Custom Goods, a logistics provider based in Carson, on Tuesday got a new chief executive in Jacques Retief.
The company has been a subsidiary of Sawtelle-based Angeles Equity Partners since 2023. Appointed by the parent company, Retief succeeded Rob Walpole, who moved on to lead Michigan-based Ascent Global Logistics.
In a press release, Angeles Managing Director Sam Heischuber said Retief is the “right leader” for the company, which specializes in complex warehousing and other value-added logistics services for a variety of high-profile customers across food and beverage, automotive and retail sectors.
Since its foundation in 1962, its client base has ranged from Fortune 500 companies to recent startups, including such names as Fiji Water Co. and Nissan North America Inc.
Further growth
The next growth phase, the release points out, involves expanding the customer base and speeding up its national reach. The company currently operates almost 10 million square feet across 37 facilities on U.S. soil.
“Custom Goods’ asset-light model, national footprint, and specialized capabilities, Angeles believes, position the company well to capitalize on continued demand for outsourced logistics services,” Heischuber said. “We believe Jacques is the right leader to build on that foundation, expand the company’s capabilities, and accelerate its growth.”
Retief most recently served as chief operating officer of Dallas-based Neovia Logistics Services, which has more than 6,500 employees and operates more than 100 facilities in 20 countries – a much larger ship to run than Custom Goods.
He brought more than 20 years of logistics and distribution experience to the table, including an international role in Johannesburg at UTi Worldwide Inc.
“Custom Goods has built a strong platform by combining flexible warehousing and fulfillment capabilities with specialized services that address complex customer requirements,” the newly appointed chief executive said in a statement. “I look forward to working with the Custom Goods team to build on that foundation, enhance our operational capabilities, and deliver even greater value to our customers as we continue to grow.”
chief executive of Custom Goods.
Other personnel changes
Retief is not the only new C-suite leader that Angeles Equity Partners appointed this year for its subsidiaries. Its commercial roofing company, Chicago-based O’Hara’s Son Roofing Co., welcomed Jake Hyatt as chief executive in August. Within the parent company itself, Michael Knapp joined as managing director and head of business development in the same month.
Angeles Equity Partners is also deepening its reach into niche manufacturing and industrial services – a sector facing rapid changes during an influx of new technology. Its most recent move concerns its data center contamination control subsidiary Promera Solutions in Illinois, which acquired Formula Facilities Services in the U.K. and Critical Area Cleaning in Ireland this fall.
They would give Promera contamination-control capacities in “two of Europe’s most important data center markets,” the private equity company said in a statement. It reported nearly $1 billion in capital commitments in 2023.
