To commemorate our 120th anniversary, C.H. Robinson President and CEO Dave Bozeman shared this message with employees on honoring the past, leading through change, and building what comes next.
Team,
Robinson celebrates 120 years this year! That’s no small feat, and we didn’t get here by standing still. From the first days in Grand Forks, North Dakota, this company was built by people who took bold swings, who created a new industry, who moved fast and were at the frontier of changes in logistics. Our predecessors changed the game, and I’m extraordinarily grateful for the legacy they’ve given us.
Now we’re at another inflection point. And that means being fearless in what’s going to take us into the future—with even more energy, focus and speed.
When I joined the company two years ago this month, I was honored to take up the baton from the generations of hardworking, forward-thinking employees and leaders who made us who we are. That legacy was built on grit, innovation and a relentless focus on the customer. From the beginning, Robinson has been grounded in delivering a great customer experience—and that foundation remains core to how we will grow and lead today and into tomorrow. But I also knew we had work to do to evolve—because standing still and staying the same, wasn’t going to keep us ahead.
120 years strong—and just getting started. Hear from Dave Bozeman on how we honor our legacy by continuing to push forward.
We set out to become what our customers and carriers need now from a logistics partner—and what they’ll need next. That meant stepping back and rethinking how best to operate in the global supply chain: not just as a provider of services, but as a strategic partner with the scale, data, and expertise to solve the biggest challenges in front of them. We pushed our mindset to deliver more value, sharpen our execution and differentiate through speed, simplicity and clarity. We’re not done, but we’ve made progress and we’re seeing the results. Not just in stronger earnings, but in how we work together to improve execution, elevate the customer and carrier experience and lead with wise, aligned moves.
It’s the kind of transformation that makes you reflect on how far we’ve come. I often think about what Charles Henry Robinson would think of the company now, 120 years after he founded it: shipping 55,000 loads a day around the world for 83,000 customers. 20,000,000 loads a year! I believe he’d be proud not just of our scale, but how we’re staying true to our entrepreneurial roots while building on his legacy through our expertise, relationships and technology. Our focus this anniversary is not just about honoring the past—it’s also about future-proofing the business so the next generation of employees feel that same pride every day—honoring where we’ve been while pushing boldly into what’s next.
We must be clear-eyed about the world we operate in. Global trade is shifting. Demand is fluid. Pricing, inventory and sourcing strategies are evolving fast. No, we haven’t cracked the code for every challenge in logistics. But we’re not playing defense—we’re on offense. Technology keeps changing how business gets done—and won. We know we have to stay ahead. In the past two years alone, we’ve broken down decade-old barriers to automate processes with Gen AI to deliver faster results. Take our new tariff tool, which gives customers fast answers in a messy environment. Or Load Pay, which gets our carriers paid faster. These aren’t just tools, they’re how we’re working smarter, moving faster, solving what matters and freeing up our team to do higher-value work.
If there’s one thing our history proves, it’s that we know how to lead through disruption. And if there’s one thing I know for sure, it’s that we’ve got the team to do it again—only even faster, and better! 120 years in, we’re still writing the story Charles Robinson started. None of this happens without the people behind it—past, present and future. From the early days to today’s global scale, it’s been driven by colleagues who show up, solve problems and push us forward. So, let’s raise a toast to the builders, the thinkers and the doers—to the colleagues who’ve shaped our journey and the future we’ll create together.
Now it’s our turn to shape what comes next—to lead with purpose, move with urgency, and build a company that future generations will be just as proud to inherit. Let’s keep pushing forward—with the same boldness, resilience, and relentless focus on the customer that got us here.
Dave
