9. Lineage Logistics

Founders: Kevin Marchetti, Adam Forste
CEO: Greg Lehmkuhl
Launched: 2012
Headquarters: Novi, Michigan
Funding: $9.3 billion
Valuation: $25 billion
Key technologies: Artificial intelligence, autonomous vehicles, blockchain, deep neural networks/deep learning, Internet of Things, machine learning, robotics
Industry: Logistics
Previous appearances on Disruptor 50 List: 2 (No. 3 in 2022)

Food prices have skyrocketed during the worst bout of inflation since the 1970s, including high costs for staple goods (like eggs, which hit record highs in February). The supply chain, while recovering from the worst of the pandemic bottlenecks, is part of the reason. More than three years out from the beginning of Covid, the port congestion, rail disruption and shortages of logistics labor continue to make it harder than ever to efficiently move food from production to consumers.

But those problems pre-dated the pandemic, too. Supply chain sluggishness contributes to one of the biggest environmental issues in the U.S.: food waste. According to the Department of Agriculture, about 30-40% of America's food is wasted, ending up in landfills while more than 30 million Americans experience food insecurity.

Lineage Logistics is on a mission to make the food supply chain more efficient – in particular, the cold-chain storage industry.

Since opening its first frozen food warehouse in 2008, the Michigan-based company has grown to over 430 locations across 20 countries, offering a global network of temperature-controlled cold-storage facilities for foods more likely to quickly expire (including meat, dairy, baked goods and produce) and become food waste.

Each of these facilities "blast freeze" millions of pounds of product a day and store food with warehouse racks specifically designed for efficiency. As of this year, 29 of its warehousing locations are automated, utilizing artificial intelligence and autonomous vehicles to boost productivity and ease the pressure of recently limited logistics staffing.

Much of the company's growth has come through its aggressive acquisition strategy. Lineage has made over 100 acquisitions to become the largest global temperature-controlled logistics company (ranked by space in cubic feet and number of locations). In April, Lineage opened its latest location in Port Wentworth, Georgia, following the addition of more than 40 new warehouses in 2022.