Sobel Network Shipping Co.

What Sobel Network Shipping Co. does

Sobel Network Shipping Co., Inc. is a privately held, family-owned logistics and customs brokerage firm founded in 1949 in Downtown New York City. The company provides cargo transportation, freight forwarding, maritime shipping, and customs brokerage services to enterprise importers/exporters and mid-market businesses engaged in U.S. and international trade. Its operating geography is concentrated in the Northeast United States, and its go-to-market is direct B2B engagement on a quote-based, per-engagement pricing model that is not publicly disclosed.

On January 5, 2026, Sobel Network Shipping completed a strategic merger with Charles A. Redden, Inc. (incorporated in New Jersey in 1924, with roots tracing to 1910), creating one of the more experienced logistics and customs brokerage platforms in the United States with combined industry experience exceeding 190 years. The combined entity operates under Sobel Network Shipping Co., with Charles A. Redden's U.S. Customs Broker License (received July 7, 2025) broadening the platform's regulated brokerage credentials. Leadership includes Brian Wills as Chief Executive Officer and President and Pratik Dharia as Vice President of export operations, the latter promoted February 16, 2026.

The business model is a professional-services logistics model with horizontal segmentation across enterprise and mid-market clients; the firm does not disclose revenue, customer counts, or a published product catalog. Technology and AI/ML capabilities are not publicly disclosed, and the company has no mobile app, public API, or disclosed proprietary platform. The combined platform's competitive narrative emphasizes relationship continuity, personalized service, and accumulated institutional knowledge rather than technology differentiation, positioning the firm as a long-tenured incumbent in a relationship-driven trade services market.

Name

Sobel Network Shipping Co.

Legal name

Sobel Network Shipping Co., Inc.

Website

https://sobelnet.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1949

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Sobel Network Shipping Co. is a family-owned U.S. logistics and customs brokerage firm founded in 1949, serving enterprise and mid-market importers/exporters in the Northeast with cargo transportation, freight forwarding, maritime shipping, and customs brokerage services following its 2026 merger with Charles A. Redden, Inc.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Logistics and Customs Brokerage Services

NAICS

Freight Transportation Arrangement (488510), Freight Transportation Arrangement (48851), Freight Transportation Arrangement (4885), Marine Cargo Handling (488320)

SIC

Arrangement Of Transportation Of Freight & Cargo (4731), Deep Sea Foreign Transportation Of Freight (4412), Water Transportation (4400)

akta.pro primary industry

Customs Brokerage for Ocean Shipments (Import/Export Clearance) (TLACABAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Ocean Export Forwarding (Booking/VGM/SI/BL) (TLACABAF), Ocean Import Forwarding (Destination Handling/DO/ISF) (TLACABAE), Trade Compliance & Ocean Regulatory Services (Sanctions/Export Controls) (TLACABAL), NVOCC (Non-Vessel Operating Common Carrier) Ocean Consolidation (LCL) (TLACALAA)

Keywords

• Customs brokerage
• Freight forwarding
• Cargo transportation
• Maritime shipping
• Global logistics services

Headquarters

HQ city

East Meadow

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations

Distribution channels1 record

Core offering

Sobel Network Shipping Co. provides cargo transportation, freight forwarding, maritime shipping, and customs brokerage services. Following its January 2026 merger with Charles A. Redden, Inc., the company delivers end-to-end global trade and logistics solutions to enterprise and mid-market clients operating in complex international trade environments.

Product overview

Sobel Network Shipping Co., Inc. is a family-owned logistics and customs brokerage firm. Following its strategic merger with Charles A. Redden, Inc. in January 2026, the unified organization operates as one of the most experienced logistics and customs brokerage platforms in the United States, with roots dating back to 1949. The company provides end-to-end logistics solutions and customs brokerage services to support clients through complex global trade environments. The specific product portfolio and named offerings are not detailed in the available source materials.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Cargo Transportation
• Freight Forwarding
• Maritime Shipping
• Customs Brokerage
• End-to-End Logistics Solutions

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Charles A. Redden, Inc.coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 January 2026Strategic merger combining two family-owned logistics and customs brokerage firms. Sobel Network Shipping (founded 1949) and Charles A. Redden, Inc. (tracing origins to 1910, incorporated 1924) unified under shared philosophy of responsibility, continuity, and service excellence. The merger creates one of the most experienced logistics and customs brokerage platforms in the United States with over 190 years of combined industry experience.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Dachser: Family-owned global logistics provider offering freight forwarding, customs brokerage, and contract logistics; comparable ownership/governance model and product mix to the combined Sobel-Redden platform.
• Expeditors International of Washington: Global freight forwarding and customs brokerage firm; comparable across core ocean/air forwarding and customs clearance services, though at vastly larger scale than Sobel.
• Allen Lund Company: Privately held U.S. freight brokerage and logistics firm; comparable mid-market, family-influenced governance and brokerage-forwarding business model to Sobel.
• EMO Trans: Privately held global freight forwarder and customs broker with origins as a family-founded firm; closely comparable to Sobel on business model (relationship-driven, mid-market orientation, freight forwarding + customs brokerage).
• East Coast Brokers and Packers: Customs brokerage and freight forwarding firm focused on U.S. import/export activities; closely matches Sobel's product emphasis on customs clearance and ocean forwarding for enterprise and mid-market shippers.
• New Century Logistics: Mid-sized freight forwarder offering ocean and air forwarding as well as customs brokerage, with comparable customer base and service model to Sobel.
• ClearFreight: U.S.-headquartered freight forwarder with strong ocean and customs brokerage capabilities serving enterprise and mid-market customers; directly comparable in scale, product mix, and target market to Sobel.

Emerging players

• Flexport: Digital-native freight forwarder offering ocean, air, and customs brokerage services via proprietary technology; competing for the same enterprise and mid-market shipper customers but with a fundamentally different tech-led operating model.

Broad incumbents

• Kuehne+Nagel: One of the world's largest freight forwarders with deep ocean, air, and customs brokerage capabilities; serves as the dominant incumbent in the same product categories as Sobel, particularly U.S. import/export customs brokerage.
• C.H. Robinson Worldwide: Major North American freight broker and forwarder with global customs brokerage capabilities and significant ocean product; overlaps with Sobel on freight arrangement and customs services but operates at vastly greater scale.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/sobelshipping
• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sobel-shipping-company-inc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A1 record

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Sobel Network Shipping Co.