LaserShip expands in North Carolina

Regional parcel carrier LaserShip said Tuesday it has opened a facility in Durham, N.C. —  its first foray into the fast-growing medical and life-science-heavy Research Triangle area of the state.

The 40,000-square-foot facility is part of a 400 zip-code expansion in the area encompassing Research Triangle — from Greensboro, N.C. to the south and the Virginia border to the north, the Vienna, Virginia-based company said. The expansion will add two million consumers in North Carolina to the company’s addressable market, LaserShip said.

LaserShip also operates an 87,000-square-foot sort center and delivery hub located in Charlotte.

LaserShip, founded in 1986, serves 21 states on the East Coast and in the Midwest, as well as the District of Columbia. It is one of a cluster of regional carriers that offer shippers an alternative in their service areas to national carriers like FedEx Corp. (NYSE:FDX) and UPS Inc. (NYSE:UPS). Because of their relatively limited geographic service areas, regional carriers can execute overnight or next-day deliveries rather easily. They also typically have lower rates and fewer accessorial charges, which are add-on fees to the basic pick-up and delivery charge.