Morrison Freight was founded in 1990 and operated primarily as a road haulier serving the UK and German freight markets.
Since then the business has grown to transport goods in, out and within 25 countries across Europe and, since 2015 has been run by directors Lee Steward and Darren Ryan.
Based in Great Blakenham, Suffolk, the pair employ 20 staff working across the import and export departments of the business and offer full load trailer services, part load trailer services, groupage, and express transport services.
The business has flourished and grown significantly since Darren and Lee took over.
However, their foray into management has been a baptism of fire – peppered with a number of national and international crises which have threatened the stability of the business’ growth.
A recession, a migrant crisis at the ports, Brexit and coronavirus have brought the logistics industry lots of challenges.
But Darren and Lee have used forward-thinking and focus to adapt their business model, often introducing innovative ways to negotiate red tape, delays or problems that are outside their control.
Investment in staff training and proactivity in preparing for Brexit early successfully paid off and enabled the company to continue growing– despite the uncertainty.
The freight forwarder was also ahead of the game when it introduced one of its most innovative services to date – an inter-modal service.
This allows some freight to move via train for part of its journey which is more cost-effective, with savings passed on to customers.
As sea and air freight struggled during the onslaught of Covid-19, Morrison Freight was able to operate at capacity – helping importers and exporters move goods quickly and efficiently in and out of the UK.
Darren and Lee pride themselves as being particularly hands on.
The pair both started as apprentices in the industry and met while working for Denholm International Freight Ltd before they both joined Morrison Freight in April 2002 – both just 22 years old.
They learnt about freight forwarding and road haulage by taking shifts on the Import, Export, South European, Warehousing and German departments and got their hands dirty helping with handballing and the loading and unloading of containers.
This allowed them to understand all areas of the business which has been paramount to successful recruiting.
When Lee and Darren made the joint decision to buy the business they revised its strategy, creating a 10-year plan for the business, investing heavily in training and introducing new roles in HR and operations to help achieve business aims.
As a result they have doubled the workforce, expanded into new markets and sailed through storms when other businesses have struggled to stay afloat.
A large portion of this has been down to the planning, performance and positivity of the directors at the helm. The rest has been down to the talent of the team they have built around them, who strive to deliver exceptional customer service and bespoke solutions every single day.
