Meiborg Brothers celebrates more than 40 years in business

ROCKFORD, Ill. (WTVO) — You've probably seen their trucks scooting around town. Meiborg Brothers has been hauling freight for more than 40 years. Leaders at the Rockford-based business said the future is bright.
'Meiborg companies were founded in 1981 by my father, Bill Meiborg,' said Zach Meiborg, the company's President and CEO. 'He started off as a single truck leasing and with a company out of Milwaukee hauling dry goods to the west coast and produce back.'
He said the company has grown over those 40-plus years.
'We've grown the Meiborg company to 200 trucks, 700 trailers, almost 3 million square feet of warehousing, a truckload brokerage and a 24/7 repair shop that has its own wrecker and service truck,' he said.
Meiborg gave us a tour of their facilities in Rockford to show us their operations.
'This here is the nerve center of what we do at Meiborg,' he said while walking through the company's offices on Harrison Avenue in Rockford. 'It's our operations floor. We have customer service, we have dispatches, we have planning, we have truckload brokerage, accounting, and even our executive team sits out on the floor here because you can't really run the company if you don't know what's going on in the company. And the best way to know the company is to be in the company. '
He said the company's asset division, which are their trucks, operates primarily out of the Rockford-Chicago market, Houston, Texas, and Atlanta, Georgia.
'We do service the full 48 states as well as Mexico, Canada, and we have roundtrips to Alaska. But 80% of all the freight that our assets run go between these three points,' he said.
What they haul and warehouse is varried. Products like forklifts, food products, solar panels, are part of what they help move around the country and world.
'Everyday things that you use that come and go by truck or go for export overseas or imports comes through our logistics hub,' Meiborg said. 'Some of the really neat freight that we haul are like concert loads. Today, we have six trucks in the Chicago moving Beyonce's concert into the south side of Chicago there to perform. We've also done Metallica, Taylor Swift, Alabama. We've done some really neat bands over the years.
He said his drivers cover a lot of ground each day.
'The goal is to run the truck about 550 miles a day and generate as much revenue as you can in that 550 miles. A driver can legally drive 11 hours within a day, 14 total hours on duty, and within a week, 70 hours maximum,' he said.
'As a company, we generate about $105 million of revenue a year,' Meiborg explained. 'That's not profit, that's revenue. And trucking goes through some wild economic ups and downs. Some years are great years. Other years are not so much. This is why we balance the trucking aspect of our company out with other revenue streams, such as the warehousing, the truck repair, fuel aggregation to blend things out and make it more smooth. Now all of this revenue gets generated and this is the team that sorts it out. This is our accounting team. We have payroll to process. We have taxes that we need to pay, fuel taxes. We have to purchase trucks and pay vendors. So as much money comes in, there's a lot that goes out.'
Meiborg said he's proud of where the company came from.
'We're happy with where we're at,' he said. 'The future of our company definitely lies in the next generation. I'm a third-generation truck driver and second-generation owner of the company. My boy here, Luke, is a fourth-generation truck driver and eventually soon will be a third-generation ownership of the company. I'm very proud of what we've accomplished as a company. It's not just me, though. It is absolutely the team effort, whether it's the technicians to the dispatchers, to the drivers, they do a great job of moving the freight forward and making sure that we are the best transportation firm for our customers, employees and vendors.'
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Learn with AIFact CheckingText to SpeechAI Summary

Related Articles

Business Upturn

an hour ago

• Business Upturn

GroomYourGram: The Profit-First Influencer Agency Rewriting India's Marketing Playbook

