Corporate History

James Group International (JGI) is a privately held, minority certified, provider of global supply chain management services.  The company was founded in 1971 by John A. James and Calvin Outlaw.  Operating under the name O-J Transport Co., the company provided freight transportation services. 

O-J Transport Company overcame numerous legislative obstacles at both the federal and state levels to obtain its 48-state and international operating authority. The legislation at the federal level represented the first major change in trucking regulation and eased the burden of minorities entering the trucking industry. From one Ford heavy-duty truck and annual sales of less than $50,000, the company grew and in 2001, became the highest volume truckload carrier for Ford Motor Company, hauling more than 1,600 truckloads of cargo weekly.

In the mid eighties, the company expanded and O-J Transport became a parent company. In 1991, Motor City Intermodal Distribution (MCID) was established to provide warehousing and distribution, inventory management, and foreign trade zone services. Today, MCID offers the only active water-to-rail distribution service in Detroit. Motor City Logistics (MCL) was added to the enterprise in 1996 to offer logistics and value added services that include sequencing, kitting, packaging, sub-assembly, testing and repair.

In January 1998, Mr. Outlaw passed away. The name of the parent corporation was changed to James Group International. John A. James, now Chairman and CEO, began the process of expanding into adjacent markets and increasing JGI's core competencies in order to provide more complete supply chain solutions to customers.

Renaissance Global Logistics (RGL) was launched in 1998 as a global consolidation operation, packing and exporting automotive components to Argentina, Brazil, Venezuela, Australia, Japan, Taiwan and Europe. JASCO, a joint venture with Sumitomo Corporation of America and Sumitrans was added to the JGI group in 2000. JASCO International provided deconsolidation and sub assembly services. In 2001, O-J-Transport was sold and Motor City Express (MCX) was established to provide transportation services. In 2006, JASCO International and Motor City Logistics were sold.