CH Powell snatches up Irwin Brown

CH Powell Company, a logistics provider headquartered in Massachusetts, has acquired The Irwin Brown Company, a New Orleans-based licensed customs brokerage and international freight forwarding firm.    Massachusetts-based logistics provider CH Powell Company has acquired The Irwin Brown Company, a licensed customs brokerage and international freight forwarding firm headquartered in New Orleans, with offices along the Gulf Coast, CH Powell confirmed Friday.
   “This acquisition allows CH Powell Company to expand its import brokerage services in this important region,” the firm explained in a prepared statement. “With growing trade in Central and South America and the continual growth of imports from Asia to the Gulf, CH Powell and the Irwin Brown team are well positioned to expand its national and international footprint.”
   CH Powell, which has declined to reveal the purchase price and terms of the acquisition, was founded in 1919 and has 18 offices throughout the U.S., plus subsidiaries throughout Asia and the Netherlands known as Tandem Global Logistics.
   Irwin Brown, which was founded in New Orleans in 1968, has offices in Louisiana and Mississippi, offering end-to-end logistics. The firm works with clients throughout the U.S., coordinating their custom clearance, export forwarding and transportation needs.
   “Irwin Brown has been an industry leader in customs clearance in New Orleans and the Gulf for 50 years. Their reputation and knowledge in this industry are stellar,” CH Powell Vice President Robert Powell said. “We are excited that the IBC team is joining our company and look for our mutual synergies to grow our business.”