Circle Logistics, an asset-based full-service logistics company, helped Sandymount Technologies, a leading Massachusetts-based technology provider for the brewing industry, make adjustments to meet an increased demand for hand sanitizer by shifting to transporting ethanol rather than beer.

In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, Sandymount team members pivoted to start a hand sanitizer business called COVID-19 RESPONSE LLC, and quickly needed a reliable fulfillment center and specialized expertise to handle the regulations and sensitive shipments of the ethanol it was transporting, so the company turned to Circle as a logistics partner.

“With Circle’s help, we have been able to reduce costs by 50 percent by consolidating shipments—boosting savings four times over by shifting from expedited shipments to less-than-truckload,” said Ronan McGovern, chief executive officer, Sandymount Technologies. “We’ve shipped over 1,000,000 bottles of hand sanitizer in just three months, including 80 pallets per day at the height of the COVID-19 crisis.

“Circle is great at thinking outside of the box to help us with unique situations when we need help.”

Ethanol shipping has become a specialty for Circle Logistics during the pandemic. In May, Circle launched a new bulk division to ship ethanol nationwide for hand sanitizer production, distributing 1.5 million gallons by the end of June, as part of their response to COVID-19.

“We helped COVID-19 RESPONSE identify the most cost-effective methods to manage all of its freight efficiently—including its latest foray into hand sanitizer shipping—and get their final product into the marketplace more quickly at a time when it really matters,” said Joe Donnell, VP of Sales and Operations, Circle Logistics.

Established in Fort Wayne in 2011, Circle Logistics is one of the fastest-growing transportation companies in the country, servicing more than $250 million in freight spend in 2019. Circle’s large, privately-owned fleet fuels the delivery of a full lineup of trucking services, including dry van, temperature-controlled, flatbed, auto hauling, bulk, specialized or oversized, and expedited freight. Circle Logistics was ranked #43 on Transport Topics’ list of Top Freight Brokerage Firms in 2020.