Weston LaBar, a renowned changemaker in the logistics industry, has played a pivotal role in placing Waterfront Logistics on a rapid growth trajectory. As Chief Strategy Officer, he is steering the company’s transformation into a modern, tech-enabled logistics powerhouse. He often calls himself a carpenter, who builds and fixes. When something needs to be put in place or rebuilt, it is usually he and his team who take it on. Thoughtful in everything he does, Weston is not only driving Waterfront Logistics forward but also redefining the future of the logistics industry.
Weston is also the CEO of Ventures 52 and Quaynote Ventures, the digital venture subsidiary of Waterfront Logistics. Ventures 52 is his own initiative, which he believes complements his role as Chief Strategy Officer.
Finding Himself in the Quicksand of Logistics Industry
Weston describes the logistics industry as “quicksand.” “Very few people intend to get into it unless they are born into it,” he says. “But once they step into this industry, it’s really hard to pull themselves out.” The same was true for Weston, who had been serving in the political sphere before his plunge into logistics. He worked with government officials and stakeholders, advocating for public policy and helping people obtain permits to build projects. According to him, he worked on the private side of public government.
Once he entered the logistics sphere, Weston quickly discovered what he found unique about the supply chain. He calls it the “last bastion of blue-collar entrepreneurialism.” He says that there are only a handful of industries where someone can start out driving a truck or working in a warehouse and work their way up to become an executive, or even build companies and become entrepreneurs, and achieve great success over the course of their career.
Weston was also drawn to the essential nature of what they do. He says, “As the old adage goes: ‘if you bought it, a truck brought it.” He believes this to be undeniably true. He notes that people often view trucking and goods movement as something that causes traffic, pollution, and other disruptions. They overlook the investments being made to build a better, cleaner industry, and they forget how essential it is.
“If the industry fails to perform, people who rely on it for their daily quality of life would arrive at stores to find shelves empty or order items online that never reach their doorsteps,” Weston explains. “There isn’t an industry or a person that doesn’t depend on the supply chain as a whole.”
Additionally, Weston was impressed by the opportunities the industry creates for people and by the impact of the vast volume of goods moving through the supply chain. And, once he stepped into the industry, he quickly grew accustomed to everything it has to offer, including people. After that, logistics became the field he pursued with passion.
“I soon wanted to make a difference so that the supply chain of tomorrow is better than the supply chain of today and yesterday,” Weston says.
Helping Fuel the Growth of a Company
When Weston joined Waterfront Logistics in January 2025, it was heavily concentrated among just a few key clients. In the past eight months, however, they have rapidly diversified, growing from a handful of customers to over 100 unique clients. This shift Weston highlights as a significant achievement.
Although excited about the growth, Weston is prouder of the people they have brought on board and the processes and scalable foundations they have built, which ensure long-term success. “When we bring new opportunities into our organization, we handle them as if they are our own,” he says pointing to the company’s tagline of “We Move It Like We Own It.”
After Weston’s arrival, Waterfront has also ventured into new verticals. According to him, they now handle types of freight they didn’t a year ago. This flexibility allows the company to stay nimble and navigate tough situations, such as tariffs that have forced many competitors out of business. By diversifying, avoiding over-concentration, being open to new opportunities, and challenging themselves, Weston believes they have positioned themselves to be a standard bearer in the industry for years to come. “That is why I came here in the first place,” he says.
A Brief Introduction to Waterfront Logistics
Waterfront Logistics offers 24/7 secure and customized storage solutions for wheeled and grounded containers, drop-trailers, and specialty project cargo. Although it is a relatively young company, it has one of the deepest benches of experienced executives, all of whom came together in the last four years. And, in four years, they have become a $100+ million company, a feat not easy to achieve in the industry.
Our goal is to be a culture-first, customer-centric company. We want to put people above everything else,” Weston says. “Our tagline is, ‘We move it like we own it’.” When issues arise during the customer’s journey, Waterfront takes them personally. “That, I think, is the biggest thing to know about the company,” Weston says.
He is proud of where they are headed, especially in providing a more data-driven approach that will enable the implementation of their AI roadmap. In addition to helping customers with transparency, visibility, and higher delivery success rates, they also intend to support their people. The company’s AI approach is focused on making jobs easier, not replacing them. “That is something I’m not only proud of today but also excited to continue building on,” Weston says.
A Major Achievement of a Remarkable Career
When Weston first arrived as CEO at the Harbor Trucking Association, he recalls it feeling more like a small group of disgruntled people focused on complaining about what was wrong. Over his seven years there, however, the association transformed into one of the largest port trucking organizations in the United States. “We achieved a lot of change,” Weston says. He considers this one of the greatest achievements of his career.
According to him, after he joined the Harbor Trucking Association, the industry came together, and competitors became colleagues. “It became about best practices and the idea that a rising tide lifts all ships,” he says.
Weston is extremely proud of how the industry looks today compared to fifteen years ago, in addition to all he accomplished during his tenure. They introduced initiatives such as creating equipment programs that didn’t exist before. They also helped pass landmark legislation, like the Ocean Shipping Reform Act, the first major piece of shipping legislation in the U.S. since the late 1980s. Under his leadership, the association also embraced technology.
“Our focus was lifting up an industry that had long been considered at the bottom of the supply chain totem pole, helping it becomes a highly influential sector,” Weston says.
