Business View Magazine | February 2019

257 F uture Forwarding Company has been in business in the U.S. since 2001 and has its roots in the U.K., where the group has been operating continuously since 1977 and is known for delivering quality, worldwide. In the mid- 2000s, through good customer service, competi- tive rates, and a strong customer-belief in the company, the U.S. division experienced phenom- enal growth at an exponential rate of 300 to 400 percent per year. Shannon Whitt, Corporate Compliance Manager for Future Forwarding, reports, “The company opened in the U.S. to support client-based trade between the U.K. and the U.S., but we attribute much of our growth to the furniture boom in the early 2000s.We started importing quite a bit of furniture from Asia, which changed the direction and helped us refocus our market from more than just a U.K. trade lane to global borders.” Today, Future Forwarding’s business stretches into multiple verticals and services, including international import and export (air and ocean) freight forwarding, customs brokerage, eCom- merce fulfillment, expedited domestic transpor- tation, customs compliance, consulting, as well as other trade program needs such as reconciliation and drawback entries. Information technology is at the center and forefront of the company. The company operates three facilities in Atlanta, Georgia, near Hartsfield International Airport, and an office in California, near the Los Angeles and Long Beach port complexes for assisting with West Coast cargo needs. The eCommerce fulfillment division is growing the most rapidly, representing fashion labels and boutique sellers, alike. Future Forwarding delivers to retailers, company-owned stores, and consumers, and also offers reverse logistics – processing returns for items which, due to sea- sonality and style, may move in and out of the Atlanta warehouse multiple times. AT A GLANCE FUTURE FORWARDING COMPANY WHAT: Customs brokering, freight forwarding, warehousing WHERE: Headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia WEBSITE: www.futureforwarding.com