Company Name: Findlay’s Tall Timbers Distribution Center, LLC, dba Ohio Logistics
Employee Name and Role: Chuck Bills, President and CEO; Brittney Darby, Vice President of the Midwest Region
By Sarah Mayle
How did your company get started, how long have you worked here, what do you do, and what do you enjoy about working here?
With the assistance of four investors, Chuck Bills started Findlay’s Tall Timbers Distribution Center in 1988 as a one-man show with a building and a vision. A trip to Kmart to gather up a few essentials later, he was up and running, ready to set his stake in the newly developed Tall Timbers Business Park. As fate would have it, he was “at the right place at the right time.”
Chuck Bills
“We leased a 40,000-square foot speculative building, and had one associate (me), four folding chairs, a folding table, fax machine, typewriter, and a porta pot,” said Bills, who is now CEO and president of Findlay’s Tall Timbers Distribution Center, doing business as Ohio Logistics. “Today we are a little bigger – thankfully.”
At different points in his life, Bills entertained the idea of becoming a mechanic, a teacher, and a coach. He thought his path as a teacher was set when he embarked on his college career at Indiana University, playing strong safety on the football team. A knee injury, however, not only ended his football hopes, but sent him home. In time, a group of fraternity brothers lured him back to school, and it was then that Bills shifted his aspiration to business.
After college, Bills was working as regional general manager for an automotive aftermarket part distributor in Lima when the opportunity to start Ohio Logistics came. He met the late Ralph Russo, an attorney from Findlay, who told him about Tall Timbers, and that Findlay leaders were looking for a distribution company with a Foreign Trade Zone to be part of their new business park.
“I was in the right place at the right time,” he said. “The Findlay leaders who made this happen had a vision and a distribution facility was part of that vision. For me, the excitement of Findlay drew me here – one, the opportunity to be an entrepreneur, but two, to learn from industry leaders, to sit at the same table with the leaders of Cooper Tire and Rubber, the leaders of Ball Corporation, Marathon Oil, Whirlpool Corporation, Werk Brau, and, at that time, Hancor Corporation.”
“It’s a unique opportunity – to have that type of leadership in a town of 40,000 people and that’s still true today. That’s a lot of talent to be able to tap into and be able to learn about their vision to grow their companies and their commitment to that. The head of Cooper Tire 35 years ago told me ‘Findlay breeds success.’ It does – Findlay breeds success.”
Thirty-seven years later, Findlay’s Tall Timbers Distribution Center, doing business today as Ohio Logistics, has grown considerably from one associate working in a spec building with a table and four chairs. By the end of 2025, the company will offer 8 million square feet of warehouse space. It currently operates four locations in Findlay, three in Fostoria, two in Bowling Green, and one location each in Ohio cities Northwood, Ottawa, Willard, Columbus, Bellevue, Trenton, and Clyde. There is a facility in Joliet, IL; Olive Branch, MS; State College, PA; Bellefonte, PA; Horseheads, NY; and there are four facilities in Painted Post, NY. In addition, Ohio Logistics is currently building an additional 208,000-square-foot facility in Findlay, and a third location in Bowling Green, of 83,000 square feet.
Progress as of late February on Ohio Logistics’ new 208,000 square foot facility located on the east side of Hamlet Drive, just south of CR 212. The $15.8 million warehouse is slated for completion in June.
Darby, who was a collegiate volleyball player and coach and received her MBA at Wheeling University in West Virginia, enjoys the community of Ohio Logistics, as well as the challenges she encounters each day.
Brittney Darby
“I truly enjoy the people I get to work with, both internally and externally,” she said. “The relationships we build and the interactions we have on a daily basis make the work incredibly fulfilling. I also love the opportunities that come our way and the challenge of finding solutions, whether it’s solving problems for our customers or improving processes within our own organization.”
“It’s not just about the day-to-day tasks – it’s about the sense of community and teamwork we foster within the company.”
Bills said sometimes people ask him when he plans to retire. He has thought about it – he’s even considered getting a motorhome and following NASCAR for a while – but he can’t bring himself to do it.
“It’s just exciting,” Bills said of his work. “The excitement of bringing value to our customers, literally breathing value into our customers and our associates and our communities. It all just keeps me here – I’m just having a lot of fun.”
About the Company
What is produced / created / services offered by the company? What makes you stand out?
Ohio Logistics is a Third-Party Logistics (3PL) provider and specializes in delivering comprehensive supply chain solutions tailored to meet the needs of customers. Under a wide lens, Ohio Logistics performs services such as warehousing, inventory control, transportation and freight management.
Under the microscope, Ohio Logistics drives efficiency and profitability, not only transporting a product from place to place, but streamlining supply chain through mode and route optimization, carrier management, freight consolidation, reverse logistics, and freight payment and audit.
