Delaware-based logistics firm expands to Sparks; 30 jobs planned
Spearpoint Logistics, a Delaware-based third-party logistics company, moved into a 50,000-square-foot facility, seen here, at 1280 Icehouse Ave. in Sparks.
Courtesy Photo
Many companies that were only a year old when the pandemic hit have struggled to stay afloat. Some new firms didn’t have an established customer or client base to anchor them through the downturn, others simply saw demand for their goods and services dry up. But that has not been the case for logistics companies, new and well-established, which have helped keep the U.S. economy up and running during the pandemic-driven downturn. One of those is Spearpoint Logistics, which launched in 2019. The Delaware-based company has not only stayed afloat since last spring, its revenue is growing and its footprint is expanding. In early 2021, Spearpoint planted its flag in Northern Nevada, moving into a 50,000-square-foot facility at 1280 Icehouse Ave. in Sparks. Sean Mitzel, president at Spearpoint Logistics, said the company plans to hire around 30 employees for its Sparks facility over the next three to five years. “We’re very excited and happy to be in Sparks,” Mitzel said. “We’re primed and ready to expand there as required, and we’re working hard to gain that growth.” Mitzel said a customer in the healthcare industry that needed to increase its distribution across the West Coast spearheaded the company’s move to Northern Nevada.
Sean Mitzel
“We have a really good relationship with Medline and they had a need for us to come set up shop here, so that’s what brought us here, initially,” Mitzel said. Medline manufactures and distributes equipment and supplies used in hospitals, surgery centers and acute care and other medical facilities in more than 125 countries. In a year when the demand for medical equipment reached unprecedented levels, Medline generated $17.5 billion in revenue in 2020, according to the company’s website. “Reno is in many ways strategically located for customers that want to diversify their supply chain,” Mitzel said. “For people who are looking for supply chain resilience and supply chain optimization, Reno’s a good spot for it. And it’s not as expensive out there on the West Coast, so that’s obviously an advantage as well.” Along with healthcare, Spearpoint Logistics also saw plenty of demand from customers in need of other critical supplies during the pandemic, said Mitzel, pointing to food and building materials as other examples. He added that Spearpoint has focused on having diversification in its customer base, noting the company has both government contracts and commercial contracts. “Part of what we’ve built as a company is we always have resilience in mind,” he said. “We want a resilient company and to be able to withstand recessions and every other types of things like pandemics.” This past fall, the company added fuel delivery solutions, offering the shipment of gasoline, diesel, biodiesel and jet fuel in five states, including North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Colorado and Wyoming. Mitzel said he expects to expand into more states for fuel delivery within the next few months. He added that Spearpoint was not affected by the closure of the Colonial Pipeline, the largest fuel pipeline in the U.S., which led to a gasoline shortage along the East Coast in mid-May. “In fact, it might have impacted us positively,” Mitzel said. “A lot of people were wanting to top off everything, so our deliveries went up. We have a contract with the Defense Logistics Agency, for example, so we delivered to military bases and things like that. “They’re going to still get fuel.” As of mid-June, Mitzel said the company has already topped its 2020 revenue. And he only expects business to accelerate as it carves out its presence in Northern Nevada. “Our goal is to 10x the company,” said Mitzel, referring to revenue growth. “I think we have a strong growth model, and our projections are pretty solid.”
Sean Mitzel