Built to Go the Distance

When HTL founders Onu Okebie and Brian Boland met at Goizueta Business School, the alignment was immediate.

Both are CPA-trained – fiscally minded, analytically sharp, and comfortable reading the financial story behind any business.

Both are former athletes wired for competition, discipline, and performance.

That combination became the blueprint for HTL Freight: financial precision paired with relentless execution.

Onu had already built and sold an asset-based trucking company before business school. Brian developed his career inside global supply chain organizations where acquisitions, integrations, and operational strategy were central to growth.

Together, they set out to build a transportation company designed for long-term performance.

Finding the Right Foundation

While still students at Goizueta Business School, Onu Okebie and Brian Boland began working on their first acquisition. They started studying the market the way accountants and operators do—by digging into the numbers. Over time, they reviewed hundreds of P&Ls, evaluating transportation companies across the country.

They met in 2017.
They graduated in 2019.
Then, for more than two years, they searched.

They weren’t looking for just any company.
They were looking for the right foundation.

When they found it—a family-owned brokerage with more than three decades of trusted relationships and deep expertise in flatbed and oversized freight—they knew they had their starting point.

That acquisition became HTL.

Building a Company with Depth

What followed was not rapid expansion for its own sake. It was deliberate team building.

Over the next five years, HTL completed five strategic acquisitions, transforming a four-person startup into a growing logistics platform with more than 65 team members.

Each addition strengthened the company’s capabilities and expanded its network of carriers, customers, and industry specialists. One pivotal acquisition introduced managed transportation services, strengthening HTL’s ability to oversee entire freight ecosystems.

The result is a company built with unusual depth.

Across every modality — from flatbed to drayage to specialized transportation — HTL has experienced team members with a breadth of experience.

It’s not just a brokerage network. It’s a deep bench of industry veterans.

A Sports Performance Culture

HTL’s culture reflects the mindset of its founders.

Both former athletes, Onu and Brian approach business the same way elite competitors approach their sport: preparation, discipline, accountability, and relentless improvement.

This philosophy has shaped the organization they’ve built. Across the company you’ll find former collegiate athletes, professional competitors, and coaches—people who understand what it means to perform under pressure and deliver results as a team.

The mentality shows up in how the company operates every day, guided by core values that include integrity, drive, and execution.

Because in logistics, just like in sports, talent matters. But execution wins.

Where Transportation Becomes a Competitive Advantage

Today, HTL provides managed transportation and freight brokerage solutions to companies across North America.

The mission is simple: help customers move faster, operate smarter, and compete more effectively through logistics.

But the company still operates with the same philosophy that guided its first move.

Build strong teams.
Play the long game.
Execute with precision.

Because the companies that win in logistics aren’t the ones that play one good quarter.

They’re the ones built to Go the Distance.