In a space often defined by vanity metrics and unpredictability, GroomYourGram has emerged as a refreshingly grounded and profitable force in influencer marketing. Founded five years ago, this Mumbai-based agency has worked with over 300 brands and powered more than 1,000 campaigns—ranging from beauty and skincare to automobile and finance. With a team of 32 operating out of its Lokhandwala office, GroomYourGram delivers not only scale but results. A core strength lies in its unparalleled access to India's creator economy. With a curated community of over 400,000 influencers and 10,000+ active campaign participants monthly, GroomYourGram helps brands like Juicy Chemistry, Tira Beauty, Pilgrim, and Dot & Key craft meaningful narratives. On the corporate front, the agency has driven HDFC Bank's LinkedIn growth strategy and supported pharma giants such as Cipla Health and Glenmark in awareness initiatives. From pioneering Instagram Reels marketing to being among the top 4 agencies for Moj, GroomYourGram has always anticipated trends before they broke mainstream. It has led campaigns with celebrities like Kiara Advani, Janhvi Kapoor, and Ranveer Singh for brands including Mercedes-Benz, Renault, Skoda Kylak, Pepe Jeans, Snitch, and Spykar. Spearheaded by Palak Tannaa, who commands a LinkedIn audience of over 62,000 professionals, the team combines creative ingenuity with data intelligence. Despite multiple investment offers, the agency continues to be self-funded—prioritizing vision over valuation. As a brand that has been profitable since Day One, GroomYourGram exemplifies what happens when influence meets intention. What sets the agency apart is its refusal to follow a one-size-fits-all strategy. Each campaign is customized—whether it's for a youth-centric fashion brand like Freakins or a global skincare label entering Tier II cities. Their campaigns aren't just viral—they're valuable. The agency's model blends strategy with scale. In a world saturated by content, it doesn't just amplify messages—it aligns them with audiences that matter. Fashion clients like Libas, Spykar, and Pepe Jeans see tailored influencer-led storytelling campaigns that go beyond 'likes' and drive brand lift. Healthcare and pharma clients get compliance-ready creativity, while finance brands benefit from thought leadership-led influencer models. Internally, the company operates like a startup but performs like an enterprise. Its operational agility allows quick campaign turnaround, while its in-house tech stack and talent pipeline ensure scalability without compromise. The company is in the process of rolling out an AI-powered influencer analytics tool to further help brands measure ROI and sentiment in real time. With its finger firmly on the cultural pulse, GroomYourGram is not just building campaigns—it's building a new marketing DNA for India's digital-first brands. As brands in India increasingly seek partners who can combine storytelling, performance, and trust, GroomYourGram is becoming the agency of choice—not just for creators and companies, but for the future of digital India. For Business Upturn readers who track growth-focused stories and high-ROI ventures, this isn't just about numbers. It's about sustainable scale, high-value execution, and the future of profitable digital innovation. FOR MORE INFORMATION: Ahmedabad Plane Crash

3 hours ago

Conservation group makes $60M land deal to end mining threat outside Okefenokee Swamp

