Serial Consolidator Shifts Focus from Logistics to Construction
Brad Jacobs is officially closing the chapter on his logistics empire-building career. The investor and serial entrepreneur will step down December 31 from his chairman roles at both XPO Inc. and GXO Logistics Inc., two companies he built into industry powerhouses through aggressive acquisition strategies.
The move isn't about retirement—it's about redeployment. Jacobs is channeling his full attention into QXO, his construction products distribution company founded in 2024, along with his investment firm Jacobs Private Equity. His ambition? Build QXO into a $50 billion revenue juggernaut using the same playbook that worked in logistics: consolidate a fragmented industry through strategic acquisitions.
This transition has been years in the making. Jacobs already stepped down as CEO of Greenwich, Connecticut-based XPO back in 2022, after orchestrating one of the industry's most dramatic corporate restructurings. He founded XPO by rolling up trucking and logistics service providers, then deliberately broke it apart by spinning off GXO (contract warehousing) and RXO (freight brokerage) as separate public companies.
What This Means for the Logistics Sector
"By transitioning out of my board positions at XPO and GXO, I can dedicate even more energy to QXO and Jacobs Private Equity," Jacobs said in a statement. "We intend to grow QXO into a $50 billion revenue leader in building products distribution through accretive acquisitions and organic growth. XPO and GXO are in excellent shape and their prospects are very bright."
For 3PLs and logistics providers, Jacobs' departure closes an era defined by rapid consolidation and vertical separation. His fingerprints are all over the modern logistics landscape—XPO remains a major player in less-than-truckload and last-mile, while GXO has become one of the largest contract logistics providers globally. The companies he's leaving behind are well-established, but his exit signals he sees bigger opportunities in the construction supply chain than in continuing to steer the logistics giants he created.
