Today we’d like to introduce you to Ike Brown.
Ike, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
NFI has always been a part of my family since its founding by my grandfather in 1932 as a transportation provider. The company has now grown into offering a full suite of supply chain solutions. My responsibilities today as President & Vice Chairman include continuing to oversee the company’s intermodal division and expanding NFI’s footprint in numerous service offerings.
I joined the company in 1977 as sales person shortly after graduating with my Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Boston University. From an initiative to expand transportation operations outside the Northeast, I moved to Dallas in 1980 and began overseeing NFI’s operations in the southwest. During the 80’s, I grew NFI to be the largest contract carrier in Texas and a major truckload carrier in the southwest. My brothers, Jeff and Sid, joined the business in 1981 and 1983 respectively. Jeff is President & Vice Chairman overseeing NFI’s real estate offering and Sid serves as CEO, leading the business with me and Jeff.
I currently serve on the Board of Directors for the Truckload Carriers Association and a member of its Scholarship Committee. I also held a Board of Director’s seat with Sun Bancorp, a N.J. based regional bank.
In 1978, I married my wife, Candy, and we have three children Jordan, Aaron, and Zachary as well as two grandsons, Nolan and Marcus. My career in the trucking business really began when I was 12 years old. All of our family’s dinner conversations were around the business. Whether I liked it or not, my future was pre-determined. When Candy and I had our three boys, I wanted them to have choices. After college, they all worked outside the business for three to four years, but ultimately it was their strong desire to continue the family business and are all now fully engaged in all aspects of our logistics offerings.
Philanthropy and giving back have always been important to Candy and I. I am a Trustee at the National Jewish Hospital in Denver, Colo. and Candy and I are active supporters and founding donors of the new Dallas Holocaust and Human Rights Museum. I formerly served on the Board of Directors for the Social Venture Partners Dallas, Dallas Jewish Community Center, Jewish Federation of Greater Dallas, Greenhill Schools of Dallas, and the Dallas Lighthouse for the Blind. In 2009, Candy and I were named honorees for our help in building the Kellman Brown Academy, a Jewish day school in Voorhees, N.J. We also were named honorees for the Dallas area by National Jewish Health in Denver, Colo. in 2010. In 2011, I was a member of the Super Bowl Host Committee-Concert Kick-off Series in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
One of my biggest challenges was in the early 80’s, moving to Dallas and transforming a very small operation into an aggressive player in the logistics sector. I was young, didn’t know anyone, and barriers to expand were high. We built a strong management team, introduced a unique service offering, and focused on the customer and what they needed to be successful.
That combination created an atmosphere of growth, turning NFI into a leading transportation and warehousing provider in Texas and the entire Southwest.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about NFI – what should we know?
NFI is one of the oldest and largest privately held supply chain solutions providers in North America. Our 85 years of experience through four generations as a family-owned and operated company is a testament to our ability to grow and delight our customers. We are in the logistics business because we love it and we look at ourselves as extensions of our customers’ businesses. We have the scale and sophistication to work on complex supply chain challenges and provide custom designed solutions.
Today, NFI employs more than 8,400 people across the globe and operates more than 34 million square feet of warehousing and a dedicated fleet of 2,200 tractors and 8,300 trailers.
NFI’s comprehensive suite of supply chain services includes dedicated fleets, warehousing, intermodal, brokerage, transportation management, global logistics, and industrial real estate. We treat our employees like they are family and pride ourselves on our entrepreneurial spirit. We are not bureaucratic and have the ability to make decisions quickly and take measured risk with a long term view. This industry in fast paced, ever-changing, and growing at a rapid rate which makes it fun – and we like to have fun.
Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
Many people have played a role in bringing me as well as NFI to where we are today. My brothers, Sid and Jeff have been a significant source of support and our ability to work together as a team has provided us the chance to continue growing NFI. Our employees, the NFI family, have demonstrated commitment like no other and their hard work has taken NFI to a full service supply chain solutions provider. My wife Candy has also been one of my biggest supporters, often spending many nights home, raising our sons while I was building the business. I could not do what I do without her love, support, and encouragement.
Contact Info:
- Address: 1515 Burnt Mill Rd., Cherry Hill, N.J. 08003
- Website: www.nfiindustries.com
- Phone: 877-544-5835
- Email: contactus@nfiindustries.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NFIIndustries/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/NFIindustries
- Other: linkedin.com/company/nfi
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