LSO (company)

LSO, originally known as Lone Star Overnight, was an Austin, Texas-based regional shipping carrier that focuses on Express next day delivery, utilizing both air and ground transportation in Texas, southeastern New Mexico, certain metro markets in Oklahoma, Louisiana, Arkansas, Alabama & Tennessee, as well as northern Mexico.[2]

For other uses, see LSO.
LSO Inc.
FormerlyLone Star Overnight (1991-2013)
TypeSubsidiary
IndustryCourier
Founded1991 (1991) in Austin, Texas
Founders
  • Jack Long
  • Gary Gunter
Headquarters
Austin, Texas
,
United States
Area served
South and Southwestern United States
Key people
Sean O'Connor (President & COO)[1]
Services
ParentWeDo Logistics
Divisions
  • LSO Parcel
  • LSO Global
  • LSO Final Mile (2015-2020)
WebsiteLSO.com

History

In November 1990, Jack Long and Gary Gunter began forming Lone Star Overnight in Austin, Texas. With 28 employees and seven packages, Lone Star Overnight began operations on March 4, 1991. The team experienced success and the company broke even within two years.[3]

In 2002, Lone Start Overnight expanded outside of Texas for the first time opening offices in Oklahoma City, Lawton, and Tulsa, Oklahoma.[4]

Acquisitions

The company made major brand changes on May 15, 2013 changing the company name to LSO (an acronym they'd long used informally) and introducing a new logo.[5] In the same year, LSO announced a partnership with Postmaster, an Austin-based shipping and tracking software startup.[6]

In May 2014, LSO was acquired by affiliates of the private equity firm Eagle Merchant Partners. The reported investment in LSO was $20 million in equity plus in-kind and debt financing services.[7]

LSO expanded further in 2015 when it acquired Express Courier International which was renamed LSO Final Mile. The acquisition extended LSO's reach to 7 states across the southeast and southwest.[8] The company continued expansion by opening operations Louisiana in May 2015[9] and a year later announced their official expansion into major markets in Tennessee, Alabama, and Arkansas.[10]

LSO Global, an international shipping service, was launched in 2019. The service is a partnership with DHL Express reseller DHL OptimalShip[11] and allows LSO shippers to book DHL Express shipments via LSO instead of having to book them separately.[12]

In November 2020, LSO was acquired by WeDo Logistics, a holding company based in Austin, Texas which also owns final-mile parcel delivery provider Scoobeez.[13] WeDo is owned by Ocelot Capital Management which had invested in both LSO and Scoobeez earlier in the year.[14] Following LSO's acquisition, LSO Final Mile returned to the Express Courier International name.[15]

Further expansion followed when LSO announced in June 2021 they would be expanding service in Louisiana, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, and Kansas and expected overall ecommerce business growth of 180% - 190%. LSO leadership said the expansion was in response to ecommerce retailers requesting expansion of LSO services after having been dissatisfied with the performance of competitors UPS and FedEx in the 2020 peak shipping season.[16]

See also

References
  1. "Company Overview of Lone Star Holdings, LLC". Bloomberg. Bloomberg. Retrieved 20 July 2016.
  2. Furness, Ashley. "Austin-based Lone Star Overnight acquired - Austin Business Journal". Austin Business Journal. Austin Business Journal. Retrieved 20 July 2016.
  3. Barnes, Michael (3 July 2012). "Shy Jack Long thinks big about business, charity and more". Statesman. Statesman. Retrieved 20 July 2016.
  4. Hudgins, Matt (7 April 2002). "Courier service growing - Austin Business Journal". Austin Business Journal. Austin Business Journal. Austin Business Journal. Retrieved 20 July 2016.
  5. Drake, Sarah (16 March 2013). "Lone Star Overnight Rebranding Reflects Growth". Austin Business Journal. Austin Business Journal. Retrieved 20 July 2016.
  6. Lardinois, Frederic. "Postmaster Raises $600K Seed Round To Expand Its Smart Shipping API, Partners With Lone Star Overnight". TechCrunch. TechCrunch. Retrieved 22 July 2016.
  7. Berman, Jeff (22 May 2014). "LSO is acquired by Eagle Merchant Partners". Logistics Management. Retrieved 16 August 2021.
  8. De Lombaerde, Geert (12 February 2015). "Texas company buys Courier Express". Nashville Post. Nashville Post. Nashville Post. Retrieved 20 July 2016.
  9. Stevens, Laura (21 May 2015). "Lone Star Holdings Expanding Delivery Options Into Louisiana". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 22 July 2016.
  10. "LSO Further Expands Regional Footprint To Key Markets Across Southeastern United States". The Chattanoogan. The Chattanoogan. Retrieved 22 July 2016.
  11. "Lone Star Overnight expands its reach with new partnership". Post & Parcel. 29 April 2019. Retrieved 16 August 2021.
  12. Berman, Jeff (26 April 2019). "Lone Star Overnight and DHL OptimalShip team up for international partnership". Modern Materials Handling. Retrieved 16 August 2021.
  13. Mahoney, Noi (14 February 2021). "Borderlands: Forager expands with Mexico hires". FreightWaves. Retrieved 16 August 2021.
  14. Maiden, Todd (20 February 2021). "$250 million SPAC eyes e-commerce, transportation". FreightWaves. Retrieved 16 August 2021.
  15. "LSO Final Mile Rebrands and Reclaims Original Express Courier International Name". www.prnewswire.com.
  16. Smith, Jennifer (24 June 2021). "Regional Package Carriers Join the E-Commerce Rush". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 16 August 2021.
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