Flock Freight bringing office to Fulton Market, promising 150 jobs

Flock Freight, a company that applies technology to the shipping business, will open an office this fall in Chicago’s Fulton Market, where it plans to hire 100 people this year.

The company said it expects its local jobs to reach 150 during 2022. It has leased 15,000 square feet in a new office building at 318 N. Carpenter St. It said it is hiring engineers and salespeople for the new office.

Flock is not a shipper, but it offers technology to help shippers achieve full truckloads and plan routes more efficiently. With $113.5 million from Tokyo-based SoftBank Group and other backers including Google, the company claims to have developed a unique algorithm to increase revenue for carriers.

The Fulton Market office will be near Google’s Chicago hub. Flock said it was drawn to Chicago because of the area’s traditional role in trucking, and because it can locate near other tech employers. Flock is headquartered in Encinitas, California, near San Diego.

It will join others in the field that have become significant employers here such as Coyote Logistics and Uber Freight. Flock said it has hired a former Coyote executive, Chris Pickett, to work from Chicago as its chief strategy officer.

A company spokeswoman said its technology allows shippers to avoid delays at terminals and reduce damaged goods. It also reduces carbon emissions, she said.

Chicago developer John Murphy opened the office building at 318 N. Carpenter last year without tenants signed in advance. Flock said it is taking the entire fifth floor of the eight-story building on a 10-year lease.