasizes flexibility without long-term contracts and scalable on-demand solutions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Food-Grade Warehousing State-of-the-art food-grade storage solutions for the food industry, featuring SQF-certified facilities that consistently rank in the top 1% nationwide, with day-to-day inventory management and scalable on-demand storage options.
• Distribution Solutions Transportation and distribution services tailored for food-grade products, leveraging strategically located warehouses in Chicago and Dallas to optimize supply chain efficiency across key trade corridors.
• Asset-Based Trucking Trucking services provided through partnership with St. Charles Trucking, specializing in dry food ingredients using 53' dry vans.
• LTL (Less Than Truckload) Shipping Shipping service for 1-6 pallets and under 20,000 lbs, consolidating freight with other shipments to maximize trailer space and reduce costs.
• Temp-Controlled Shipping Temperature-controlled shipments maintained at specific temperatures or temperature ranges for perishable goods.
• Expedited Shipping Priority shipping service for shipments requiring faster movement than standard shipping timelines.
• Partial Truckload Shipping Shipping service for shipments larger than LTL but smaller than full truckload, sharing trailer space with other freight for economical transport.
• Flatbed Transportation Open-deck shipping for cargo that does not require enclosure in a trailer.
• Truckload Shipping Full trailer space shipping service for shipments requiring exclusive use of the entire trailer.
• Intermodal Shipping Multi-modal transportation combining trucks, trains, and ships for cost-effective shipping solutions.
• Short & Long-Term Storage Flexible storage solutions with no long-term contract requirements, allowing businesses to scale based on demand.
• Pre-Shipment & Post-Shipment Lab Testing Quality assurance testing services conducted before and after shipment to ensure product integrity and regulatory compliance.
• Reverse Logistics & Rework Services for handling returned products and performing rework operations as needed.
• Drop Trailers Trailer drop-off services allowing loading flexibility at customer locations.
• Order Fulfillment End-to-end order fulfillment services including pick, pack, and ship operations.
• Kitting Assembly and packaging services that combine multiple items into ready-to-ship kits.
• Analytics & Custom Reporting Data analytics and reporting services providing operational insights, inventory management metrics, and custom business intelligence.
• Container Devanning & Palletization Services for unloading shipping containers and organizing goods onto pallets for storage and distribution.
• Cross-Docking Warehouse service that transfers incoming shipments directly to outbound vehicles with minimal or no storage time.
• Full-Service Freight Brokerage Brokerage services utilizing an extensive network of vetted food-grade carriers for reliable transportation.
• Labeling & Barcoding Product labeling and barcode application services for inventory tracking and supply chain management.

Quantifiable outcome

• Reduced operational costs, safety stocks, and supplier lead times through centralized distribution model
• +2 more outcomes

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• St. Charles TruckingcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorStrategic partnership for asset-based trucking services. St. Charles Trucking specializes in dry food ingredients and uses 53' dry vans. This partnership enables Five Star Logistics to provide comprehensive trucking capabilities to complement their warehousing and freight brokerage services.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• NFI Industries: Family-owned national 3PL with a strong dedicated food-and-beverage distribution and warehousing practice. Closely comparable to Five Star as a multi-generational, privately held 3PL serving food manufacturers with warehousing plus multi-modal transportation.
• ID Logistics: International contract logistics provider with deep food-and-retail specialization, offering co-packaging, warehousing, and multi-modal transportation. Directly comparable to Five Star's vertically focused food-grade offering at a larger scale.
• Kenco Group: Privately held 3PL with a dedicated food-and-consumer goods vertical offering warehousing, distribution, and transportation management. Directly comparable in customer base (food manufacturers) and bundled service model.

Emerging players

• Hub Group: Asset-light intermodal and logistics provider with growing dedicated and brokerage capabilities, including food-and-beverage customers. Comparable to Five Star's intermodal and asset-light brokerage positioning.
• RXO: Freight brokerage pure-play spun off from XPO with technology-led capacity matching and managed transportation. Comparable to Five Star's brokerage and managed-freight service line, with greater scale.
• Echo Global Logistics: Technology-enabled freight brokerage and managed transportation provider serving shippers across modes. Comparable as a non-asset-based logistics partner for shippers needing multi-modal capacity.

Broad incumbents

• XPO: Large North American less-than-truckload and contract logistics provider with warehousing and last-mile offerings. Comparable in providing multi-modal transportation and warehousing to shippers including food customers.
• Penske Logistics: Top-tier global 3PL offering dedicated transportation, warehousing, and supply chain solutions including food-grade operations. Comparable as a much larger incumbent competing for the same food-manufacturer RFPs that Five Star targets.
• C.H. Robinson: Largest North American freight broker with significant food-grade capacity via its Robinson Fresh and NAST businesses. Comparable to Five Star's managed-freight brokerage arm though with a vastly larger carrier network.
• DHL Supply Chain: Global contract logistics leader with dedicated food-and-cold-chain warehousing and transportation capabilities across the Americas. Competes with Five Star for large food-manufacturer accounts with much greater geographic reach.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/Fivestarlogisticsinc
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/five-star-logistics-inc

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Five Star Logistics