CANADA meaning they could pay the trucking companies 10 days later , thus overcoming the banks holding their checks for seven days . In Flinker ’ s words it was “ off to the races we went ”. He acknowledges that it was an atypical way to establish a company , saying : “ If you presented it as a business plan to a bunch of Harvard Business students , they ’ d probably say we ’ re going bust in a few days , but we really defied the odds .” What followed was nigh-on two decades of solid domestic growth in Canada , as the business won itself a name for logistics excellence , taking in truckloads , intermodal , freight management , and temperature controlled equipment .

But keen to push the business forward , Flinker pushed for expansion into the potentially lucrative US market in 2005 , something he marks as “ a real milestone ” for the company .

“ The Canadian dollar had begun to escalate in value and we knew that we had designs on really growing the business , but to do that we had to be a player in the US market – you ’ re wasting your time if you ’ re not and you want to grow ,” he comments .

By his reckoning it would take a couple of years , but that reckoning

– Mike Flinker , President proved to be ambitious for a couple of reasons . “ It was a really tough transition ,” Flinker admits . “ We thought the clients that we had – which were mainly American companies who were giving us cross border business – would ultimately give us business in the US , but that wasn ’ t forthcoming and we had to do what everybody else did and wait in line .”

The global downturn of 2008 , 2009 and 2010 was also hugely challenging for the sector , with a number of businesses falling by the wayside in the process .

“ In reality it took eight or nine years and really get traction in the US . That

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