Ohio Logistics currently serves about 200 on-going customers and employs 420 people company-wide. In Findlay and the Olive Branch, MS locations, Ohio Logistics serves as a Foreign Trade Zone, which provides customers with the opportunity to lower costs and boost profits through duty savings benefits.
“We are a one-stop solution that simplifies and optimizes the entire logistics process,” Darby said. “We stand out in our flexibility and adaptability as operators which allows us to respond quickly and efficiently to the changing demands of the supply chain.
“What truly sets us apart is our commitment to customer service, which is a direct result of our greatest asset – our associates. Their dedication and expertise are the foundation of our success.”
Ohio Logistics can transport your product from one location to the next while streamlining supply chain through mode and route optimization, carrier management, freight consolidation, reverse logistics, and freight payment and audit.
Two associates in Findlay, working on logistics.
“It takes all of us – there is value to everyone in our company,” Bills said. “There are three words that we always want to remember – please and thank you. And that’s how we operate every day. We want to be a good facilitator of communication, to seek as much input as we can from our associates, always involving them in our growth processes. We are sincere about everyone’s value – of the roles they play in the growth and success of our company.”
Bills and Darby didn’t see a need to list all of the events and organizations to which Ohio Logistics contributes volunteers and sponsorships. Bills said they are thankful. They feel blessed and fortunate, and they want to give back. As their motivation, he described the inspiring, thankful emotion of the new homeowner of a Habitat for Humanity residence; the satisfaction of knowing that if you fill the freezer up with meat at Hope House, those residents will enjoy a great meal that night; and the joy of knowing that by supporting a veteran through Flag City Honor Flight, it could lead to the experience of a lifetime.
“It’s seeing the smiles, seeing the joy you’re bringing folks – the joy is our inspiration,” Bills said. “For example, when we first got involved with Flag City Honor Flight, it was the emotion that we felt from those veterans – we want to make sure we do what we can to have every veteran feel the same thing. It’s the right thing to do.”
Ohio Logistics recently initiated a program called Distribution of Kindness to provide associates with monthly opportunities to volunteer.
“So now, in addition to giving financially, we are dedicating our time,” Darby said. “We hope that it will raise awareness and then get our team members involved on a personal level. Now they can see for themselves that emotion that we feel when we are gifting funds – they can be a part of it directly versus indirectly.”
One of many accolades the company has received for community support through the years, Ohio Logistics was recognized during the 2025 Doing Right Spotlight in March. The award, presented by University of Toledo’s Family Business Center, celebrates businesses that go above and beyond for their employees, customers, and communities—not for recognition, but because it’s the right thing to do. Ohio Logistics was honored specifically for its long-standing support of Flag City Honor Flight.
What has been your involvement with the ED office? Do you have a favorite project or initiative you were a part of during your work with us?
Bills was a founding member of Findlay’s Tall Timbers Distribution Center, which has brought tremendous growth and stability to Findlay and Hancock County from the 1980s through today. He has been an investor in Findlay Hancock County Economic Development since June of 1988 and was integral in establishing Foreign Trade Zone #151, of which Ohio Logistics’ space is a part. Since its inception, the FTZ has expanded to encompass seven counties through the alternative site framework (ASF).
A U.S. Foreign Trade Zone is a site within the United States, in or near a U.S. Customs port of entry, where foreign and domestic merchandise is considered to be outside of U.S. Customs territory, according to Ohio Logistics’ website. Certain types of merchandise can be imported into an FTZ without going through formal Customs entry procedures or paying import duties. Customs duties and excise taxes are due only at the time of transfer from the FTZ for U.S. consumption.
Darby is currently serving a term, from 2023-2025, as a member of the Findlay Hancock County Economic Development Advisory Board.
“I have enjoyed my time on the board,” she said. “It’s been very educational for me and my growth and understanding of economic development and what all goes into it.”
If there were one take-away you would want people to have about your company, what would it be?
“We believe in the value of family, faith and community,” Darby said.
Our Mission Statement:
Our goal is to be recognized as a World Class Quality Distribution Facility as measured and rated by our customers’ determination based on actual experience with our service and our people, measured against their needs and expectations.
Our pursuit of the goal will be embodied in the philosophy of Consistent Search of Excellence in service and communication. Methods to be employed in attaining these goals include various statistical methods, associate training, and utilization of associate involvement groups to solve problems.
We are obligated to develop our associates, meet our customer’s needs, and provide an equitable return to our shareholders and stakeholders. We will make every business decision as if the service provided was destined for our own or our family’s use.
Every FTTDC associate is expected to commit to this philosophy in the performance of his or her tasks. We will continually improve all areas of our business through the creative involvement of our greatest resource – OUR PEOPLE.
To Learn More:
ohiologistics.com or follow us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn or YouTube.
Job Opportunities:
ohiologistics.com, under the Careers tab.
