chi-RichHamiltoHeadshot (5) Hamilton will work out of the company’s office in Rosemont, IL.

CHICAGO—Third-party logistics firms are growing in importance to the nation’s economy, and Cushman & Wakefield has decided to bring more focus to this sector. The firm has hired Rich Hamilton as managing director and head of its newly formed 3PL logistics specialty practice group. He works out of the company’s office in Rosemont, IL, which serves as the home base for its Americas logistics and industrial services team.

A resident of suburban St. Charles, most recently served as Prologis’ first vice president, global customer solutions. In his new role, Hamilton has begun teaming with Cushman & Wakefield’s industrial brokers, research and strategic consulting professionals and other special practice groups to provide facility and real estate advisory services for third-party logistics providers.

“The 3PL industry is growing and changing rapidly, in response to new and evolving shipping paradigms,” John Morris, executive managing director of logistics and industrial services for the Americas, tells GlobeSt.com. “Parcel, last mile and urban delivery freight demand has been rising steadily for the last few years. This is expensive, challenging freight. Shippers have been and will continue to seek scale and leverage their more challenging logistics needs. The 3PL industry will need to grow, and improve, to respond. Rich’s 13 years of leadership experience in the 3PL industry, combined with his invaluable experience at Prologis, make him an ideal partner for 3PL companies looking to adapt their facility footprints. Rich will be surrounded by a deep bench of resources, allowing him to execute on complete solutions for these companies.”

Hamilton joined Prologis in 2005 and specialized in the third-party logistics sector, as well as occupiers in the manufacturing, retail and consumer goods industries. He managed a portfolio of 40 clients with annual revenue in excess of $100 million. He also served as the company’s primary liaison with the third-party logistics industry and coordinated its annual 3PL Executive Roundtable.

“Third-party logistics organizations and their underlying users – retailers, manufacturers and service providers – represent a substantial vertical within the occupier community,” he says. “Our goal is to help them identify the best real estate solutions and develop real estate strategies that serve to optimize their supply chains. During my time on the developer side of the business, I was deeply impressed with the quality and approach Cushman & Wakefield employs in serving customer needs. Joining the industrial practice here was an obvious choice – one that will ensure my clients are working with the best team in the industry.”