He Delivers For More Than Half The Fortune 20 | Tyler Thatcher, Western Peaks Logistics | Last2First

Tyler Thatcher didn't come from transportation. He built his early career in technology, riding the software wave through the dot-com crash, then spent time in private equity before buying a small final mile courier company in 2011, knowing almost nothing about the industry. Days after closing, DHL dropped them, wiping out about 20% of the revenue overnight. That was his introduction to logistics. Today, Tyler is President of Western Peaks Logistics, operating 17 facilities across six Western states with around 500 employees, and he does delivery work for more than half of the Fortune 20. In this episode, Jason Burns sits down with Tyler to trace how he built a regional powerhouse in the Rocky Mountain West, the market he calls a "black hole on the map" that the national carriers wouldn't touch. In this conversation: 1. How Tyler expanded market by market, through both building his own facilities and acquiring competitors, always by solving a specific customer problem 2. Why he treats the business as a math problem, tracking route-level profitability every single day to make thin margins work 3. How healthcare and pharma grew to more than half the business, moving lab work, blood, and life-saving prescriptions where the delivery is only a fraction of the total service 4. His honest take on private equity in logistics, why some deals strip out the relationships and humanity that made the business work, and why he was selective about his own partner 5. Why rising insurance premiums nearly ended the company, and how a captive insurance program became a lifeline 6. The technology he's investing in, from AI driver-safety cameras that cut his claims to a data warehouse pulling profitability by route and by hour 7. The culture rules he refuses to break, respect and kindness as non-negotiables, and the leadership lessons that shaped how he runs 500 people 8. Whether you run a small fleet, operate in final mile, or want to understand how a regional carrier scales in a tight-margin industry, this is a detailed look at the business from someone who learned every part of it the hard way. Chapters: 0:00 Intro 0:50 What Western Peaks Logistics is 1:50 From tech and private equity into transportation 3:40 Growing to 17 facilities across six states 9:45 The metrics that actually run the business 14:00 How they expanded market by market 18:30 The honest truth about private equity in logistics 27:00 The AI safety camera that cut their claims 29:00 How to win a price increase from a shipper 41:00 W2 vs independent contractor model 45:00 Building culture across 500 employees 53:00 How captive insurance saved the company 58:13 Tyler's last-to-first moment ➡️ Guest: Tyler Thatcher, President of Western Peaks Logistics Connect with Tyler on LinkedIn:   / tyler-thatcher-a547621   ➡️ Host: Jason Burns connect with me:   / jasonburns-last2first   JOIN THE L2F HUDDLE Where final mile leaders connect and grow. Live calls, group discussions, resources, and mentorship for delivery business owners, contractors, and operators. https://www.l2fhuddle.com LISTEN AND FOLLOW LAST2FIRST Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast... Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3gDS58w... Instagram:   / last2firstpodcast   ABOUT LAST2FIRST Last2First is the podcast dedicated to the first, middle, and last mile of delivery. Hosted by Jason Burns, each episode brings real conversations with the owners, operators, and experts shaping the future of logistics. Watch more episodes on the Last2First YouTube channel.