Joseph D’Amico’s family roots trace back over a century to small towns in southern Italy. He considers Niagara home, where his mother, now 95, still resides, along with his five siblings. He attended the University of Western Ontario in London, Ontario, married after his second year, and continued his studies for another three years. During this time, he took up a summer role at John Deere in Welland as an engineering analyst, a position he held for four years, which enabled him to fund his Executive MBA at Niagara University in Niagara Falls, USA.

In 1983, he left John Deere to join his father in the family trucking business, at which point his father retired at the age of 54. For the next two decades, the strategy was aggressive growth, and the business performed well. However, the events of September 11 led to a shutdown at the border, triggering what he describes as the worst recession in global logistics.

In 2002, he restructured the business through the CCAA process and started over independently, with first-year revenue below $3 million. By 2003, he began an acquisition phase, purchasing more than a dozen companies over the following years. While some of these acquisitions became strong performers and reliable sources of cash flow, others proved challenging. Notably, most of these companies were acquired without his own capital and without partners.

By 2005, his efforts began to consistently yield positive results. He navigated the 2008 recession independently and, after 25 years in business, reached a more measured and experienced approach by the age of 53.

Today, his senior team, including his two children, manages approximately 1,000 employees on a day-to-day basis. He continues to operate the business without partners, supported by a strong balance sheet.