Buying a logistics company in Space Coast and Volusia
Space Coast and Volusia has 23 established logistics companies by our count: companies in business at least 15 years that still file with the state every year and aren't part of a larger group. Of those, 78% have been in business 20 years or more. Most will never be listed for sale, and many of their owners have never been asked.
What it takes to own one
Logistics companies in Space Coast and Volusia come in every size. Here's what owning one could look like at three levels, from a solid company to one of the leaders, with a small business loan covering most of the price.
- Earns about
- $252,000 a year
- Price about
- $769,000
- Your cash
- $108,000
- Could pay you
- up to $114,000 a year
- Earns about
- $435,000 a year
- Price about
- $1.3 million
- Your cash
- $186,000
- Could pay you
- up to $196,000 a year
- Earns about
- $568,000 a year
- Price about
- $1.7 million
- Your cash
- $242,000
- Could pay you
- up to $256,000 a year
Earnings are owner earnings: profit plus what the owner pays themselves, before loan payments and taxes. They and the prices are our estimates from public records, not the owners' figures, and we value companies like these at about 3.0 times a year's owner earnings. Your cash covers the down payment and closing costs, and what the business could pay you is what's left after the loan payments and the cushion lenders require. The more cash you bring, the further up you can go.
Age, size and location
Revenue is our estimate from public records, grouped into wide ranges.
| In business | Companies |
|---|---|
| Under 20 years | 5 |
| 20 to 29 years | 11 |
| 30 to 39 years | 6 |
| 40 years or more | 1 |
| Estimated yearly revenue | Companies |
|---|---|
| Under $1M | 1 |
| $1M to $2M | 1 |
| $2M to $4M | 1 |
| $4M to $8M | 1 |
| County | Companies |
|---|---|
| Brevard | 15 |
| Volusia | 6 |
| Other counties | 2 |
| Town | Companies |
|---|---|
| Cocoa | 6 |
What the best logistics companies have in common
- Many long-standing customers, not one dominant account.
- A margin per shipment that holds up when freight rates rise or fall.
- Customers who buy more than one service, such as customs clearance, trucking and storage, and are harder to lure away.
- Trusted carriers and agents, and a routine for checking their authority and insurance on every load.
- Experienced staff, not only the owner, who know the customers.
- Software that tracks every shipment and invoice.
- For warehouses, customer contracts that run several years and a lease that outlasts them.
- A clean record with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), Customs and other agencies.
What to check before you buy
- Revenue and margin by customer and service (truckload, ocean, air, warehousing).
- How fast the company pays carriers, and any unpaid carrier claims.
- Past cargo claims and insurance, including coverage for loads the company arranges but doesn't haul.
- Customer and warehouse contracts: length, whether they can be transferred to you, and limits on liability for lost or damaged goods.
- Who holds the customs broker license or FMC qualification, and whether they'll stay after the sale.
- Software and data: who owns the systems and customer data, and what they cost.
- What customers owe and how overdue it is. A broker that gives shippers long payment terms is lending them money.
Questions to ask the owner
- Who are your top ten customers, and who looks after each one?
- How do you check carriers before you give them a load?
- Who holds the customs or FMC licenses, and will they stay?
- What happened to your margins when freight rates fell?
- Have you had any cargo claims or payment disputes with carriers?
- How much revenue comes from customers you brought in personally?
- What software runs the business, and do you own it or rent it?
To learn what these companies do, which licenses they need and how ownership works, read our full guide to buying a logistics company in Florida.
Owning a company in Space Coast and Volusia
The local economy
This region covers Brevard, Volusia and Flagler counties: Melbourne, Palm Bay, Titusville, Cocoa, Cocoa Beach, Merritt Island, Daytona Beach, Port Orange, Ormond Beach, DeLand, Deltona, New Smyrna Beach and Palm Coast. Brevard's economy is built around space. Rockets launch often from Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, and aerospace and defense manufacturers and their suppliers employ engineers, technicians and machinists across the county. Port Canaveral is a major cruise port.
Volusia depends more on tourism, beaches and big events, with Daytona's motorsports and motorcycle rallies drawing crowds. Health care and a large retired population matter too. Flagler County, around Palm Coast, is mostly residential. Machine shops, electrical and engineering firms, home service companies, marine businesses and restaurants all have a place here.
What's different about owning a company here
Brevard's fortunes follow the space and defense programs. A company that sells to aerospace firms should be able to show you how many customers it depends on and how secure their work is. Business in Volusia spikes around big events and the winter season, so look at revenue by month.
The whole coast faces storm risk. In 2022, Hurricane Ian brought flooding to much of Volusia, and Hurricane Nicole, which came ashore near Vero Beach six weeks later, washed away beaches and seawalls along the Volusia coast. Beachfront property needs careful insurance and structural checks. The Indian River Lagoon and the St. Johns River make boating and fishing part of daily life, which keeps the marine trades busy. Palm Coast and the Palm Bay area have added many new homes, and companies serving those areas have grown with them.