Industry Trend Toward Innovation Puts FL Company on Hot List

TAMPA, FL, January 28, 2011 (Press-News.org) FreightCenter.com, a nationwide provider of online freight and logistics services, is recognized as a Florida Company to Watch for its role in revitalizing the local economy by contributing to an overall 31-percent rise in new jobs for the state. This announcement follows a year of local and national recognition for their overall growth and innovations the company has made to the freight industry and surrounding communities.

Florida Companies to Watch is an awards program that celebrates privately held second-stage companies headquartered in the state. Eligibility is based on number of employees and annual revenue. Second-stage applicants must employ between six and 99 full-time employees and have between $750,000 and $50 million in revenue or working capital. Honorees are selected for demonstrating the intent and capacity to grow based on employee or sales growth, exceptional entrepreneurial leadership, sustainable competitive advantage, or other notable strengths.

"We're honored to be the only logistics company to receive this award for our growth and the improvements we've made to the freight industry," said Matt Brosious, CEO and Founder of FreightCenter.com. "We're streamlining the rate quote comparison process and enhancing technology for our industry in a similar manner to what Orbitz or Priceline has done for the travel industry."

After a year of unprecedented growth that boasted an estimated 59 percent increase in annual gross revenue and more than doubling their workforce, the company propels forward by reinvesting in the latest technologies and new hires. With focus on application programming interface (API) development, website optimization, and other online developer tools, FreightCenter.com has put more than 65 Tampa Bay area residents back to work in 2010.

"We're heavily invested in the future of our industry and continuing to advance our technology and services," said Brosious, "By committing to evolve the way our customers distribute and transport their products, we will remain an important link between manufacturers and consumers and continue to grow as a company."

The company's API and shipping calculator allow businesses - like GoDaddy, a national recognized e-commerce FreightCenter.com customer - to integrate freight quoting into existing software, making freight solutions accessible online to customers that buy and need to ship bulk or heavy items.

In addition to providing round-the-clock freight shipping services to customers like Warner Brothers, Mercedes, Dell, and Disney, FreightCenter.com maintains more than 500,000 customer relationships and is growing its business daily.

Projections for 2011 include an additional 40+ percent increase in revenue, which would triple the company's value and raise it to over $30 million in just five short years. Over the course of 2011, the company plans to add another 40-50 jobs to Florida's workforce. In order to accommodate this growth, the company predicts plans to absorb additional space at its current location and expand its 13,000-square-foot corporate headquarters.

In association with the Edward Lowe Foundation, GrowFL, the Florida Economic Gardening Institute at the University of Central Florida, and ACG Florida will present 50 local companies with a 2011 Florida Companies to WatchSM award. An awards gala will be held on Thursday, February 17 at the Rosen Shingle Creek Resort in Orlando.

About FreightCenter
FreightCenter is a full-service freight logistics company whose focus is using web-based tools to help execute optimized transportation solutions for their customers. Their website, FreightCenter.com, provides web technology that lets customers easily compare rates and services from multiple LTL carriers while their logistics division works with an extensive carrier base to custom design truckload, international, and intermodal shipments and implement all-inclusive transportation services.

About Second-Stage Businesses and Florida Companies to Watch
Florida Companies to Watch is unique because of its focus on second-stage companies and the wide-ranging industries they represent. The impact of these companies on Florida's economy is immense, and this year's honorees are examples of such companies in the state. During 2006-2008, Florida's resident companies averaged more than 111,000 second-stage establishments. Those second-stage companies employed more than two million workers.