SAVANNAH, Ga. -- A conservation group said Friday it has reached a $60 million deal to buy land outside the Okefenokee Swamp from a mining company that environmentalists spent years battling over a proposed mine that opponents feared could irreparably damage an ecological treasure. The Conservation Fund said it will buy all 7,700 acres (31.16 square kilometers) that Alabama-based Twin Pines Minerals owns outside the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge in southeast Georgia, halting the company's mining plans. 'It's a big undertaking, but it was also an existential threat to the entire refuge," said Stacy Funderburke, the Conservation Fund's vice president for the central Southeast. 'We've done larger deals for larger acres, but dollar-wise this is the largest deal we've ever done in Georgia." Twin Pines President Steven Ingle confirmed the sale through a spokesman, but declined to comment further. Twin Pines of Birmingham, Alabama, had worked since 2019 to obtain permits to mine titanium dioxide, a pigment used to whiten products from paint to toothpaste, less than 3 miles (5 kilometers) from the southeastern boundary of the Okefenokee refuge near the Georgia-Florida line. The Okefenokee is the largest U.S. refuge east of the Mississippi River, covering nearly 630 square miles (1,630 square kilometers) in southeast Georgia. It is home to abundant alligators, stilt-legged wood storks and more than 400 other animal species. The mine appeared to be on the cusp of winning final approval early last year. Georgia regulators issued draft permits in February 2024 despite warnings from scientists that mining near the Okefenokee's bowl-like rim could damage its ability to hold water and increase the frequency of withering droughts. Twin Pines insisted it could mine without damaging the swamp. Regulators with the Georgia Environmental Protection Division agreed, concluding last year that mining should have a 'minimal impact' on the refuge. The decisions by Georgia regulators played an outsize role in the Twin Pines project after environmental rollbacks during President Donald Trump's first term stripped the federal government of any oversight. Advocates battling Twin Pines said there is still a potential threat to the Okefenokee, with thousands of acres of privately owned land remaining unprotected. Georgia lawmakers have batted aside multiple attempts in recent years to prohibit mining near the refuge. 'There's maybe 30,000 acres that's still vulnerable outside the Okefenokee on Trail Ridge that needs to be conserved,' said Rena Ann Peck of the Georgia River Network. Josh Marks, an Atlanta environmental attorney who fought the mining project, called the land sale 'a huge victory.' But he also called on conservationists to redouble efforts for a state law protecting the Okefenokee and to keep pressure on other companies to refrain from mining near the refuge. Funderburke said the steep purchase price for Twin Pines' land was driven largely by its mineral-rich soils that would have been highly valued by other mining operations. Reaching a deal became more urgent with the company so close to obtaining its final permits. 'It became pretty clear once a draft permit was issued last year that this was the final exit ramp' to stopping the project, Funderburke said. He said his group was closing Friday on about 40% of the property that includes the 820-acre (332-hectare) site for which Twin Pines' had sought its mining permit. The Conservation Fund plans to close on the rest by the end of July. Funderburke said he hopes there is eventually a deal for the land to pass into government ownership and protection. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which oversees the Okefenokee refuge, in January approved a plan to expand the refuge by buying up to 22,000 acres (8,900) along its perimeter from private owners. The proposal included land owned by Twin Pines. Negotiations with the Conservation Fund might explain why Twin Pines had yet to follow through on a financial commitment required before Georgia regulators could make a final decision on its mining permit. The Environmental Protection Division recently confirmed Twin Pines had been notified in February 2024 that it needed to set aside $2 million for future restoration of the mining site. The company never followed through in the 16 months before the sale was announced.

Business Insider

5 hours ago

• Business Insider

Walmart (WMT) Pays $10 Million Fine to Settle Lawsuit over Money Transfer Fraud

Walmart (WMT) has agreed to pay a $10 million fine to settle a U.S. Federal Trade Commission civil lawsuit accusing the world's largest retailer of ignoring warning signs that scam artists leveraged its money transfer service to bilk consumers out of hundreds of millions of dollars. Confident Investing Starts Here: Walmart has also agreed not to process money transfers it suspects are fraudulent, or help sellers and telemarketers it believes are using its services to commit fraud. 'Electronic money transfers are one of the most common ways that scammers tell consumers to send them money, because once it's sent, it's gone for good,' said Christopher Mufarrige, director of the FTC Consumer Protection Bureau. Bentonville, Arkansas-based Walmart did not admit or deny wrongdoing in settling the case. In its complaint, the FTC accused Walmart of turning a blind eye to fraudsters who used its money transfer service to target consumers. Walmart acts as an agent for money transfers by companies such as MoneyGram and Western Union (WU). Tricksters The FTC said fraudsters used many schemes via Walmart, including impersonating Internal Revenue Service (IRS) agents, impersonating family members, and telling victims they won lotteries or sweepstakes but owed fees to collect their winnings. The judge dismissed part of the FTC's legal claim last year but let the regulator pursue most of its case. Walmart appealed that decision. The $10 million settlement effectively ends Walmart's appeal. WMT stock is up 6% this year. Is WMT Stock a Buy? average WMT price target of $109.71 implies 14.14% upside from current levels.