GlobalTranz Enterprises Inc., an Arizona-based transportation-management company that has been on an private-equity-fueled buyout push, has acquired smaller rival Cerasis Inc. of Eagan.
The Star Tribune reports on the deal, terms of which weren't disclosed. The three owners of Cerasis, which also provides transportation management, logistics, freight claims, transportation accounting and similar services, are expected to stay on at Scottsdale, Ariz.-based GlobalTranz.
Both companies do business in the Twin Cities. GlobalTranz, which says it has revenue of nearly $2 billion, is ranked No. 8 on the Business Journal's list of logistics providers with 169 metro-area employees as of last June. Cerasis was ranked No. 17 with 75 — though it's apparently expanded since then, as the new report puts its workforce at 119 (that would have been good enough for 13th place on the list.)
Metro-area employees
| Rank | Prior Rank | Name / Ranked in 2018 (* not ranked) |
|---|---|---|
1 | 1 | United Parcel Service Inc. |
2 | 2 | C.H. Robinson Worldwide Inc. |
3 | 3 | Dart Transit Co. |
With backing from private equity investors, GlobalTranz says it's doubled in size since 2017 (one of those deals, for Logistics Planning Services Inc., brought the company into the Twin Cities market). Cerasis is its 11th acquisition in three years.
The company last year opened a new, larger office in downtown Minneapolis; you can see images of it in the gallery below.
Tire marks serve as a welcome mat to Arizona-based GlobalTranz's new office in Minneapolis.
