“It has outstanding diversity, it’s a very affluent area, and it has lots of growth potential.” That’s how Safe Ship President Anthony McKenzie describes Loudoun when he talks about how he chose the location for his flagship store. A Loudoun resident, McKenzie has been working for two years to bring a Safe Ship into his community.
While Safe Ship may seem like your run-of-the-mill shipping location, McKenzie says that they’re trying to reach what he considers to be an untapped market: Loudoun small business owners. He sees Safe Ship as more than a place where you buy stamps or mail holiday presents. He wants it to be a fulfillment and distribution center for small and home-based businesses, of which Loudoun has more than 11,000. Safe Ship’s partnership and large volume of business with the U.S. Postal Service, FedEx, UPS and DHL means they can command deep discounts from “The Big Four,” which they pass along to the consumer.
Although they’ve only been located in Loudoun a short time, McKenzie and his company’s commitment to local business is apparent. He invited local businesses to have a table at Safe Ship’s grand opening. In addition to the celebration, everyone from telecom companies to artists had a chance to meet, mingle and publicize their business.
DED Director Buddy Rizer sees Safe Ship as not only further proof of Loudoun’s value as a logistics hub, but as an example of Loudoun’s thriving entrepreneurial community.
“Many of these companies could grow exponentially by expanding into overseas markets. Small businesses can use Safe Ship to send prototypes and samples to potential customers outside the U.S. Companies like Safe Ship are a vital piece to the logistics infrastructure that makes Loudoun such an important economic hub in the mid-Atlantic,” Rizer said.
Do you have a story you’d like to submit for Small Business, Big Success? email us at kona.gallagher@loudoun.gov.
To see McKenzie’s full speech at his grand opening, watch the video below:
View all of the photos from the event on our Facebook page:
