Posted on July 26, 2023
Harbor Logistics, a diversified transportation and logistics company, announced today the appointment of Jeff Holzbauer as Chief Operating Officer (COO) and Joseph “Wes” Smith as its new Vice President of Brokerage and Account Management. Holzbauer brings over 16 years of experience working with high-impact engineering and operations teams for Kohl’s Department Stores, Daimler Trucks and Walmart, while Wes has spent the past two decades in operations and transportation for companies like NFI, J.B. Hunt and Belk.
“We are fortunate to have such high caliber industry leaders joining Harbor Logistics as we continue to grow the company,” commended Micah Mallace, President of Harbor Logistics. “Jeff has an excellent reputation within the industry, with notable achievements including the opening of Walmart’s three million square foot distribution center in Charleston, and Wes will bring his expertise in account management and transportation logistics to ensure Harbor’s customers across all divisions experience integrated service. Harbor Logistics aspires to drive excellence in our operations and account management to make our customers’ lives easier and Jeff and Wes are just the people to ensure we do that.”
Holzbauer joins Harbor Logistics from Walmart where he has spent the past three years, most recently as its senior director of engineering. He began his career as an industrial engineer at Kohl’s, where he spent nearly nine years rising through the ranks in the operations department before departing to serve as PDC general manager for Daimler Trucks. In these roles, Holzbauer has worked on a wide array of projects including building startups and designs, supply chain optimization, labor management, WMS implementation, and a variety of continuous improvement initiatives utilizing his Lean Manufacturing and Six Sigma knowledge.
“I’m pleased to bring my nearly two decades of experience in operations to Harbor Logistics. As one of the largest warehouse and drayage providers at a major U.S. port, Harbor presents new opportunities to apply my expertise in ensuring safety, quality and associate engagement to drive results for the company’s clients,” added Holzbauer.
Previously, Smith was vice president of operations for NFI and also spent over six years as the director of transportation for J.B. Hunt Transportation Services. He also served as the director of domestic transportation for Belk and vice president of logistics for Logisource. In these roles, Smith garnered expansive experience in directing operations and managing people, processes, and technology for small, medium, and large-scale organizations and implementing customer service and standard operating procedures.
“I’m excited for the opportunity to continue my career at Harbor Logistics and for the challenge of exceeding the high level of customer service the company’s customers have come to expect,” noted Smith. “What drew me to Harbor was how rapidly both the company and the Port of Charleston are expanding and I’m looking forward to helping the company reach new heights.”
Both Holzbauer and Smith are based in Charleston, South Carolina.
About Harbor Logistics
Founded by NOVA Infrastructure and based in Charleston, South Carolina, Harbor Logistics is a diversified logistics company. Currently, Harbor provides transportation, truck/rail transload, and warehousing services in Charleston to diverse industrial and commercial counterparties. As the largest drayage provider and one of the largest warehouse providers in Charleston, Harbor offers supply chain capacity via an asset-based model that provides a tailored customer experience. Growth-focused, the Harbor Team is dedicated to exceeding expectations, working with like-minded partners, and ethical decision making.
About NOVA Infrastructure
Founded in 2018, NOVA Infrastructure (http://www.novainfra.com) is a value-added, middle market infrastructure investment firm focused on North America. NOVA seeks to make investments which pair the downside protection features of the infrastructure asset class with operationally focused, value-added upside strategies. NOVA targets investments in environmental services, transportation, energy / energy transition, and communication sectors, with a current portfolio of seven platform investments including: a vertically integrated waste management platform; a US Flag maritime logistics business; a fixed base operator (FBO) platform; a port-centric storage and logistics platform; a renewable natural gas and biofuels platform; and fiber-to-the-home and fixed wireless businesses.
