Nema Etheridge for GlobalAtlanta
French freight forwarder Logfret SA chose Atlanta over Miami as the site of its third U.S. office because of the city’s reputation as an important logistics hub, according to Pascal Gouteix, Southeast regional manager for Logfret Inc., the company’s U.S. subsidiary.

Mr. Gouteix said that Hoboken, N.J.-based Logfret was interested in Miami because of its proximity to Central and South American markets.

But Atlanta’s growing logistics industry and its access to markets in Europe, Latin America, and the Southeast, helped convince Logfret executives to open an office here, which they did last month.

“They went with Atlanta because they felt there was great potential for their company to grow here,” said Mr. Gouteix, who worked with ABX Logisitics USA Inc. for three years in Atlanta before joining Logfret.

Since Logfret is French-owned, Mr. Gouteix will first develop the company’s Atlanta-France business, he said. But he also plans to build clients on routes to and from Asia and Latin America, and he thinks that his fluency in English, Spanish and French will help him expand Logfret’s client base in the Southeast.

From Atlanta, he plans to work with clients in Alabama, the Carolinas, Mississippi, Georgia and Tennessee, he said.

He also said that the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce’s acclaimed Logistics Innovation Council, which provides information and services to local logistics companies, will be a strong resource for the new company.

The council’s network of some 100 members and its information on the Port of Savannah and Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport will be a “boost” for Logfret, according to Mr. Gouteix.

Founded in the early 1970s near Paris, Logfret is a family owned and operated freight forwarding company with operations in more than 65 countries.

The company opened its first U.S. office 15 years ago in Hoboken to service trans-Atlantic shipments in and out of New York.

In 2003, Logfret opened an office in Chicago, and it has also been steadily building its presence in Asia, Mr. Gouteix said.

There are currently seven Logfret offices in China, one in Singapore and two in Taiwan. The company also has an extensive network throughout Europe, with some 22 offices on the continent, 13 of which are located in France.

Mr. Gouteix said he plans to promote Logfret through the French American Chamber of Commerce and the French Trade Commission in Atlanta. He is also a member of the International Freight Forwarders and Customs House Brokers of Atlanta as well as a member of the metro chamber.

In addition to providing services to its members, the metro chamber’s logistics council works to bring logistics companies to Atlanta.

Since the council was created three years ago, it has assisted 32 logistics companies to expand or locate in metro Atlanta. Its efforts were recognized at an awards ceremony in New York last month held by the International Economic Development Council, an association of business developers from around the world.

For more information on the logistics council, visit www.logisticsatlanta.com.

For more information on the Logfret, visit www.logfret.com.

Contact Mr. Gouteix at (770) 989-7374 or pgouteix@us-logfret.com.