Move creates one of country’s largest specialized furniture carriers
by Powell Slaughter // Senior Editor
MIRA LOMA, Calif. – Two major specialized furniture carriers will combine forces Oct. 1 when American West Worldwide Express closes on an acquisition of Sun Delivery.
The deal, for which terms weren’t disclosed, hooks Sun’s final-mile network into that of American West, whose services range from full-truckload to LTL to white-glove home delivery.
The news came in a joint announcement from Sun Delivery CEO Rick Phillips and Josh Brown, CEO of American West. The acquisition unites two strong brands that have served the furniture industry for decades, forming one of the largest specialized furniture carriers in North America.
Sun Delivery was founded in 1995 and was purchased by Phillips in 2002. Executive Vice President Aimee Boozer joined the company in 2004, and she has been instrumental in growing the business through superior customer service, disciplined operations and progressive technology. Phillips and his team have built a world class white-glove home delivery company.
Sun has utilized extensive employee training, first-class equipment, progressive technology and a professional approach to customer service and delivery to grow tenfold under Phillips’ leadership according to the company. Sun Delivery operates 200,000 square feet of facilities in Thomasville, N.C., Dallas and Las Vegas. The company employees 250 people and operates 150 pieces of equipment.
“Our mission statement, ‘To enhance the lives of those we serve by providing a world class home delivery experience,’ sums up what we aspire to do every day,” Phillips said.
American West has been a specialized furniture carrier since 1993, based in Southern California, with operating locations throughout the United States. American West provides a wide range of services to the furniture industry including furniture shippers, dealers, office furniture manufacturers and e-commerce customers such as Costco. Those services include LTL and full truck load transportation, blanket-wrap furniture services, white glove, in-home delivery services as well as container deconsolidation and warehousing.
“The combination of two strong premier furniture carriers is almost too good to be true,” said American West President Dan Hunt. “We have searched for this type of acquisition for over four years. The combination of our delivery abilities and our common cultures create an exceptional opportunity. Our combined ability to deliver with our own uniformed company drivers, combining line haul and utilizing our agent network is unparalleled in the fastest growing segment of our industry. Rick Phillips could have selected any carrier and believes the fit between our two companies is unique and exciting.”
“This combination could not have fit better,” Brown said. “Both of our companies have developed their own software and are committed to technology and continual improvement. We look forward to working with our growing customer base to exceed their goals and expectations.”
