In 1984, Roger and Jeannie Scarbrough had a vision to create a logistics company that was simply the best. They knew that many of their clients were not logistics experts, and they wanted to make the complex work of international freight forwarding simpler. So, they started building a company made up of people whose mission every day was to make the process more transparent, a little easier, and a lot less stressful. People who would sweat the small details, solve the hard problems, and go the extra miles.
“It’s three words: Simply The Best. It’s not always the best; it’s not the best. It’s ‘simply the best’ because we simplify things for them. We take the worry of the time, travel, language discrepancies, and everything out of that and make it simple for our clients,” says Roger.
Their dream started in the basement of their townhome after Roger and Jeannie left their successful jobs to start Scarbrough. With Jeannie’s help, they carefully grew their business one customer and one employee at a time. Roger was always the dreamer and visionary, but he needed Jeannie there to help put the processes in place that would help Scarbrough grow to what it is today.
They knew that having the right people in place would set their company apart from all other logistics companies. Because at the end of the day Scarbrough isn’t just a logistics company, we’re a people company.
Over the past 40 years, Roger and Jeannie have grown Scarbrough from a logistics company in a basement to a global partner offering so much more than logistics. From customs brokerage to domestic trucking to consulting to warehousing, we combine experience, technology, and good old-fashioned caring to bring logic to the complex world of logistics—no matter what service we’re providing. Today, we have offices in the United States, Mexico, and Canada so we can offer our services all over North America.
While their company offered them the opportunity to serve their clients, Roger and Jeannie’s impact is felt far beyond the world of international trade. Their business gave them the platform to pursue their true passion: service to others. They have performed mission work in Central America, including donating thousands of pairs of shoes to children in need.
Closer to home, they started The Scarbrough Family Foundation, which has impacted countless organizations across the Kansas City metro area. They have been staunch supporters of City Union Mission, a Kansas City homeless support service. They have selflessly donated both time and money to the organization to help those in need. And one of their proudest moments was founding the Northland Christian Education System in Kansas City, and even donating the old Scarbrough building as funding for the new school building.
“Roger and Jeannie built the foundation for what we call Scarbrough Global today,” says Adam Hill, President & CEO. “In addition, they continue to provide their unwavering support and guidance for both me and the business as a whole as we move into the next 40 years of growth and opportunity.”
Today at Scarbrough, we are proud to honor their legacy every day.