Challenges: Legacy and Unpredictability
Weston points out that “legacy” is the biggest challenge he has encountered. He explains it as the feeling that “this is how it has always been done,” and “it is never going to change.” He is someone who loves to take on problems that people insist are not fixable.
When Weston first began working in the industry, he often heard people talk about “once-in-a-lifetime disruptions” or “once-in-a-lifetime events.” In reality, he notes, there is at least one of every year. What Weston finds most exciting about the industry is its unpredictability. One needs to expect the unexpected. Weston points out that something will always pop up unexpectedly and impact not just a single business, but the entire supply chain. That is why, he explains, it is important to remain innovative, creative, agile, and resilient, in addition to navigating the industry and one’s role in it. He highlights that logistics is an ecosystem, and everyone in it is interdependent.
“So, one needs to find like-minded people who believe change is possible and understand that nothing is set in stone,” Weston says.
Defining Success in Own Terms
Weston’s definition of success is twofold. First, he believes success means leaving things in a better state than he found them. “Everything in life that one embarks on presents an opportunity to improve it and make it better,” he explains. Whenever he gets involved in something, his ultimate goal is to ensure it is in a better situation than it was when he first started working on it.
Second, Weston strives to find a win-win scenarios for everyone involved. “If there is one person who is 100% happy, we probably haven’t done a good job of seeing how our decisions impact everybody else,” he says.
“Some people see things as they are, and say why. I dream of things that never were, and say why not.”
– George Bernard Shaw
Responsibilities of a CSO
As CSO, Weston oversees all aspects of Waterfront’s growth, including the commercial team, consisting of frontline salespeople, commercial operations, and account managers. He explains that his role involves working with the people who bring in new business, those who onboard new accounts, and those who ensure customers remain satisfied. He is responsible for marketing as well. “I’m very hands-on in that area,” he says.
Weston has built out the company’s brokerage, which he intends to continue expanding. Additionally, he works closely with operations and IT on systems integrations. Weston points out that he does a little bit of everything, which is why no two days are exactly the same for him.
And he also takes great pride in being the public face of the company and its brand. In January 2025, he and his team launched a major rebranding of Waterfront Logistics. “Now people know who we are and appreciate what we offer,” he says. In his spare time, he also hosts the “On the Waterfront” podcast to share their story.
“I’m neither the finance nor the HR guy, and I don’t run operations,” Weston says. “However, I’m involved in nearly every aspect of the company, and I tackle some of the toughest challenges we face as a company to achieve our goals.”
As a leader, Weston leads as well as serves. He believes in leading by example, setting expectations, and living up to them. According to him, anyone in a leadership position who is not willing to do what they ask of others is setting themselves up for failure. “I make a point to get out there, lead every day, and stay active and engaged,” he says.
And, for Weston, nothing or no one is beneath him. There is nothing he would ask someone else to do that he would not do himself. “I don’t have set swim lanes,” he says. “I meander throughout the pool here.”
“If there is an operational issue, I’m very hands-on,” he adds. “I have a call every day at 7:00 a.m. with our frontline operators to see how things may impact customers and how I can help prevent issues.” He says that they work closely with finance to ensure their customers get the right information and are set up for success. In addition to that, they collaborate with HR to find good contributors for open positions.
“I never see myself as more important than the ultimate goal, which is achieving what we have set out to accomplish,” Weston says. “To do that, you need to be willing to both sit in the boardroom and empty your own trash can. I am willing to do everything in between.”
This year, Weston was recognized as the Chief Strategy Officer of the Year by Global Supply Chain Leaders for their 25th year of recognizing some of the best supply chain leaders throughout the world.
Plans for the Future
First and foremost, Weston wants to continue being there for his family. Then, he wants to continue building and growing businesses and deliver information to people so they are better equipped to be advocates for their work.
“And I definitely want to continue to invest in the future of the industry, both literally and figuratively,” Weston says. He intends to continue being a venture capitalist. According to him, he wants to help people achieve their goals, connect them with the right stakeholders, secure access to the right capital, and develop the right products that move the industry forward.
Weston also hopes to leave behind a lasting legacy by building Waterfront Logistics with his partners and creating something people can point to and say, “There is a better way to do this.”
Personally, Weston hopes to spend more time with his children. “I don’t want to be one of those people who, upon retiring, say, ‘I may have built a great business or accomplished a lot, but I didn’t get enough time to spend with my children when they were young,’” he shares.
Message to Aspiring Leaders
Don’t take ‘no’ for an answer” is Weston’s first piece of advice to aspiring leaders in the logistics industry. Instead, he encourages them to ask, “How?” He points out, “If you can’t find an open door, find an open window.” Another key advice he shares is to listen more and talk less.
Weston also tells aspiring leaders that there is always a place for anyone who is a good person, willing to work hard, able to think outside the box, and capable of building meaningful relationships. He says that most advanced technology has no value without relationships. Weston credits his success to the relationships he has built over the years.
“The reason I’m able to help a technology company grow, flourish, and become the next big thing in our industry is because I’ve built relationships with the people who are actually going to test and use it,” he says.
“Lead with character, and you won’t need to worry about your reputation, for character defines who you are, and reputation merely defines what people think about you.”
– John Wooden
