Logistics provider AVI builds on nearly 70 years in business with expanded services
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Written By Marcia Pledger
For AVI, a new chapter in a nearly 70-year history began with a conversation between Ike Sherlock and his longtime mentor.
Sherlock had reached out for advice. His mentor, who owned AVI (formerly Air Van), offered an opportunity: join the company and help shape its future.
Founded in 1957, AVI had built its business around final-mile delivery, serving companies such as Havertys and Best Buy. Sherlock saw an opportunity to build on that foundation by expanding the company’s services, starting with its people.
“My mentor for many years convinced me to leave a cushy corner office for a big challenge, so while I had some reservations, I knew it was a great opportunity,” Sherlock said.
To guide their approach, Sherlock and the owner read Built to Last: Successful Habits of Visionary Companies. They agreed that communication and employee involvement would be central to the company’s next chapter.
“We decided to start with culture and people first,” Sherlock said. “Before we could talk about processes and procedures, we wanted employees to know that we wanted a culture where their voices were heard and they could contribute.”
Over the next three years, AVI expanded its workforce from 53 to 98 employees and increased its warehousing footprint ninefold, from 100,000 to almost 900,000 square feet. Its services grew to include warehousing, order fulfillment, shipping, packaging and kitting, alongside its established delivery business.
Today, the company works with domestic and international freight forwarders and shippers, supporting customers in industries ranging from retail and manufacturing to healthcare and food products.
Growing with customers
Sherlock attributes much of AVI’s growth to listening closely to customers and developing services around their needs.
One example is the addition of packaging and kitting for major retailers. Kitting brings individual products together into a single, ready-to-ship package, helping customers prepare orders for distribution.
The broader range of services also allows AVI to handle more steps in a customer’s supply chain. For businesses moving cargo through JAXPORT, that can mean coordinating pickup at the port, warehouse storage and delivery to the customer’s destination.
“Many of our clients import and export through JAXPORT,” Sherlock said.
Bringing those services together gives customers a single provider for work that previously might have required several companies. As AVI developed these capabilities, Sherlock said relationships with the port’s team helped support its plans.
“Various members of the team have helped us deliver on our vision,” he said.
Building the next chapter
AVI’s expansion has earned it a place among the Jacksonville Business Journal’s Fast 50 honorees for two consecutive years, most recently ranking No. 10. The recognition measures revenue growth among North Florida’s private companies.
Final-mile delivery, once the company’s primary focus, now represents about 25% to 30% of its business, Sherlock said. The expanded services reflect a broader role for a company approaching its seventh decade.
For Sherlock, the foundation remains the same: a team that understands the vision and has a voice in making it happen.
“I feel like we’re just getting started,” he said.
