Case Study

Overview

• Founded in 1976, Watkins & Shepard with 20 terminals nationwide, 785 drivers and 780 trucks, offers truckload hauling and specialized LTL services for furniture, carpet, flooring and beverage shipments
• Through a strategic partnership with Lodeso, Inc., a last mile provider, the company has emerged as a nationwide leader for first-to-last mile furniture transportation in the US, making it the partner of choice for e-commerce customers

Situation

• By becoming a market leader in transportation for e-commerce, the company had experienced fast paced growth and wanted to find a partner to continue the company’s growth trajectory
• The company had two shareholders – one wanted to find a partner for growth; and the other, non-active partner, sought liquidity
• Cascadia was engaged to conduct a thorough analysis of the potential merger between Watkins and Lodeso and find an acquirer that could integrate the businesses while meeting both shareholders’ goals

Cascadia Process

• Cascadia conducted an auction process with a small group of strategic buyers and a broader group of industry-focused private equity investors
• Cascadia worked with Watkins’ CEO to make initial contact to potential acquirers, but quickly received preemptive interest from a few large strategic buyers
• Cascadia closed the transaction with Schneider National, Inc., the largest private trucking company in the US
• Combined with the scale and financial resources of Schneider, Watkins and Lodeso will be able to fully capture the potential of the rapidly growing e-commerce market for furniture and home goods throughout North America